This global information technology company was facing increasing pressure to reduce the environmental impact of its operations and products. Historically, the company had relied heavily on carbon offsets, but since going public, leadership wanted to signal to investors, employees, and new talent that the company was aware of its responsibility as a corporate citizen and was actively investing in innovations to improve.
The company realized that developing science-aligned GHG reduction goals was crucial to its brand image and future viability. However, with no formal sustainability team, the company’s VP of CSR was faced with time and resource constraints. The client reached out to SBC for help setting internal standards around sustainability and determining how to go about the carbon reduction journey.
Sustainable Business Consulting walked the company through an exercise to model various carbon pathways and uncover the right GHG emissions reduction goals. Our team facilitated the following:
- Calculated an updated GHG inventory across all three Scopes
- Provided client with three scenarios on how to approach carbon reduction – committing to net zero by 2050, creating science-aligned targets in accordance with the 1.5° ambition, and following a low-ambition scenario
- Detailed various actions and strategies to support each of these scenarios
- Created a short- and long-term implementation plan, including tactics such as data storage optimization, HVAC system upgrades, local purchasing policies, and employee education and engagement
The company formalized a science-aligned target and is now taking meaningful steps towards reducing its environmental footprint through actions, not offsets. Equipped with robust data and “proof” to back up its claims, the company was also able to better meet increasing investor and consumer expectations. Finally, sustainability awareness amongst employees increased, allowing the company to utilize inter-departmental participation in pushing its climate program forward.
