The Emissions of Work - How to Make a Green Working Culture

In this month’s Green Corridor, I wanted to talk about the emissions generated by a workforce physically going to work. In working out the carbon footprint of businesses that I have dealings with, there is always a section in Scope 3 emissions for the staff getting to work. For businesses, the added activity of driving across town or flying out to visit clients creates even larger amounts of emissions.

When we as individuals are going to and from work, we experience physically, the emitting of greenhouse gasses by our transportation sector. We can see the exhaust coming out of tailpipes from cars and trucks. We can hear the jet engines overhead. We can smell the pollution while walking near our busy roadways (sometimes covering our faces). We can touch it when wiping soot from our eyes and skin.

So what if everything was different? What if technology came into the picture that allowed for far less moving about in fossil fuel burning transport? The recent pandemic offered a historic opportunity to see what a dramatic change in workspace cultures could have for our planet.

Researchers at University of Warwick, U.K. were able to take the emission numbers from pre-COVID 2019 (over 17.4 million tons of Green House Gas) and compare them to the emissions when work at home became the norm in 2020. Not surprisingly, thereduction to emissions generated was tremendous. For two IT companies in the Warwick study, commuter emissions were actually reduced up to 97% during 2020 when most staff members were forced to work from home.

Even when it has been proven that productivity and worker output was not impacted by where people worked, there are bosses that want people to get back to the office. Why?

The mind-set challenge for all businesses today is to recognize the following:

1. That commuter and business travel miles are a significant source of planet damaging green house gas emissions.

2. There are work life balance advantages to working remotely.

3. Working remotely was proven to be as productive as working in offices thanks to the remote working technology in place today.

4. There are cost savings when office space is reduced as a result of staff working remotely.

Many jobs require people to be at their workplace. In the US for example, it is estimated that 57% of the workforce is considered as “front-line” meaning that they would need to commute a fairly significant amount, with little opportunity to use technology in order to work remotely.

In these situations, some interventions by companies that want to reduce commuter and business travel carbon emissions could be :

1. Continue to keep air business travel to a minimum and track it closely

2. Keep remote working as part of your business culture and continue to explore ways in which this could more widely implemented or adopted

3. Stagger work hours to help avoid having employees stuck in traffic congestion. This reduces emissions and unnecessary stress.

4. For sales staff that travel to clients – lease or rent electric transport instead of vehicles with internal combustion engines wherever possible either for your employees directly or for car services you are using

5. Incentivise public transport use amongst staff to reduce commuting emissions

Working in offices for set hours is not an activity that has been around for thousands of years. Only early industrialisation made set hours for work a standard for efficient manufacturing.

We have an opportunity now to reset what will be the working culture for our post-industrial workforces. Let’s make sure the reduction of emissions is primary to what work culture we make going forward.

Predictions Are In the Green!

Last year at this time, I sat down with my crystal ball to try and sort out some indicators for people to see that a “green” future is in the works. One year seemed like something doable in terms of prognostication. So it is that time of year for me to see how my predictions panned out and make some new ones!

So for 2023 I have some things for all of us to look for. When you see these predictions coming true, then you know we are making progress towards a green future.

Air and Ocean Infrastructure

I start warming my chrystal ball with infrastructure. The significance of expanding air and ocean sustainable fuel capacity in our region can not be stressed enough. Singapore alone is one of the largest fuelling stations of the world (over 20% of ship fueling happens here), so capacity for sustainable fuels is critical for global sustainability efforts.

On the air side, our top airports of Asia increasing needs to support not only regional needs, but also global ones. Infrastructure takes time to get into place, and several companies in 2022 have been busy doing just that. In 2023 Q1 for example an expanded Neste SAF refinery will be coming online in Singapore. In 2023 as well I predict that Japan will put into action efforts to rapidly increase their production capacity for SAF fuels.

For ocean fleets 2022 saw much progress in technologies to improve sailing efficiencies and improve fuel efficiency. 2022 also saw the major ship lines come out with their decarbonization strategies to get to zero emissions by 2050. Now the infrastructure needs to start building for those targets. There are several emerging fuels in competition for future ship designs and they will all require different infrastructure to support refueling. I am hopeful that 2023 will press critical ports in our region to firm up plans for alternative fuels infrastructure. Be on the lookout for that.

