How organisations can set and achieve sustainability goals - Kieth Throp

Long before Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), became the band wagon everyone is jumping on, we have been quietly getting on with the job in hand, making the sustainable choices like installing an energy efficient boiler, lighting control system, DC charge points for those employees already with an electric car, a new air con system and solar panels on the roof we have been in the last six years as it was the right thing to do. This year saw us introduce a cycle-to-work scheme and EV (Electric Vehicle) salary sacrifice, similar to cycle-to-work, but for electric vehicles. As 90 per cent of our employees have to travel by private car due to limited public transport in the local area. We believe employees and clients would much rather work with a business that has a bigger purpose to what it does on a day-to-day basis.

Having already achieved our bronze Social Value Quality Mark (SVQM), which recognises the highest known standards in values-led business and evidences our commitment as an organisation to ensuring our operations bring societal benefits. We have now committed that we will generate sustainable economic growth, supported by local employment and support the UK’s next generation of IT/technology experts which saw us engaging with the students at York St John University taking part in one of the University’s In-Panel talks as well as holding a specific In Session Talk for selected students. The In-Panel session was facilitated by Patrick Loasby, who is part of the Careers, Placements and Student Opportunities team at the University, and was held in the Career Space on campus, which can hold up to 40 students. The talk was open to all areas of study, including Computer Science, Software Design, Cyber Security, and Game Design, and to students across all 3 levels of study.

We are at the start of our net carbon journey in terms of recording a baseline for emissions, having worked with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority for the Leeds City region (LEP) to produce our sustainability plan which is aiding us to measure our business environmental impact, plan how to improve it and supporting us to act on those plans with our environmental consultants, ESL Ltd based in Selby. We aim to reduce our direct emissions by 50 per cent by 2030, will be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy by 2050, and also be a net zero business by 2050. We have delivered all the ‘efficiencies’ immediately possible within our building as confirmed by the LEP.

We have also held several net zero workshops and are currently collating data for all our carbon emissions including greenhouse gases for scope 1, 2 and 3, so we can benchmark our baseline and track future improvements. This involves looking at things like our fuel and energy related activities, upstream transport and distribution and waste generated in our operations. Business travel and employee community are also relevant. It does require a significant investment by businesses to review this level of detail, but for all businesses to achieve the UN goals for 2030, we all need to be acting now.

We are in the process of obtaining ISO 14001, which is the internationally recognised standard for environmental management systems (EMS). It provides a framework for organisations to design and implement an EMS, and continually improve their environmental performance, and we are aiming for completion by October this year.

As a SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) we play a crucial role in addressing the climate crisis by integrating sustainable practices into our everyday business operations. By prioritising environmental responsibility and adopting more sustainable choices we can help drive innovation, open new market opportunities, and ensure long-term economic viability, ultimately contributing to a healthier planet and a resilient business ecosystem.

All of this is relevant to all businesses, but especially for IT, whereby servers require significant energy to run them, and in a digital age when IT is so core to every business, we want to be seen to be setting an example for others to follow. The challenges are there for every company, but if we can collectively all focus on the difference we can all make, then the goals that have been set should be achievable.

Kieth Throp is senior bid manager at Claritas Solutions.