Can One Phone Call Save 24,000 Trees?

Hello, dear theBClog readers! I’m Betül Gül, and I’ve been working as a Solution Provider at Borusan Cat for nearly three years. In this blog post, I’m excited to give you a glimpse into Borusan Cat’s digitalization journey and share a project that I’m particularly proud of. This project illustrates how we can take concrete steps to reduce our carbon footprint, supported by real data.

Next Gen Coverage Model: The Power of a Phone Call

I believe that minimizing the environmental damage caused by companies’ operations is not only a corporate responsibility but also a duty we owe to both people and nature.

The Next Gen Coverage Model, which is a result of Borusan Cat’s sustainability-driven approach, is a brilliant example of how digitalization and environmental responsibility intersect. Inspired by the changing purchasing habits during the pandemic, this innovative model replaces face-to-face customer visits in the machine sales process with phone-based interactions, enabling an efficient journey from proposal to financial solution and invoice—all in the same day.

For my master’s thesis, I happily chose to focus on this transformative model, analyzing its impact by comparing it with traditional field customer visits.

At its core, this project evaluates phone-based machinery sales discussions from the perspectives of sustainable development, greenhouse gas emissions, carbon footprints, the climate crisis, and digitalization. I based my calculations on the assumption that Borusan Cat’s 12 branches in Turkey would conduct five customer meetings daily in 2023. By replacing on-site visits with phone calls, I estimated the potential reduction in carbon emissions.

If our field teams were to conduct five customer visits per day, the total would amount to 58,834 annual on-site meetings, requiring travel by 64 vehicles, resulting in 9,458 tons of CO₂ emissions. However, with remote meetings, this figure drops to just 254 tons. This means we’ve prevented the emission of 9,204 tons of CO₂. Including secondary calculations, the total saving reaches 9,267 tons.

To put this into perspective: the amount of carbon emissions we avoided equals the carbon that 24,109 trees can absorb in one year!

How Do Digitalization and Sustainability Work Together?

Through this project, I realized that digitalization doesn’t just simplify processes—it also plays a powerful role in reducing environmental impacts. Analyzing how phone-based machinery sales reduce carbon footprints helped me better understand how sustainability can be seamlessly integrated into daily business practices. Borusan Cat has further advanced this digitalization journey by enabling machine sales proposals via the BOOM360 mobile app.

At Borusan Cat, we place sustainability at the heart of our operations, guided by our company’s purpose statement: “We Create Solutions for a Better World.” I’m proud to have contributed to laying the foundation for this pioneering business model in our industry.

Suggestions for the Future

Combining the opportunities offered by digitalization with sustainability projects provides businesses with the chance to fulfill their environmental responsibilities. We all have an essential role to play in this mission.

Seeing the environmental and societal impact of our work gives it a deeper sense of purpose. The future of our planet depends on the conscious steps we take today. Together, we can build a sustainable future!

(Visual prepared by the author using artificial intelligence.)

Betül, who holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA in Business Administration, has been a part of the Borusan Cat family as a Solution Provider for the past three years.

Recently, she embarked on an exciting journey of learning German. She describes herself as someone who is “constantly learning and enjoys gaining new experiences.” Her hobbies include exploring new places and cultures, spending time with loved ones, and playing tennis.