Our ESG strategy 

The ESG strategy is centred around five core commitments: 

Being climate responsible

Calculating our carbon footprint was the first step on our climate commitment journey and we used this data to implement a clear emissions reduction plan. We are primarily focusing on implementing effective carbon reduction and emission avoidance practices whilst continuing to measure our carbon footprint each year. All senior leaders in SoftwareOne will have specific climate-related KPIs which we will share in more detail in next year's ESG Report.

Much like many other software and cloud services companies, we purely offer services and cloud solutions and do not manufacture products from raw materials. Therefore, our Scope 1 and 2 emissions are mainly attributed to our office spaces in the form of energy consumption for heating and cooling, company-owned or rented cars, and office waste. Our commitments to reduce emissions associated with Scope 1 and 2 activities include transitioning to renewable energy to power our offices where possible, switching company vehicles to Electric Vehicles (EVs) and enforcing recycling in our offices. Our focus for Scope 3 is directed at reducing business travel and emissions associated with commuting. READ MORE

Due to the structure of our operations, a large proportion of Scope 3 emissions occurs indirectly through client use of sold software licences and cloud services. We are still working to understand how we can best manage and take responsibility for these emissions. From our extensive research and through conversations with our partners, we have decided to omit Scope 3 emissions until we can effectively verify the data. We aim to investigate this further and work closely with our partners to gather accurate data and include this in our 2023 report.

Cutting downstream emissions

Our partners produce the cloud-based solutions which we deliver to our clients along with services and support. The emissions from these solutions occur either on their premises, or on their suppliers' premises.

We take appropriate action to support our clients with their ESG journey by helping them reduce their carbon footprint in the cloud. Our Cloud Sustainability programme provides them with accurate and specific emissions data for their cloud solutions and provides high-level advice on the complexities of cloud emissions. The goal of these services is to advance emissions measurement and compliance. READ MORE

Promoting an inclusive & diverse culture

Achieving diversity in the tech industry has always been challenging. In 2022, women represented just 27% of the industry employee base of which only 14% are from ethnic minorities.

As a global software company, spanning many locations across different geographies, it is vital that in line with our core values, we create a positive and welcoming environment for all employees. We are responsible for the futures of so many, and we carefully consider how we support our employees with a great work-life balance, generous benefits and learning and development opportunities.

Prior to our global ESG programme, local teams had their own initiatives and programmes relating to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB). The North American (NORAM’s) team runs a diversity programme called ‘Mosaic’ and many local teams get involved in international events such as Pride and Black History Month. Through our DEIB strategy, our goal is to attract and retain diverse talent. READ MORE

Supporting direct positive digital transformation of NPOs and local communities

SoftwareOne Impact was created to give opportunities and eliminate barriers to those organisations and communities that need them most. Our objective is to empower non-profit organisations (NPOs) all around the world to reach their goals and scale through technology. We help empower NPOs through our portfolio of services and solutions and by leveraging partnerships to create programmes that directly benefit the communities in which we work and live. We have worked with NPOs that cover different industries, such as environmental, healthcare, education and humanitarian, and we have partnered with companies such as Microsoft to increase our reach and impact. READ MORE

Furthering our corporate governance

SoftwareOne has an excellent compliance programme, however we always strive to go above and beyond expectations. As our global reach has expanded, so too have our opportunities to prevent unethical behaviour and promote compliance. Additionally, we ensure that our employees and third parties are up to date on the role they play in areas such as conflicts of interest, anti-corruption and third-party risk. Our compliance team, along with our cybersecurity, data privacy and legal teams, have developed and improved initiatives, mitigations and controls to manage the impact our everyday business has on our employees and clients.  READ MORE