Many of us are becoming increasingly aware of the impact things like meat production, air travel and fossil fuels have on the environment, but did you know that email has an impact too?
An article published by The Guardian in 2010 found that the sending, sorting and filtering of spam email alone accounts for 33bn units of electricity each year. Over a decade on, it’s likely that this amount is now much higher, and these units of electricity all add up to create a pretty hefty carbon footprint. Many businesses are taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint where possible, so if you want to know more about spam email, the environment and how to be more green, read on for our handy guide.
The carbon footprint of spam email
A study found that each spam email generates 0.3g of carbon dioxide per message, but when you consider that around 62 trillion spam messages are sent every year, this quickly adds up!
Most of the carbon dioxide is released by the electricity required to deal with the email. 80% is consumed by the reading and deleting of spam, as well as searching through spam folders to identify genuine emails.
How can businesses be more green?
In the general scheme of things, spam email is a relatively small part of a business’s carbon footprint. However, every little helps and reducing the amount of spam email you deal with has benefits for the environment and a company’s general security.
The first step to take is installing an anti-spam filter, such as MailCleaner. These filters prevent up to 99% of spam from reaching a recipient’s inbox in the first place, so you’ll save the electricity required to deal with those nuisance emails. Businesses can also choose a software company with green credentials. MailCleaner is committed to being as green as possible and since 1 January 2011, the electricity used by our Cloud Services has come from 100% renewable energy.
If you’re looking to improve your business security and do your bit for the environment, get in touch with the team at MailCleaner today. Our anti-spam services offer professional protection against viruses and eliminate up to 99% of spam, so you can save energy and protect your business from potential harm. For more information about our services or green credentials, get in touch with us today.