EV Charging Infrastructure

2022 did see increasing numbers of charging stations, but the traditional filling stations with EV charging points are not seeing cues of cars waiting for power in Asia Pacific. A reason for this is the way charging is evolving in a completely different way from how petroleum retail distribution developed. Information on where and how to charge is therefore becoming the realm of apps development. 2022 presented me just such an app. This came to my via my local comfort taxi (ZIG) app. Because charging stations are actually simpler to install than petroleum stations, the locations are not necessarily obvious to the public. There are no giant signs on the road for instance. Convenience stores are not automatically attached. Access is not even universally available when there is a charging station setup. In the US for instance only Tesla cars can charge at a Tesla charging station.

I see 2023 as a year where more and more marketing and tech development is done on the charging experience. More apps for sure, but then there should be ideas on how to attract cars to your location to charge. Will there be charging clubs? Will there be franchises popping up?

Solar Power Expansion

In 2022 I predict

ed that you should notice solar panels more often. Indeed on my trips around Singapore I did notice more and more panels going up. There are some glaring public areas which I feel are screaming for solar panel installation like the hundreds of kilometers of exposed canal areas. Covering canals not only provides for increased area for energy generation, but is also prevents water lost through evaporation. For 2023 I am predicting more coverage to be noticeable on warehouses and buildings, but I’ll hold off my hope for canal coverage for later.

Taxis and Passenger Vehicles

2022 was the first year I was riding a Hyundai fully EV car. I had booked a ride on Grab and to my pleasant. Grab rides for a few years now have had BYD EV vehicle, but I was excited that for the first time there were multiple EV manufacturers involved with the same taxi/ride share fleets. 2022 saw logistics and transport news full of investment, expansion and

even supply chain angst associated with EV vehicle and battery production. All the large manufacturers were in on it. BMW just this October announced that it was investing 1.7 billion USD to expand its battery manufacturing in the U.S. These investmen

ts and improved battery engineering are quickly driving down costs (more on that below).

Buses and Heavy Trucks

Public bus fleets in 2022 started electrifying and increasing that pace will be the new challenge. More telling, even private fleets began to electrify. I spoke to Mr. Voo Wei Keong, Director of Woodlands Transport. This company is well known in Singapore not only as a local transport provider, but also the well known WTS Travel service. Only months ago – Wei Keong’s fleet brought in 7 new EV busses. That said, I don’t expect 2023 to show large changes to private fleets. The top reasons are all linked to costs and support capabilit

ies needed for these power hungry vehicles. The very large and long investment for EV busses in most respects mirrors the challenges of Heavy Trucks.

Planning for decarbonizing the heavy truck sector has started in some parts of the world, but in Southeast Asia there is little movement. Traditional truck makers like Volvo, Mercedes, Kenworth, BYD, Peterbilt, Renault and other were busy this year showing off their zero-emission vehicles in auto shows in the USA and Europe. The cost, recharging, infrastructure and trained mechanics to repair EVs remain large.

I predict that 2023 will produce a more shared recharging environment for busses. Additionally as the public fleets continue to expand faster – the repair and maintenance capabilities will continue to grow here in large cities of Asia.

Australia’s Janus Electric this year expanded capabilities for retrofitting heavy trucks. To escape from the high costs of scrapping a perfectly good heavy delivery truck, simply taking the carbon spewing ICE engine out and replacing that with heavy power EV engine can be done for less than $90,000. The talent and facilities have to be in place though in more countries. 2023 may be too early to expect fast uptake for retrofitting in Southeast Asia, but for some markets like Australia and China I am hopeful for progress.

Courier Fleets

Vans and smaller vehicles h

ave indeed picked up pace in terms of moving to electric engines. 2022 saw uptick in electrification. Post Offices, FedEx, DHL, Kerry Logistics, UPS, DB Schenker, and many more either introduced or expanded their EV fleets. The savings in total operational costs of EVs for vans and scooters make for high demand. 2023 will continue to see growth. I predict for higher EV growth in the smaller local operator space.

Batteries

Last year I had a wild card wish for battery innovation. Indeed there have been breakthroughs in 2022 for battery design. This September some news came to me about a breakthrough in battery design invented by some brilliant fellows in Harvard. They now have a startup named Adden Energy. The lithium battery innovation doubles the current life of a battery from 10 years to 20 years! Additionally the new design allows for ultra-fast charging. How fast? 3 minutes! Competing designs are also being touted, but the battery life extension alone would significantly reduce the total operational costs of EV vehicles. In 2023, I’m predicting that this new technology will make its way into a running fleet operation.

