FY22 played a critical role in shaping our FY23 sustainability journey. During this time, we established our emissions baseline so we could identify hotspots requiring action.
In FY23, we used these insights to set emissions reduction targets, focusing particularly on our supply chain. We also launched a data management platform that provides a consolidated view of our emissions and consumption, so that we can track our performance against the targets we’ve set.
Our FY23 milestones
Defining our climate strategy
In FY22, we recognised that we needed a coherent strategy with executive level buy-in to direct our sustainability activities. We also agreed that our global sustainability strategy should reflect our values and culture.
So, we undertook a ‘climate strategy definition project’, aimed towards establishing a robust strategy that would set us apart from our peers, demonstrate our environmental reporting ambitions, and set us on the path to alignment with reporting requirements.
This led to the creation of a five-year roadmap, which provides a foundation for our environmental initiatives moving forward.
Submitting our targets to the SBTi
We've joined the Science Based Targets initiative Business Ambition for 1.5°C campaign, aligning with other businesses to limit global warming to 1.5°C above preindustrial levels and avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
The SBTi’s campaign is the gold standard for setting decarbonisation targets, and by taking part, we’re making a clear statement of intent and showing how serious we are about making a meaningful positive impact.
We’re committing to reaching net-zero* emissions across Scopes 1, 2 and 3** by 2050, from our base year (FY22). This is our long-term target.
To help us get there, we developed three near-term targets:
- 50% reduction in Scope 1 and 2** emissions by 2030
- 25% reduction in our absolute Scope 3** emissions by 2030
- 80%*** of our suppliers to have set science-based targets by 2025
___________________________________________________________ *Net-zero is defined as a 90% reduction in emissions and offsetting residual emissions (<%10)
**Scope 1 emissions refer to greenhouse gas emissions directly emitted by a company facilities or vehicles. Scope 2 emissions refer to greenhouse gas emissions emitted indirectly, related to purchased electricity, steam, heating and cooling for own use. Scope 3 emissions refer to indirect emissions that occur in the reporting company’s value chain
***80% of suppliers as defined by spend, covering purchased goods and services and the use of sold products
These targets align with our parent company Datatec’s own, and we submitted them to the SBTi for validation in December 2022. Once validated, we can give our stakeholders extra assurance that the targets we’ve set are in line with the pace of change demanded by climate science.
Expanding our EcoVadis assessment into APAC
EcoVadis is a sustainability ratings platform that provides independent assessments on a company’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance.
In this year’s assessment, we achieved bronze medals in our Asia and ANZ divisions, in-line with our existing bronze rating in Europe.
Find out more here.
Achieving the ISO 14001 (Environmental Management System) certification
ISO certifications help us demonstrate our commitment to industry-leading standards. This year, we achieved the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System certification for our European Logistics centres. This certification provides assurance to our stakeholders that we’re measuring and improving our environmental impact.
Launching a new APAC Sustainability Employee Resource Group (ERG)
In March 2023, we launched a Sustainability ERG in APAC.
The group gets together on a regular basis to talk about sustainability and propose ideas for the groups’ objectives and activities. The sessions aim to inspire employees to think about sustainability and to drive grassroots initiatives that are meaningful to staff, regardless of their role in the business.
Developing our ESG supplier risk management framework
We established an ESG supplier risk management framework to understand the risks and opportunities within our supply chain. Through this structured approach, we’re able to assess our suppliers and track their progress over time.
Continuing our Electric Vehicle Scheme
A new initiative to FY23, we ran a UK pilot electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme. Through it, employees can save 40-45% on the cost of an electric vehicle, making it more accessible to choose a greener alternative. At present, we have 12 electric vehicles in use by our employees.
Providing ESG training to all staff
We rolled out ESG training to all employees globally to help develop our people’s understanding of sustainability and give teams the knowledge to make more informed decisions. Within the first month of launching, we achieved a 45% global completion rate.
