Environment and Social Psychology

Remote Work and Its Environmental Footprint: Legal and Policy Considerations

Omar Abbas

Al-Turath University, Baghdad 10013, Iraq

Rafid Abdul-Ameer Ghaeb

Al-Mansour University College, Baghdad 10067, Iraq

Ibrahim Khalil Ibrahim

Al-Mamoon University College, Baghdad 10012, Iraq

Zainab Jali Madhi

Al-Rafidain University College, Baghdad 10064, Iraq

Ghanim Magbol Alwan

Madenat Alelem University College, Baghdad 10006, Iraq

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/esp.v10i12.3957

Keywords: remote work; environmental footprint; energy consumption; carbon emissions; digital infrastructure; electronic waste; sustainability policy.

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Abstract

The transition to remote work has significantly altered traditional employment structures, introducing both environmental benefits and sustainability challenges. While telecommuting reduces commuting-related carbon emissions and urban congestion, it simultaneously increases household energy consumption, digital infrastructure demand, and electronic waste generation. This study examines the environmental footprint of remote work, evaluating shifts in energy use, transportation emissions, and digital resource reliance. Findings indicate that household electricity consumption rises by over 80%, primarily due to increased reliance on personal climate control, lighting, and computing devices. Despite the reduction in vehicle miles traveled, leading to an estimated 299 kg decrease in CO₂ emissions per worker per month, the expansion of video conferencing and cloud storage has driven a 248% increase in digital energy demand.  Moreover, the replacement cycles of laptops, monitors, and peripherals have shortened, leading to a 91% increase in e-waste production, thus posing a serious sustainability dilemma. These results emphasize the need for policy actions, efforts that increase energy efficiency, measures to promote corporate responsibility for digital sustainability and improved e-waste recycling programs. Ultimately, the study is a call to action to focus on sustaining remote work in a way that harnesses its energy saving potential, without tipping the scales back towards the environmental challenges of closed industries. Further research should examine how energy efficiency in home offices can be systematically enhanced through technological optimization, organizational guidance, and supportive policy frameworks, positioning remote work as a lower-energy-intensity mode of work while advancing sustainable digital practices and assessing the long-term environmental implications of sustained telecommuting.

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