PACKAGING

2022 marked the first time I was told that I would be charged extra for a plastic bag at a Singapore grocery store. Other places in Asia have already instituted rules and systems for people to stop using plastic bags which pollute the ocean as well the air when they are being manufactured and being incinerated for energy.

I had hoped for more sustainable packaging to be used for large brands this year, but I haven’t seen too much difference on the surface. It still looks like shelf after shelf of plastic bottles when I go to the grocery store. That said, when I look at the bottles themselves I am surprised to see the amount of plastic bottles using “recycled plastic” content. I’ve seen this same recycled content message also used on courier flyers as well as on clothing (which are using recycled plastic in their synthetic apparel and shoes).

This increase of using the recycled materials instead of creating new plastics from scratch appears to be how large industry is going to fulfill short-term emission reduction goals. That’s a pragmatic response considering the lack of scalable alternatives. 2023 should see more of this trend. Look for near universal increases of “recycled plastics” being used for containers of all sizes.

The Greening Must Continue

When it comes to the discourse on decarbonisation, there is constantly a demand to promise everything today. We know it is not possible, but the challenge to stop harming the Earth becomes more pressing every year. This month it was projected that 8 billion people now inhabit our world. Human ingenuity is needed more than ever to keep everyone fed and to keep our home world from collapsing. I can report to you that human ingenuity is alive and well. More and more it is focusing its energy on sustainable solutions for a better future.

To Realize the Circular Economy Dream – Reach Out to Your Community

Buy, use, and toss. That is the experience a consumer has when they are well ... consuming! When we dispose of something though, is that really the end?

In the case of fruit and vegetable peelings for instance, I actually use them as material for composting, a process through which organic material is broken down by microorganisms and becomes valuable soil additive for my garden. This is a case where I can say I am creating a “circular” experience. I’ve bought some apples, which require nutrients in soil to grow. After enjoying my apple, which gives me energy to keep my personal engine running, I am left with the peels. Instead of throwing them away, I’ll use the peels to make compost, which when added to the ground, can enrich the soil with nutrients that in turn nourish new plants to grow. The process goes on and on and hence it’s circular!

So what if I live in a place with no garden or soil to enrich? What do I do with my apple peelings then? This is the challenge that industries face all around the world. Ideally one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, but that takes coordination of people in different industries.

Crust Group of Singapore provides a Southeast Asian example of a cross industry “circular economy” partnership. Everyday there is stale bread thrown out by bakeries all over Singapore. But even stale bread contains the basic building blocks needed to make beer: wheat, water and yeast. Travin Singh (creator behind Crust Brewing) realized that if he could find bakery partners, he basically had access to a cheap local source of beer making raw materials. Where usually all beer manufactured in Singapore is made using imported raw materials, this model of brewing would completely eliminate that need for beer making imports. The benefits to society are several. Local food wastage is reduced, importing raw materials for beer from overseas is eliminated and emissions all around are done away with. Read more of the details on Crust Group’s origins in Richard Whitehead’s fantastic article.

The circular economic model is a green one. It provides for a sustainable future because the raw materials are not taken from finite natural resources. It is instead a byproduct of other industrial activity. The circular economy is a cost saver and generally has less carbon emissions, because raw materials are sourced locally and therefore with less transportation. In my compost example, I save on buying fertilizer (along with all the processing, packaging and transportation associated with it). In the example of Crust Group, they don’t have to buy raw materials from overseas.

So how does one get connected with different industries and get some new perspectives and possibly sustainable raw materials locally?

Say Hello to Your Neighbor

Linking manufacturers and other industries together into a circular economy ecosystem is still a struggle in this digitally connected time. Community organizations can help though.

Metropolitan areas still provide a perfect setting for building connections. If you google “circular economy examples” then you will quickly see case studies centered on cities (Amsterdam, Berlin, Toronto, Glasgow,..). The metropolitan area doesn’t need to be large either. For many reasons small communities are even better than large cities for building diverse industry connections.

Of course engaging with the LogiSYM community affords one way to get connected. Traditional community organizations like the Lions’ club or even religious communities and social clubs provides opportunities to build links as well.

Is there room for technology to improve networking capabilities? Sure there is. Crowd sourced transportation platforms currently connect many real time transportation networks into ecosystems which reduces down time and increases overall vehicle utilization. So the potential to combine the services of scrap waste management and raw material procurement could be something that marketplace designers can work on.

That said, the human touch is still very much needed and vital for making the goals of the circular economy come true. So don’t be shy. Enrich your life with new connections to people.