Based on in-depth interviews with executives of 15 Global 500 companies who were early adapters of telepresence technology, the study finds that if companies with an annual revenue of $1 billion or more deployed four telepresence conference rooms, 900 business trips could be prevented in a single year and, subsequently, 2,271 metric tons of emissions – the greenhouse gas equivalent of removing 434 cars from the road for one year – would be eliminated. Additionally, the company could expect to see a return on investment within 15 months while workers who are “on the road” less benefit from an improved work-life balance and speeder decision-making.

• Sak Nayagam, Head of Climate Change Solutions, Sustainability Services EALA at Accenture, said, “Since adopting telepresence, Accenture has expanded its network to include more than 50 telepresence rooms across the globe. The travel saved through their use would have accounted for 6,200 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions globally from November 2007 through August 2009. For us, it is not so much about eliminating travel but travelling smarter and maximising the time and value of our workforce.”

• Zelda Bentham, senior environment manager of global insurance company Aviva, said, “We compared executives travelling from the nine months prior to telepresence with the nine months following implementation. From an air travel perspective, we observed a 25 percent carbon footprint reduction.”