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How can you reduce carbon footprints with 360° remote collaboration? The simplest answer pertains to lowering travel frequency and thus cutting down on fuel consumption, a significant contributor to so-called "scope 3 emissions." But did you know that reducing carbon footprints with 360° remote collaboration goes far beyond that? In this article, we explore the various opportunities to cut down on your organization’s carbon footprint through sustainable remote collaboration solutions.
Sustainability in the Workplace
Businesses worldwide have steadily adopted more sustainable practices to reduce carbon footprints and position themselves as advocates for change. Inevitably, this has created a market for developing innovative solutions across many fields that would allow organizations to increase the sustainability of their operations without compromising on efficiency.
To that end, 360° remote collaboration technology has emerged as a powerful tool, offering numerous ways to promote sustainable business practices beyond the obvious reduction in travel-related emissions. Even though it was principally designed with the explicit aim of implementing lean manufacturing strategies or fostering a culture of continuous improvement through more frequent safety inspections and similar applications, another upside comes in the form of a more eco-friendly solution than in-person visits.
How Does Reducing Carbon Footprints with 360° Remote Collaboration Work?
While reduced travel is an obvious benefit, reducing carbon footprints with 360° remote collaboration doesn’t end there. In fact, there are many other significant ways it impacts sustainability:
Reduced Energy Consumption
With fewer people required in-person, companies can significantly reduce the need for office spaces and general energy consumption. With less power spent on heating, cooling, and lighting, it also frees up financial resources to be utilized elsewhere. Additionally, co-workers use less energy for transportation in their office commute, further exacerbating the positive impact.
Sustainable Supply Chain Management
Virtual supplier audits and inspections become significantly more efficient with 360° video conferencing, once again reducing emissions associated with travel. Coupled with the many production-oriented benefits of implementing 360° technology in supply chain management and logistics, immersive video becomes a real game-changer.
Less Electronic & Physical Waste
Thanks to remote video conferencing, you eliminate the need for physical documentation and greatly reduce your reliance on paper products and printed materials.
Furthermore, to facilitate remote collaboration, your organization will need to transfer most of its resources into the cloud. Relying on centralized servers like this reduces the need for high-powered (and resource-draining) workstations for each team member, which eventually must be replaced once their lifespan reaches its limit.
Ensuring Environmental Compliance
If your organization is dedicated to going green, you’re likely considering implementing company-wide policies to promote sustainable business practices. As 360° video technology functions phenomenally as part of a broader hybrid inspection model, relying on it can help management verify whether other staff members observe the guidelines in their daily work. This can be accomplished, for example, via remote Gemba walks and attempting to limit unnecessary waste in the workspace.
In addition, for industries needing to adhere to strict environmental guidelines and ESG policies, this technology can be crucial in maintaining compliance while reducing the carbon footprint associated with frequent on-site inspections.
The Takeaway
With more and more organizations turning towards eco-friendly policies and solutions, 360° video technology represents one of the best sustainable remote collaboration solutions. It’s applicable in a range of industries, and brings with it numerous benefits that simultaneously improve organizational efficiency and limit travel costs. Through thoughtful and successful implementation, the ROI of remote collaboration skyrockets, particularly in industries liable to fines in the case of non-compliance with strict ESG regulations.
