Westcon-Comstor has continued to signal its sustainability commitment with a target of using 100% renewable electricity globally by 2030.
The distributor operates in 70-plus countries, so it will take a considerable effort to shift fully to renewable electricity, but the move will support the firm’s aim of achieving net zero by 2050. Purchased electricity currently accounts for around 70% of Westcon-Comstor’s Scope 1 and 2 emissions, which the firm wants to reduce by 50% by 2030.
The channel player has already taken steps to improve its position on emissions, having set out a five-year roadmap and joined the Business Ambition for 1.5°C campaign launched by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTI).
As well as the switch to renewable electricity, other planned focus areas include improving the data it can gather on emissions and continuing to give staff the opportunity to shape the debate through sustainability employee resource groups (ERGs).
The renewable electricity commitment also brings Westcon-Comstor in line with other global firms and the objectives of the RE100 climate group that are also trying to improve the chances for the planet.
“We want to go above and beyond what’s needed to meet our existing emission reduction targets”
Mark McLardie, Westcon-Comstor
“Sustainability is a huge priority for our business, and by moving to renewable electricity we are effectively eliminating emissions linked to electricity generation,” said Mark McLardie, head of environmental, social, and governance at Westcon-Comstor.
“We had already planned to significantly increase the proportion of electricity derived from renewable sources, but we’re pushing this further to hit the 100% mark by 2030 because we want to go above and beyond what’s needed to meet our existing emission reduction targets,” he added.
Speaking to MicroScope recently, David Grant, CEO at Westcon International, said it was committed to improving its own sustainability position, as well as up and down the supply chain.
“We’ve invested more in a bigger team to focus on our sustainability strategy. Yeah, we can directly manage what we do in our own business, but we have to influence if we are to achieve our ambitions. We need to have influence upstream and downstream, so we need a bigger team to get experience to manage that,” he said.
Grant added that taking a positive position on sustainability was also a big factor in attracting staff and being seen as a decent place to work, adding: “People we employ now are a lot more interested in the vision of the organisation: What’s your purpose? Do you value ESG?”
