Homeworking emissions whitepaper

The impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19) have resulted in significant changes to our daily lives; affecting family life, leisure time, the way we travel and the way we do business.

An estimated 47% of UK employees – 14 million people – were reported to be working from home in April 2020 and many have stayed remote or hybrid since. It is vital that corporates account for the shifting boundaries of their operational emissions.

This paper, written in partnership with Lloyds Banking Group and NatWest Group and with special contribution from Bulb, defines a simple and easy to use process for calculating emissions of a workforce increasingly based at their own homes. The version features minor amendments to calculations as the methodology progresses.

It provides a working methodology to complement the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol for the following three areas:

Emissions from office equipment
Emissions from heating
Emissions from cooling (where geographically relevant)

Download your copy now today to get one step closer to a better understanding of the full emissions impact of today’s business operations.

“As our ways of working continue to change through this pandemic and beyond, it is essential that companies understand the full impact such changes are having on their carbon emissions.

“This year we announced ambitious targets to reduce our climate impact, which include making our operations net zero by the end of 2020. Homeworking emissions are currently excluded from our footprint calculations due to the historic lack of a clear methodology and the associated data collection challenges. Given the significant shift in working patterns seen in 2020, we feel it is important to be able to assess the materiality of the displaced emissions, enabling us to make better decisions about how we tackle them in the future.”

Natwest Group

"Lloyds Banking Group has committed to support the UK tackle climate change by helping to finance the transition to a sustainable, low carbon economy. Reducing the environmental impact of our own operations is an important
part of our approach and since 2009 we have reduced our operational carbon emissions by 63%. Even before the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have supported an agile approach for our colleagues, enabling them to work from
home and look at different working patterns.

While the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a further reduction in our carbon emissions, most notably through less travel, we recognise the need to balance this against the additional emissions caused by colleagues working from home.
This report is a valuable step in navigating the challenge of measuring carbon emissions associated with home working and supports organisations in taking action to tackle the threat of climate change."

Fiona Cannon,
Group Sustainable Business Director,
Lloyds Banking Group

Homeworking emissions whitepaper.

First ever open-source carbon calculation methodology for homeworking. Download your copy today.