Climate Change Data

Softcat plc

Climate Impact & Sustainability Data (2021-08 to 2022-07, 2023)

Reporting Period: 2021-08 to 2022-07

Environmental Metrics

Total Carbon Emissions:383,581 tCO2e/year
Scope 1 Emissions:229 tCO2e/year
Scope 2 Emissions:334 tCO2e/year
Scope 3 Emissions:383,018 tCO2e/year
Renewable Energy Share:17% of total office electricity consumption
Total Energy Consumption:2,753.9 MWh/year

ESG Focus Areas

  • Environmental Sustainability
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Health & Wellbeing
  • Volunteering & Charity
  • Responsible Supply Chain

Environmental Achievements

  • Saved almost a quarter of a million kilograms of IT from landfill.
  • Improved CDP rating to B in 2022.
  • Maintained EcoVadis Silver status.
  • First IT company in Europe to gain SBTi approval for net zero targets.
  • 21% of carpool was electric vehicles in 2022 (aiming for 100% by end of 2023).
  • 70% of office locations using certified green energy in 2022.
  • Marlow offices achieved 94% diversion from landfill in 2022, Bristol 92%.

Social Achievements

  • Launched first Diversity & Inclusion report in 2022.
  • Ranked 4th in the UK’s Great Places to Work for Women and 3rd in the UK’s Best Workplaces for Wellbeing.
  • Won CRN’s Diversity Employer of The Year Award and Cultural Inclusion Award.
  • Women represent 33% of workforce.
  • Ethnic minority representation within workforce is 15%.
  • Launched Women Tech Starter programme, recruiting 18 participants and retaining 95%.
  • Became a Disability Confident Employer in 2022.
  • Launched company-wide #StrongerTogether Allyship Programme.

Governance Achievements

  • Established a Sustainability Committee of the Board.
  • Instructed expert sustainability advisors to educate the Board on sustainable development.
  • Achieved full TCFD compliance.
  • 100% of targeted suppliers signed code of conduct and completed CSR questionnaire.

Climate Goals & Targets

Long-term Goals:
  • Zero to landfill (operational waste) by 2030.
  • >80% of customers using renewable energy by 2031.
  • Reduce scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions by 90% by 2040.
Medium-term Goals:
  • 100% of deliverables to be completed using low emission delivery services by 2026.
  • >80% of customers purchasing sustainable products or services from Softcat by 2027.
  • Suppliers to be using 100% renewable energy across their operations by 2028.
  • 45% reduction in gross emissions by 2029.
Short-term Goals:
  • Full migration to EV pool cars by end of 2023.
  • Renewable energy across all Softcat locations and renewable energy generation project by 2023.
  • Major suppliers/partners to have net zero plans by 2024.
  • Softcat services to be certified ‘carbon neutral’ (PAS 2060) by 2025.

Environmental Challenges

  • Total emissions increased by 54% since 2021 (due to employees returning to the office).
  • Scope 3 emissions constitute over 99% of carbon footprint.
  • Need to increase profit while minimizing environmental impact.
  • Need to improve data collection on waste management.
  • Need to develop climate-related performance metrics and opportunity metrics for low-carbon products and services.
Mitigation Strategies
  • 10 in 10 plan to support partners, suppliers, and customers in developing carbon reduction plans.
  • Invested in credible nature-based programmes to capture carbon.
  • Renewable energy purchases to cover 17% of total office electricity consumption.
  • Investing in more renewable energy projects by 2024.
  • Working with suppliers and vendors to reduce Scope 3 emissions.
  • Implementing secure WEEE recycling process.
  • Developing more comprehensive methods of data collection to determine progress towards zero to landfill target.
  • Working towards full compliance with TCFD.

Supply Chain Management

Supplier Audits: 100% of targeted suppliers completed a CSR questionnaire.

Responsible Procurement
  • Supplier code of conduct.
  • CSR questionnaire.
  • ESG module in Enexo platform.

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Transition Risks
  • Suppliers unable to transition to low-carbon economy.
  • Carbon-illiterate workforce reducing customer satisfaction.
  • New policies and regulations.
Opportunities
  • Development of energy-efficient products and services.

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: GRI, TCFD

Certifications: ISO 14001:2015, ISO 50001:2018

UN Sustainable Development Goals

  • Goal 5: Gender Equality
  • Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities
  • Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being
  • Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Goals guide targeted and ambitious sustainability strategy.

