New Study: Telepresence Can Reduce Corporate CO2 Emissions by 5.5 Million Metric Tons and Deliver $19 Billion in Financial Benefits to U.S. and U.K. Economies by 2020

DALLAS and LONDON, June 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- According to a new study of large companies using telepresence technology, U.S. and U.K. businesses that substitute some business travel with telepresence can cut CO2 emissions by nearly 5.5 million metric tons in total – the greenhouse gas equivalent of removing more than one million passenger vehicles from the road for one year – and achieve total economy-wide financial benefits of almost $19 billion, by 2020.

Telepresence is a rapidly growing and increasingly popular technology that enables groups of people to meet and collaborate in multiple locations worldwide while feeling as if they were all in the same room together.

The study, "The Telepresence Revolution," was commissioned by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and sponsored by AT&T*.

Other conclusions of the study determined a business with $1 billion or more in annual revenue implementing four telepresence rooms could:  

1. Achieve a financial return on investment in as little as 15 months;
2. Save nearly 900 business trips in the first year of using telepresence; and
3. Reduce emissions by 2,271 metric tons over five years—the greenhouse gas equivalent of removing 434 passenger vehicles from the road for one year.  

The study also revealed that telepresence technology can help speed decision-making, improve employee productivity, and provide workers with a better work-life balance.  

The study was produced by Verdantix, an independent analyst research firm. Verdantix conducted in-depth interviews with executives of 15 Global 500 firms that are early adopters of telepresence – including Accenture, Aviva, EMC and Microsoft – and used the findings of those interviews to develop a new, detailed model to calculate the financial return on investment (ROI) and carbon reductions of telepresence. The model looks at projected telepresence adoption among companies with $1 billion or more in annual revenue and forecasts how the financial and carbon reduction benefits achieved by early adopters of telepresence would translate into economy-wide financial and environmental benefits in the U.S. and U.K. by 2020.

Carbon emission reductions among U.S. companies with annual revenues over $1 billion were forecast at approximately 4.6 million metric tons by 2020, the equivalent of removing more than 875,000 passenger vehicles from the road for one year.  Among large U.K. companies, carbon emission reductions by 2020 were forecast at approximately 940,000 metric tons, the equivalent of removing more than 179,000 passenger vehicles from the road for one year.  Total economy wide financial benefits that could be generated by 2020 as a result of large companies using telepresence in place of some business travel were forecast at over $15 billion for the U.S. and almost $4 billion in the U.K.

"Companies that invest in carbon cutting technologies and re-engineer the way they do business will not only be better placed to succeed as we transition to a low-carbon economy but can experience considerable business benefits during this transition," said CDP chief executive officer Paul Dickinson. "Telepresence is a good example of a low-carbon solution that can bring financial savings and increase productivity while reducing emissions."

Daniel T. Walsh, senior vice president of marketing services, AT&T Business Solutions said, "Business customers have spoken and their feedback is very powerful: Telepresence helps companies run their businesses better while allowing them to reduce their carbon emissions.

"This, plus the dramatic and speedy return on investment suggested in the findings are prompting companies to embrace this game-changing technology," he added. "Over the last year, AT&T has helped customers deploy hundreds of rooms globally, a trend that we expect will continue as companies start to reap the many benefits of telepresence usage."

In addition to the industry forecasts, the report cited benefits of telepresence already achieved by companies participating in the survey:

• 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."

The study picks up where the "SMART 2020" report, a separate initiative authored by the Climate Group in 2008, left off. "SMART 2020" identified four key areas, including travel substitution, where greater use of the products and services from the Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) sector could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 15% by 2020.  To read more about the study, please visit: https://www.cdproject.net/telepresence-revolution.

About CDP

The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) is an independent not-for-profit organization collecting key climate change data from some 2,500 companies around the globe and has assembled the largest database of corporate greenhouse gas emissions and climate change information in the world. Founded in 2000, CDP facilitates the collection of climate change data within investment portfolios -- representing 534 global institutional investors with a combined US $64 trillion in assets under management -- as well as through corporate and public sector supply chains. To find out more visit www.cdproject.net.

About Verdantix

Verdantix is the fastest-growing, independent, analyst research firm focused on climate change, sustainable business and energy efficiency. Visit www.verdantix.com.

About AT&T

For more information on AT&T Telepresence Solution(SM), go to: http://www.business.att.com/enterprise/Service/unified-communications-enterprise/conferencing-services-enterprise/telepresence-enterprise/

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest 3G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. A leader in mobile broadband, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse® and AT&T |DIRECTV brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising. In 2010, AT&T again ranked among the 50 Most Admired Companies by FORTUNE® magazine.  

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com.  This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATTNews. Find us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ATT to discover more about our consumer and wireless services or at www.Facebook.com/ATTSmallBiz to discover more about our small business services.

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SOURCE AT&T Inc.

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