Driving sustainability as Architects of Change

Global, Feb 1, 2023

Author: Charissa Jaganath, Head of Responsible Business at Logicalis

With 84% of employees being more likely to work for companies that prioritise environmental issues, mindfully managing and limiting the impact of business activities is imperative to overcoming the ongoing talent shortages. Having sustainable operations is no longer just about your reputation as an organisation. It’s about being a responsible business, your bottom line, attracting new talent and the opportunity to innovate.

When we looked at our own business within Logicalis, we recognised that we needed to prioritise this area and go beyond the normal efforts to stand apart as a leader and as architects of change. We, therefore, create a dedicated role to help drive the transformation of the company into a pillar of responsible business.

Over the last 12 months, Logicalis has accelerated its sustainability journey. 35% of leaders now prioritise sustainable goals over traditional objectives like business continuity, resilience or reducing costs. In recent conversations with customer CIOs, Bob Bailkoski, CEO of Logicalis, shared with me: 

“In doing business with Logicalis – they want to know how we are holding ourselves and our supply chain accountable for carbon emissions.”

We want to showcase to customers how we are holding ourselves and our supply chain accountable for carbon emissions – working with rather than against the environment. In the coming year, we have committed to at least one environmental project in every country Logicalis operates in. This means that across the organisation, there will be 27 new projects aiming to reduce things like water use, waste generation and emissions.

We have also set several three-year targets which include recycling a minimum of 50% of the waste generated by operations and having 75% of our operations powered by renewable energy. Furthermore, by 2025 Logicalis will be scope one and scope two carbon neutral.

And in December 2022, we announced our commitment to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) Corporate Net Zero Standard - the world's first framework for corporate net zero target setting in line with climate science.  Through this commitment, Logicalis joins the Business Ambition for 1.5 degrees C campaign - the world's largest group of companies that are actively driving the reduction in global emissions.  

A study from PwC found that 37% of executives cited the lack of reporting standards and regulatory complexity as a bigger obstacle to advancing ESG than a lack of attention by senior management. This year, for the first time, all of Logicalis’ regions are reporting to our Carbon Disclosure Project, providing a baseline to help us understand the organisation’s global emissions. In addition, we will be embarking on work to understand the emissions linked to our supply chain.

Our stakeholders are important to us, ensuring Logicalis can work to provide the best and most innovative tech solutions. We want to be certain we are providing visibility to our customers, partners, and employees. From these projects, we intend to develop a publicly available carbon reduction plan and set science-based emissions/net zero targets for Logicalis. 

See our Environmental Statement for our latest reporting commitments, policies and more.

Furthermore, we’re currently aligning with the Global Reporting Initiative, helping us to understand and communicate our impact on issues like climate change. There are also plans to create a Logicalis responsible business report, providing a complete and comprehensive overview of our ESG journey.

For businesses looking for advice when embarking on their own ESG journey, I would advise businesses to start with some key initiatives that are universally important and establish a network of advocates. Don’t underestimate how important this is to people; when working to implement ESG policies, you will find you have an army of helpers. Organisations should also talk about their success in milestones as people really get excited to see change.

All organisations should strive to be responsible businesses – not only to reduce the effects of climate change but also to ensure they can support people both inside and outside the business. Simply stating that your organisation is going to do something isn’t enough. Plans must be put into practice. Having a proactive mindset and the right strategy ensures organisations can deliver impactful and sustainable operations. Being a responsible business is about the ability to make a commitment and make a difference.

To learn more about our sustainability journey and how to embark on your own, watch our CIO Summit OnDemand.

 

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