Sustainable Products & Innovation

  • Enexo platform

Awards & Recognition

  • 5-star SDG Rating
  • HP Amplify Impact Awards (5 stars)
  • Sustainable IT Solutions Provider of the Year
  • Candefero Sustainability Partner of the Year ‘22
  • CRN Diversity Employer of The Year Award
  • CRN Cultural Inclusion Award
  • LGBTQ+ Best Employer Award
  • Great Place to Work 2022 (2nd in Super Large category)

Reporting Period: 2023

Environmental Metrics

Total Carbon Emissions:342 + 357,000 tCO2e
Renewable Energy Share:60%
Total Energy Consumption:2.59 MWh
Carbon Intensity:0.22 tCO2e/£m revenue, 0.26 tCO2e/employee

ESG Focus Areas

  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Sustainability
  • Employee Well-being
  • Climate Change
  • Supply Chain Sustainability

Environmental Achievements

  • Switched company car fleet to all-electric vehicles.
  • Installing solar panels at Marlow head office.
  • Transitioning energy supply at other locations to renewable electricity.
  • Offsetting all Scope 1, 2, and operational Scope 3 emissions for FY2023.
  • Achieved 60% renewable energy usage across offices, purchasing renewable energy credits for the remainder.

Social Achievements

  • Reached 35% female representation in the workforce (ahead of schedule).
  • 36% female representation on the senior leadership team.
  • 17% of employees from ethnic-minority backgrounds.
  • 92% employee engagement score.
  • 97% customer satisfaction.
  • Raised £470,000 for charitable causes.
  • Launched Connect Learning, a suite of developmental activities for all employees.
  • Reduced employee attrition from 21% to 15%.

Governance Achievements

  • Formalized capital allocation framework.
  • Completed smooth leadership transition.
  • Improved Board diversity (57% women, 2 persons of color).
  • Increased compliance with TCFD recommendations (9 of 11 disclosures).

Climate Goals & Targets

Long-term Goals:
  • Net zero supply chain by 2040.
  • 90% reduction in gross emissions (scopes 1, 2, and 3) by 2040 (relative to FY2021).
Medium-term Goals:
  • 45% reduction in gross emissions (scopes 1, 2, and 3) by 2030 (relative to FY2021).
  • 80% of customers purchasing sustainable products or services by 2030.
Short-term Goals:
  • 100% renewable energy by 2024.
  • Carbon neutral operations (through offsetting).

Environmental Challenges

  • Slowing hardware demand.
  • Cost pressures and economic slowdown.
  • Supply chain disruptions.
  • Customer delaying discretionary spending and applying stricter procurement processes.
Mitigation Strategies
  • Continued investment across all functions.
  • Maintained investments at a rate equivalent to the previous five years.
  • Enhanced cloud proposition with Microsoft Azure and AWS.
  • Built security services practice.
  • Developed alternative sourcing strategies (implied).

Supply Chain Management

Responsible Procurement
  • Working with suppliers to achieve net zero targets.
  • Considering sustainability commitments of major suppliers and vendors.

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Physical Risks
  • Extreme weather events
  • Long-term temperature increases
  • Rising sea levels
Transition Risks
  • Policy and regulatory changes
  • Technological changes
  • Market shifts
  • Reputational risks
Opportunities
  • Resource efficiency
  • Sustainable technology
  • Low-carbon products and services
  • Employee upskilling

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: TCFD, UN SDGs, FTSE4Good Index Series

Certifications: ISO 14001, ISO 50001, ISO 27001

UN Sustainable Development Goals

  • Goal 5 (Gender equality)
  • Goal 12 (Responsible consumption and production)
  • Goal 13 (Climate action)
  • Goal 17 (Partnerships for the goals)

Softcat's initiatives contribute to these goals through diversity and inclusion programs, carbon reduction efforts, and collaborations with stakeholders.

Sustainable Products & Innovation

  • Enexo sustainability platform

Awards & Recognition

  • Five-star status from HP
  • Lenovo ESG Partner of the Year
  • Three awards at CRN Women & Diversity in Channel Awards (Cultural Inclusion Award, Health & Wellbeing Recognition Award, Diversity Employer of the Year)
  • Bronze Award from Stonewall for LGBTQ+ inclusion
  • Ranked 1st in UK's Best Workplaces in Tech, 6th in UK's Best Workplace for Women, and 5th Best Place to Work for Wellbeing by Great Place to Work.