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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)
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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).