As companies, governing bodies, and the wider business community become more conscious of the environmental impact of their operations, they will rely upon technology providers for sustainable solutions. SoftwareOne, alongside its partners, is responsible for creating a more sustainable market, with solutions that will require minimal raw materials. Although it is not within our direct responsibility, we acknowledge that data centres in our industry generate a high amount of carbon emissions. In the years leading up to 2030 and beyond, widespread investment is expected to contibute to reducing these emissions.
Climate change presents a host of risks to software and cloud providers and society alike. Material long-term climate change risks to SoftwareOne, to our employees and our facilities could include (but not limited to):
- Increased costs of energy
- Higher insurance premiums
- Increased costs of travel
- Increased need for cooling of data centres/increased water usage by suppliers for cooling
- Increased regulatory pressure for carbon reductions by governments
- Damage to infrastructure due to natural disasters/climate events
- Relocation of employees
- Increased demands on our clients to select more environmentally friendly providers
As part of our ongoing ESG risk assessment, these risks are periodically reviewed and shared by the ESG team along with ongoing actions, mitigations and areas of potential concern for SoftwareOne’s business operations. Despite the risks, SoftwareOne’s ethos is to turn any risk into an opportunity, and climate change is no exception.