How to reduce your carbon footprint with digital transformation

How to reduce the carbon footprint is a growing concern among different companies. It is not for less, since the respective legislation to climate change is increasingly severe. For this reason, many agencies and institutions are rethinking how to control and reduce their emissions. Next, some measures will be detailed to be able to meet this objective thanks to the digital transformation.

The advantages of digitalization in reducing the carbon footprint

The digitalization and digital transformation of a company translates into the proliferation of green and sustainable cities and spaces. This characteristic is due to the fact that these companies produce, thanks to their digital services, lower carbon emissions than their competitors.
Today, this trend is unstoppable. Estimates predict that approximately one in five companies will choose to carry out digital transformation processes. The reasons are clear: streamlining production and services and saving costs. This represents a 27% cut in production costs. In addition, in terms of the ecological footprint, 5% of carbon emissions will be reduced. Therefore, it can be seen first-hand that the green future is linked to digitalization processes.

Digital transformation measures in companies

However, perhaps one of the most effective solutions to reduce the carbon footprint is to start a process of digital transformation. The various agencies today have numerous technologies and tools that will mean a change in the labor paradigm.
A clear example is videoconferencing. They avoid absurd transportation costs, such as international air travel, and speed up communication. With the current proliferation of telecommuting they have established themselves within the business world.
Another ecological measure that facilitates business activity is the digitalization of processes. Today, certain tasks such as printing or physical storage of documents are being eliminated. Cloud computing

services have eliminated this traditional trend and offer greater savings, security and ecological commitment. It is the ideal method to save space in warehouses and paper files.

How can the carbon footprint be reduced?

Digitalization, according to Capgemini’s recorded data, removes more than 625 million tons of CO2 or greenhouse gases. The next 8 years will see the world’s leading powers, such as China, the US, the UK, Germany and France, decrease their carbon percentages. It is related to a commitment to reduce the energy produced from fossil fuels and promote responsible consumption. By comparison, it translates to nearly 29 million more trees on the earth’s surface.
This reduction is related first-hand to the business environment, since it is responsible for these emissions. State laws are increasingly restrictive with these aspects, since anticipating possible sanctions is a logical decision. Next, we will discuss the importance of reducing the carbon footprint and its advantages.

Digitalization achieves greater productivity

Reducing the carbon footprint is a necessary environmental commitment that, as mentioned, is facilitated by digitalization. However, the digital transformation plan of a company entails a series of advantages that go beyond the merely ecological.
A clear example of the advantages of these plans is that they manage to increase the efficiency of production processes and services. Thanks to a digitized structure, access and processing of information is streamlined and simplified. In technology companies, savings of up to 21 million euros per year have been calculated.
This is a way to go, as only 8% of global companies have implemented it so far. It is one of the great steps that, both at the state and private level, is intended to be carried out in this decade of the XXI century.

Measures to reduce the carbon footprint in the business environment

The importance of reducing the carbon footprint is obvious. To reduce this emission, some of the measures that can be applied in a company, socially committed, are the following:

• The first would be related to the optimization of energy use. They are measures, in many cases, simple to apply. Energy can be better used if electronic devices or plugged-in lights are taken into account. It is best to use them only when necessary.
• The application of renewable energies in the business environment is one of its pending tasks. Apart from the aforementioned energy savings, another measure is to take advantage of the clean energy produced. According to BloombergNEF data, companies only buy 8.6 GW of clean energy. This is still a very low percentage compared to the total.
• Many companies provide different individual vehicles to their workers. One measure to reduce the carbon footprint is to encouragepublic transport, cycling or car sharing. In the event that the vehicle is essential, as in those transport companies, you can bet on those free of emissions.
• It is common for offices or workplaces to generate large amounts of waste. Therefore, all this waste can be recycled to reuse it and, in this way, reduce the environmental impact.
• Companies have to guide their workers in environmental matters. Teaching courses or talks within the offices can be a good contact with social reality. This education will reduce the use of certain materials and their reuse, which translates into considerable savings for the future.

How to reduce the carbon footprint is a task that depends on the whole of society. However, it is the companies that must exercise the first step to carry out this social commitment. There are many measures, among which those related to digital transformation plans stand out.