ESG Metric: GHG Scope 3 emissions
Ease of implementation: Medium
Suitable for: Homeworker employees with CRT monitors
Suggested functional lead: Sustainability team
Summary
Replacing old monitors with newer technology can save your home workers on energy usage, decreasing their energy bills and reducing scope 3 emissions. Generally, homeworkers will have been given CRT monitors during the pandemic. However, more technologically advanced and energy efficient monitors exist, such as LCD monitors. In collaboration with the finance department, assess which LCD monitors would be appropriate for your work force, assess the quantity required and make the order. Ensure you have a plan for the distribution of the new monitors and collection of the old ones as well. We suggest that the old monitors are either reused for their components or donated to local charities.
Background Information
Most monitors for office staff will be Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) displays as they are standard display devices. A more recent and modern display technology is the Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) monitors, which consumes less power and has higher resolutionthey will save your home workers on energy usage, and thus, decrease your scope 3 emissions. Whilst costlier upfront, they have a range of cost-efficient benefits. They are built to be more resilient to dust, water damage and shattering leading to less maintenance. This decreases the need for replacement and increasing the lifespan of the monitor, saving costs in the long run. They also have additional cyber safety features and extensive data storage options to improve employee productivity.
Implementation Steps
Investigate current monitors and number of monitors used
Determine the quantity and type of monitors in use by the homeworkers. In general, most employers will have provided CRT monitors.
Set financial approval and budgetary restraints
Work with the finance department to identify any budgetary restraints or whether extra funds are required to purchase and deliver new monitors to your workforce. Determine the allowed budget before investigating more sustainable and energy efficient monitor models.
Investigate which newer monitor would be suitable for your workforce
For most businesses using monitors, we suggest upgrading to LCD monitors seeing as they use approximately a third less power than the CRT monitors. Find the appropriate monitor for your workforce here .
Order the new monitors and distribute them
Once a new monitor model has been agreed upon, place the order. We suggest ordering the monitors from Nauticomp Inc, a leading manufacturer in high-end commercial LCD monitors globally. You may also want to consider purchasing second-hand LCD monitors from second-hand websites such as Ebay. This would be a more environmentally friendly and cost saving purchase but may not be suitable for all businesses. You may want to send the monitors to an office space for the staff to pick up, or send them to the staffs’ homes directly.
Assign responsibility for collection of the old monitors
Assign a member of staff to organise the collection of the old monitors to ensure they are not still being used. This can be through a collection service or asking the members of staff to drop them off in a shared office space.
Disposing of old monitors sustainably
Recycle the old monitors by contacting your local council to pick up the old monitors for repurposing components rather than them ending up in landfill. If the monitors are working perfectly fine, consider donating them to local non-profits or charities. You could even sell them on a second-hand website such as Ebay. Find out more on how to dispose or sell old monitors here.
Estimated Costs
LCD monitors can vary from £100 to over a £1000 depending on the brand, size and extra features of the monitors. Websites and stores such as Dell and Currys PC world are a good start to investigate different cost and quality options.