Four day work-week significantly reduces carbon footprint: Study

The year 2022 saw a revolutionary trial for corporate sector- the four day work-week trail, which changed concept for how employees functioned. The trail that was conducted between July to December in 2022, saw employee daily productivity increase by a whopping 22%, while maintaining no loss in pay for employees. 

Now a recent study has also shown that the four day work week also has the benefit of reducing carbon emission thereby contributing to reversing climate damage. 

The survey saw that a shorter work-week reduced the carbon footprint of each company, according to a BBC report. 

Four Day Work-Week= Less Carbon Footprint

The BBC report cited the findings of environmental consultancy Tyler Grange based in Gloucestershire, UK, which saw that by eliminating meetings and travel that were unnecessary, the company was able to witness an average ‘21% reduction in the number of miles travelled by car’, thereby causing less carbom emission. 

The company also saw their ‘ecologists after all loved being ecologists’ even on their day off. If not working, on the extra day off, the employees ended up climate volunteering

The report of the short work-week trial was published on 21 February, and several firms have affirmed that ‘a shorter workweek could help the planet’. 

A 10% reduction in hours is associated to an 8.6% fall in carbon footprint, according to a study co-authored by Juliet Schor, an economist and sociologist at Boston College and lead researcher at 4 Day Week Global in 2012.

Further the shorter work week also saw fall in commuting. Data from the UK trial shared with BBC Future Planet shows a 10% decrease over the pilot period, from 3.5 hours to 3.15 hours per week, for the companies which tracked commuting time. 

The trial also saw a behavioral change in employees in UK and US who used the three days to engage in low-carbon emitting activities like- hiking or stay-at-home hobbies, recycling and buying eco-friendly product. 

Reduction in Carbon Footprint for Data Storage

The company Tyler Grange noted a historical shift during the shorter work week trial. Big Data storage centres require same amount of electricity as 50,000 homes. The shorter work-week was also able to reduce carbon emissions related to the sending and storage of data significantly dropped. 

Further the BBC report also added, more days off could result in more energy-efficient employees, says Laura White, projects and research manager at Waterwise. "People are mindful when they're at home, because they're ultimately paying the bill."

4 day work week trial

The UK leg of the trial was the biggest, including 60 firms in participation. Apart from UK, the short work-week trial was carried out in the US and Ireland. It was also carried out in the public sector firms in Iceland and companies in Spain, Sweden, Belgium, Japan and New Zealand.