The savings might not sound like much, but Fluid says they are equivalent to shutting down a typical 10,000 sq ft office for one day, cancelling two business trips by plane – and not eating 96 cheeseburgers.

Fluid was hired by online qual software developer Revelation to compare the carbon output of projects it runs against those of a traditional focus group agency.

While online focus groups do away with the need for both researcher and respondent travel, they still have their own energy-intensive components like computers and data servers. Ultimately, though, Fluid’s carbon calculator found a net environmental benefit for the online alternative.

Fluid’s Alison Hopcroft said: “It is increasingly important to provide end-clients with solid, quantifiable information on how choosing a product can impact the environment and the community. As we move closer to carbon regulation, clients need to understand these impacts so they can make informed business decisions based on managing their carbon footprint and climate risk.”

The formula used by Fluid is below:

[Participant Transportation + Client/Researcher Transportation + Hotel + Building Energy Use + Food + Waste] – [Participant Computer Use + Revelation Staff Computer Energy Use + Server/Data Center Energy Use + Researcher Computer Energy Use] = Estimated greenhouse gas emissions savings

More details are available in a Revelation white paper, online here.