Accessibility Statement Skip Navigation
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • +44 (0)20 7454 5110
  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
Return to PR Newswire homepage
  • News
  • Products
  • Contact
When typing in this field, a list of search results will appear and be automatically updated as you type.

Searching for your content...

No results found. Please change your search terms and try again.
  • News in Focus
      • Browse News Releases

      • All Public Company News
      • All Multimedia News
      • View All News Releases

      • Regulatory News

      • D/A/CH Regulatory News
      • UK Regulatory News
      • View All Regulatory News

  • Business & Money
      • Auto & Transportation

      • Aerospace & Defense
      • Air Freight
      • Airlines & Aviation
      • Automotive
      • Maritime & Shipbuilding
      • Railroads & Intermodal Transportation
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Transportation, Trucking & Railroad
      • Travel
      • Trucking & Road Transportation
      • View All Auto & Transportation

      • Business Technology

      • Blockchain
      • Broadcast Tech
      • Computer & Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Components
      • Electronic Design Automation
      • Financial Technology
      • High Tech Security
      • Internet Technology
      • Nanotechnology
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Semiconductors
      • View All Business Technology

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film & Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Financial Services & Investing

      • Accounting News & Issues
      • Acquisitions, Mergers & Takeovers
      • Banking & Financial Services
      • Bankruptcy
      • Bond & Stock Ratings
      • Conference Call Announcements
      • Contracts
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Dividends
      • Earnings
      • Earnings Forecasts & Projections
      • Financing Agreements
      • Insurance
      • Investments Opinions
      • Joint Ventures
      • Mutual Funds
      • Private Placement
      • Real Estate
      • Restructuring & Recapitalisation
      • Sales Reports
      • Shareholder Activism
      • Shareholder Meetings
      • Stock Offering
      • Stock Split
      • Venture Capital
      • View All Financial Services & Investing

      • General Business

      • Awards
      • Commercial Real Estate
      • Corporate Expansion
      • Earnings
      • Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
      • Human Resource & Workforce Management
      • Licensing
      • New Products & Services
      • Obituaries
      • Outsourcing Businesses
      • Overseas Real Estate (non-US)
      • Personnel Announcements
      • Real Estate Transactions
      • Residential Real Estate
      • Small Business Services
      • Socially Responsible Investing
      • Surveys, Polls & Research
      • Trade Show News
      • View All General Business

  • Science & Tech
      • Consumer Technology

      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Blockchain
      • Cloud Computing/Internet of Things
      • Computer Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Consumer Electronics
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Gaming
      • Financial Technology
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Multimedia & Internet
      • Peripherals
      • Social Media
      • STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math)
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Consumer Technology

      • Energy & Natural Resources

      • Alternative Energies
      • Chemical
      • Electrical Utilities
      • Gas
      • General Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Oil & Energy
      • Oil & Gas Discoveries
      • Utilities
      • Water Utilities
      • View All Energy & Natural Resources

      • Environ­ment

      • Conservation & Recycling
      • Environmental Issues
      • Environmental Policy
      • Environmental Products & Services
      • Green Technology
      • Natural Disasters
      • View All Environ­ment

      • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Aerospace & Defence
      • Agriculture
      • Chemical
      • Construction & Building
      • General Manufacturing
      • HVAC (Heating, Ventilation & Air-Conditioning)
      • Machinery
      • Machine Tools, Metalworking & Metallurgy
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Paper, Forest Products & Containers
      • Precious Metals
      • Textiles
      • Tobacco
      • View All Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Telecomm­unications

      • Carriers & Services
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Telecommunications Equipment
      • Telecommunications Industry
      • VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Telecomm­unications

  • Lifestyle & Health
      • Consumer Products & Retail

      • Animals & Pets
      • Beers, Wines & Spirits
      • Beverages
      • Bridal Services
      • Cannabis
      • Cosmetics & Personal Care
      • Fashion
      • Food & Beverages
      • Furniture & Furnishings
      • Home Improvement
      • Household, Consumer & Cosmetics
      • Household Products
      • Jewellery
      • Non-Alcoholic Beverages
      • Office Products
      • Organic Food
      • Product Recalls
      • Restaurants
      • Retail
      • Supermarkets
      • Toys
      • View All Consumer Products & Retail

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film & Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Health

      • Biometrics
      • Biotechnology
      • Clinical Trials & Medical Discoveries
      • Dentistry
      • FDA Approval
      • Fitness/Wellness
      • Health Care & Hospitals
      • Health Insurance
      • Infection Control
      • International Medical Approval
      • Medical Equipment
      • Medical Pharmaceuticals
      • Mental Health
      • Pharmaceuticals
      • Supplementary Medicine
      • View All Health

      • Sports

      • General Sports
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Sporting Events
      • Sports Equipment & Accessories
      • View All Sports

