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Email traffic
© Green Lab Initiative BMC
October 2023
The facts
Sending, receiving and storing e-mails consumes energy. While the carbon footprint of a single e-mail seems negligible, the situation is quite different on a global scale. Market research company Statista estimates that by 2023, around 347 billion e-mails will be sent worldwide every day1. A study by Ovo Energy in 2019 found that ~16,000 tons of CO2 could be saved each year if every UK adult sent one less email a day2. Based on this study, one less e-mail per adult in Germany would erase the CO2 emissions of ~72,000 flights from Munich to Madrid.3
What we can do
- Unsubscribe from unnecessary newsletters and routine company offers
- Use servers to share files instead of sending e-mails with large attachments
- Minimise your cloud storage – including e-mails on remote servers
1. Statistics on e-mail traffic (accesses Oct 6, 2023)
2. Study summary Ovo Energy (accessed Oct 6, 2023)
3. Flight emissions calculator (accessed Oct 5, 2023)
Download poster Email traffic (PDF, 455 KB)
Biorender.com
Travelling
© Green Lab Initiative BMC
July 2023
The facts
Mobility accounts for around 20% of the per capita carbon footprint in Germany. Flying is the most climate-damaging way to travel. For very long journeys, there is often no alternative to the plane - but there is for shorter distances. While a return flight from Munich to Berlin emits ~300 kg CO2 per person, traveling the same distance by train (ICE) emits only ~30 kg CO2.
What we can do
- Travel by rail whenever possible.
- Make use of and offer virtual attendance options for conferences.
- Take public transport or bike for short distances.
- If air travel is essential, take the most direct route (fewest layovers).