Do teleworking arrangements reduce CO₂eq emissions? Effects on commuting, housing space and ICT use

Abstract

Teleworking is increasingly popular, but its contribution to sustainability is still a matter of debate. A body of work highlights the need for an integrative view including commuting, housing space and ICT use. This paper develops such an integrative approach to analyze how the intensity of teleworking affects the carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions of these three domains. A quantitative survey was carried out for Swiss teleworkers (n = 1033). The CO₂ equivalent emissions (CO₂eq) were calculated for each domain and in total. The average annual CO₂eq emissions per teleworker amount to a total of 1322kg. Teleworkers' commuting accounts for 532kg, work-related housing space for 486kg and ICT use for 286kg. Our results show that more frequently teleworking reduces commuting and thereby lowers CO₂eq emissions compared to low-frequency teleworkers. However, these savings are offset by additional CO₂eq emissions from housing space and ICT use. The factors of teleworkers influencing total CO₂eq emissions include the number of days working at a regular workplace and whether teleworkers have a home office room. The choice of residential location and of the mode of transport for commutes have significant effects in both the commuting and total models. Female gender, higher education and higher monthly household incomes show significant effects in the housing space and ICT models. The results are interpreted in light of the study's methodological limitations, foremost the teleworker-only sample and the simplifying assumptions underlying the CO₂eq emission calculations. However, the results suggest that the environmental benefits of teleworking depend on how it is implemented and practiced, as well as the layout and equipment of the workspaces at different workplaces. Thus, the paper provides an initial indication of teleworking arrangements and related CO₂eq emissions in three domains and can serve as a starting point for future research on how teleworking arrangements should be organized in a more sustainable way.