      • Travel

      • Amusement Parks & Tourist Attractions
      • Gambling & Casinos
      • Hotels & Resorts
      • Leisure & Tourism
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Passenger Aviation
      • Travel Industry
      • View All Travel

  • Policy & Public Interest
      • Policy & Public Interest

      • Animal Welfare
      • Corporate Social Responsibility
      • Economic News, Trends & Analysis
      • Education
      • Environmental
      • European Government
      • Labour & Union
      • Natural Disasters
      • Not For Profit
      • Public Safety
      • View All Policy & Public Interest

  • People & Culture
      • People & Culture

      • Aboriginal, First Nations & Native American
      • African American
      • Asian American
      • Children
      • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
      • Hispanic
      • Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual
      • Men's Interest
      • People with Disabilities
      • Religion
      • Senior Citizens
      • Veterans
      • Women
      • View All People & Culture

  • Overview
  • Distribution
  • Paid Placement
  • Multichannel Amplification
  • Disclosure Services
  • SocialBoost
  • Rooms
    • MediaRoom
    • ESG Rooms
  • AI Tools
  • General Enquiries
  • Media Enquiries
  • Partnerships
  • Hamburger menu
  • Cision PR Newswire UK provides press release distribution, targeting, monitoring, and marketing services
  • Send a Release
    • Phone

    • +44 (0)20 7454 5110 from 8 AM - 5:30 PM GMT

    • ALL CONTACT INFO
    • Contact Us

      +44 (0)20 7454 5110
      from 8 AM - 5:30 PM GMT

  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • News in Focus
    • Browse News Releases
    • Regulatory News
  • Business & Money
    • Auto & Transportation
    • Business Technology
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Financial Services & Investing
    • General Business
  • Science & Tech
    • Consumer Technology
    • Energy & Natural Resources
    • Environ­ment
    • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing
    • Telecomm­unications
  • Lifestyle & Health
    • Consumer Products & Retail
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Health
    • Sports
    • Travel
  • Policy & Public Interest
    • Policy & Public Interest
  • People & Culture
    • People & Culture
  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • Overview
  • Distribution
  • Paid Placement
  • Multichannel Amplification
  • Disclosure Services
  • Cision Communications Cloud®
  • AI Tools
  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • General Enquiries
  • Media Enquiries
  • Partnerships
  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists

Homeworking study: Hybrid working guided by seasonal energy savings could lead to a greener Europe


News provided by

Vodafone Institute for Society and Communications

07 Jun, 2021, 09:06 GMT

Share this article

Share toX

Share this article

Share toX

- New Study by the Carbon Trust, commissioned by the Vodafone Institute, calculates carbon savings and rebound effects of home office models pre, during and post the pandemic in Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Spain and the UK

- Potential carbon savings aided by hybrid working could save up to 12.2mt of CO2 emissions per year in Germany - equivalent to 83 million flights from London to Berlin

- In most countries, offices generate higher carbon emissions than commuting creates

- Seasonal, regional and individual behaviour patterns lead to different saving scenarios for Home Working

BERLIN, June 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The potential carbon savings from home working could save Germany up to 12.2Mt of CO2 emissions per year, the highest amount in a country-comparison. This is equivalent to 83 million flights from London to Berlin. This is the result of a new study conducted by the Carbon Trust on behalf of the Vodafone Institute for Society and Communications. The study assumes that around 17.5 million jobs in Germany will be 'teleworkable', meaning they can work remotely, and that people will do so on average 2.7 days a week. The UK has a relatively high number of teleworkable jobs (15.1 million) but could save significantly less carbon with 4.1 MtCO2/year. The Czech Republic with 1.7 million teleworkable jobs has a carbon savings potential of only 0.1Mt/CO2 per year.

The Homeworking report analyses the carbon savings of teleworking pre, during and post the pandemic, with projections on carbon savings from expected changes to working patterns in the post-COVID future in the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the UK. The study included avoided commuting emissions, avoided office emissions and additional domestic emissions.

Homeworking carbon savings balance is net positive across all countries

In all countries, the overall annual carbon savings during COVID-19 from avoided commuting and avoided office emissions outweigh the individual's annual additional domestic emissions, resulting in a net annual carbon saving. Per teleworker, the savings in each country came to:

  • Italy 1.861kgCO2e
  • Germany 1.144kgCO2e
  • Spain 890k CO2e
  • the UK 889kgCO2e
  • the Czech Republic 270kgCO2e
  • Sweden 243 kgCO2e

For reference, the emissions for an individual passenger flight from London to Berlin are approximately 140kgCO2e. The main driver for carbon savings were the avoided office emissions by teleworkers. They are higher than the avoided emissions from commuting and are not counteracted by any rebound effects of additional domestic energy consumption. Only in Sweden commuting was the higher factor in carbon savings. 

