Stop the clock: Four-day working weeks could shave a fifth off UK's carbon footprint

A four-day working week has the potential to shrink the UK's carbon footprint by over a fifth, or a massive 127 million tonnes per year by 2025, according to a new report by Platform London and the 4-Day Week Campaign.

That 21 per cent estimated reduction is more than the entire footprint of Switzerland, according to the campaigners, or the same as removing 27 million cars from the road, equivalent to almost all private cars in the UK.

According to the findings, reduced working hours correlate with more sustainable energy and household consumption, less carbon-intensive commuting, and have the added bonus of allowing workers to enjoy more 'low-carbon' activities like rest, exercising, and social interaction with others.

There have been growing calls for policymakers and business leaders to explore the potential for a four-day working week since the start of the pandemic. Many businesses have introduced flexible working hours or encouraged employees to continue work from home over the past year. Most notably, consumer goods giant Unilever recently announced a year-long trial of a 32 hour week, and Spain and Scotland's governments have launched national pilot schemes.

Advocates of shorter working weeks maintain that they often help boost productivity by reducing workplace stress and enabling improved working practices.

This week's report argues that approach would also help accelerate climate action, by addressing some of the most challenging emissions in international transport and manufacturing, while reducing the outsourcing of pollution to poorer countries.

"We already know that the four-day week is good for workers' mental health and wellbeing but this report proves that it can be a great move for the environment too," said Joe Ryle, a 4 Day Week Campaign activist, as he urged the wider environmental movement to get behind the campaign.

Companies that have introduced four-day weeks have reported a range of advantages, including staff working more effectively and mental health benefits.

Caroline Lucas, Green Party Brighton MP, also expressed support for the report. "Coronavirus has given us a unique opportunity to re-think the way our society runs - not only making life fairer, but also greener. We can do both by cutting working hours.

"Survey after survey over the last year has shown that this is what people want," she added. "It's time the Government listened and responded with boldness and imagination."

Commenting on the findings, Laurie Mompelat, the report's author and an environmental researcher at Platform Author, said: "We need to nurture new ways of generating abundance that do not rely on over-exploiting the Earth's resources.

"Shifting to a four-day working week with fair pay for all can help us change the way value is created in society by making more space for care, rest and relationships."