Schneider Electric, Maintel and DataSolutions highlight green efforts

The channel has been demonstrating its commitment to sustainability in various ways this week as the pressure to show green credentials grows from customers.

In the same week as it unveiled a fresh partner programme, Schneider Electric launched its Sustainability Impact Awards, which have grown out of its Partnering for Sustainability scheme.

“We are all on the same mission – to accelerate the path to net zero,” said Rohan Kelkar, executive vice-president of power products at Schneider Electric. “At Schneider, we want to recognise those who are embedding positive change in their business operations. Partners who are excelling at this will set a precedent for others to follow suit.

“We know there is power in numbers and together we can deliver a significantly larger impact through considered sustainable and efficient practices.”

Channel partners will be able to enter the awards and demonstrate how they are using the vendor’s technology to deliver greater sustainability, with the winners being announced later this year.

Meanwhile, Maintel has also been trying to make life easier for those wanting to work out where it stands on sustainability with the launch of its Carbon Estimator for communications/telephony equipment.

The offering will enable customers to compare their current tech with cloud-based systems that could help users to reduce carbon emissions.

Joanne Ballard, ESG strategy and compliance director at Maintel, said: “We hope our new Estimator will stimulate conversations between ESG and sustainability leads, and the IT department.

“IT equipment creates carbon emissions and has a footprint, both from its manufacturing and ongoing use. This tool will help to inform business leaders of how migrating to cloud telephony can lower carbon emissions. It will allow organisations to review their ESG efforts and better meet the latest government legislation.”

DataSolutions is also on track to be carbon neutral this year and has been moving towards that target at the same time as increasing revenues.

The distributor revealed that it had achieved its 2021-2022 revenue target of £83m, marking the most successful year in its 30-year history.

Michael O’Hara, managing director of DataSolutions, said he was as “chuffed” about those numbers as the moves the firm was making on the sustainability front.

“It has been some journey for us on the sustainability front,” he said. “We’re on track to become carbon neutral this year, and it’s been fantastic to impart the knowledge we have developed to other channel businesses through Techies Go Green.

“We made doubling the business and going carbon neutral key objectives, and I’m as proud of reducing our emissions as I am of increasing our profits. We have also extended these sustainability efforts beyond the four walls of the business, helping the technology sector as a whole to be greener.

“It is my firm belief that until companies take reducing their carbon emissions seriously and act on it, it won’t happen. As I have, leaders need to realise that business and sustainability are not mutually exclusive, but mutually beneficial.”