Different seasonal saving scenarios per country

Even if home working on average leads to higher individual carbon savings throughout the year, a more granular look shows that the impact of seasonal, regional and individual behaviour patterns leads to different scenarios on carbon consumption. A comparison of Germany and Spain shows: Due to the high heating demand and the prevailing energy mix of oil and natural gas, the additional domestic emissions in Germany increase during winter, making office work more efficient in this season. When commuting by train the carbon emissions are 7.46 kgCO2e/day working from office versus 12.71kgCO2e/day from home office. In Spain the widespread domestic use of air conditioning in summer leads to increased carbon emissions making office work more climate-friendly, especially when commuting by train (office emissions: 3.49 kgCO2e /day versus home office emissions: 5.78 kgCO2e /day).

Recommendations for businesses and governments

Based on these findings, the report recommends ways in which businesses and governments can plan and incentivize hybrid working to accelerate decarbonization, while also addressing the challenges changes may pose to cities, transport, local economies and infrastructure suppliers. For example:

  • By helping to accelerate the rollout of connectivity and ensuring everyone has access to fast and reliable internet whether they work remotely in rural or city areas
  • Increasing the energy efficiency of homes and buildings to alleviate additional strain on countries' power systems
  • Incentivising low-carbon movements by implementing e-mobility or hybrid company car policies at a corporate level
  • Re-considering urban planning based on how people will engage with their cities when spending more time at home
  • Anticipating how migration from urban to rural areas could impact the power grid, promoting decentralized, renewable electricity supply as well as smart technologies

Andie Stephens, Associate Director Carbon Trust: "The report shows that while homeworking offers great potential for carbon savings, it is important to understand regional nuances and working patterns, and to identify inefficiencies that increase consumption in order to create actual saving scenarios. To fully realize the long-term environmental benefits of increased hybrid working models in the future we need to ensure that we adopt different approaches beyond the home. Otherwise, offices operating at full energy demand while only being half-occupied or transport systems being unable to respond to changing demand could lead to an overall increase in carbon emissions."

Joakim Reiter, External Affairs Director Vodafone Group: "This report indicates early signs of carbon savings, fueled by hybrid remote working and reminds us of the importance of tailoring policies to the needs of individual countries. Vodafone believes that Europe can lead the way and meet its goal of climate neutrality by 2050 if governments and policy-makers are guided by research, invest in technology and put in place the right frameworks.  In addition, the European Commission's Recovery and Resilience Faculty and the minimum 37% earmarked for climate investment, will help achieve the twin green and digital transitions." 

Find the full report here.

Find images for publicationhere.

Methodology

The analysis conducted by the Carbon Trust calculated the average annual carbon savings per teleworker by country. The scope of the sources of carbon emissions accounted for from an average teleworker included three key areas: average avoided commuting emissions from teleworking; average avoided office-related emissions from teleworking; average domestic-related emissions from teleworking. Please see the report for thorough explanation.

About Vodafone Institute for Society and Communications

The Institute is Vodafone's think-tank. We explore the potential and responsible use of digital technologies for innovation, growth and sustainable social impact. Through research and events, we provide thought leadership and offer a platform for dialogue between business, academia and politics.

Press Contact:
Ina Krings,
Senior Expert Communications and Campaigns
Mobile : +49-172-612-45-00

Vodafone Institute for society and Communications
Office Berlin
BehrenstraBe18
10117 Berlin
www.vodafone-institut.de  

Social Media :
linkedin.com/company/vodafone-institute    
twitter.com/vf institute   
youtube.com/VodafoneInstitute  

Modal title

Contact PR Newswire

  • +44 (0)20 7454 5110
    from 8 AM - 5:30 PM GMT
  • General Enquiries
  • Media Enquiries
  • Partnerships

Products

  • Content Distribution
  • Multimedia Services
  • Disclosure Services
  • Cision Communications Cloud®

About

  • About PR Newswire
  • About Cision
  • Partnering Opportunities
  • Careers
  • Accessibility Statement
  • APAC
  • APAC - Simplified Chinese
  • APAC - Traditional Chinese
  • Brazil
  • Canada
  • Czech
  • Denmark
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Israel
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Mexico
  • Middle East
  • Middle East - Arabic
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Russia
  • Slovakia
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • United States
  • Vietnam

My Services

  • All News Releases
  • Customer Portal
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • Data Privacy

Do not sell or share my personal information:

  • Submit via Privacy@cision.com 
  • Call Privacy toll-free: 877-297-8921

Contact PR Newswire

Products

About

My Services
  • All News Releases
  • Customer Portal
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
+44 (0)20 7454 5110
from 8 AM - 5:30 PM GMT
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Information Security Policy
  • Site Map
  • RSS
  • Cookie Settings
Copyright © 2025 PR Newswire Europe Limited. All Rights Reserved. A Cision company.