How 25 UK channel partners are tackling their carbon emissions
From Proact and Apogee to market giants Softcat and Computacenter, what actions are top IT solutions providers taking to curb their carbon footprints?
The channel's sustainable transformation is accelerating, with Computacenter and Softcat among the market giants to set far-reaching carbon reduction goals in recent weeks and months.
But the advent of the Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) requirements has forced a much wider array of UK channel partners to begin measuring and reporting on their scope 1 and 2 emissions and open up on their plans to tackle them. Some have also begun to track the scope 3 emissions that fall outside of their direct control.
Sitting as they do on the front-line of the UK B2B tech industry, channel partners will play an instrumental role in the UK's decarbonisation efforts via the technology products and services they offer. Yet, as the 2020s rolls on, they must also get their own houses in order, with SECR being hailed as a "good first step" in stimulating action.
If you are a vendor, distributor, ITAD, reseller or MSP leading the way on sustainability, there is still time to enter the CRN Tech Impact Awards 2022 here (deadline for entries is 20 May).
Available exclusively to CRN Essential subscribers, the upcoming Channel Net Zero Report analyses the emissions of 50 of the 100 companies featured in CRN Top VARs 2021, based on the SECR data published in their latest annual accounts. It breaks down the key actions they are taking to reduce emissions and explores how leaders in the sector are innovating to move further and faster on decarbonisation.
Collectively, these 50 channel partners reported carbon emissions of around 75,000 tonnes in their latest years. That's roughly equivalent to the estimated annual carbon footprint of around 6,000 UK citizens.
On the following pages, we have summarised what 25 of the 50 Top VARs we looked at said in their latest SECR commentaries, in ascending order by revenue, noting the tonnes of carbon each estimated they emitted in their latest years. Where applicable, we have stated the previous year's emissions in brackets.
See next page to begin profiles
How 25 UK channel partners are tackling their carbon emissions
From Proact and Apogee to market giants Softcat and Computacenter, what actions are top IT solutions providers taking to curb their carbon footprints?
Cloud Technology Solutions
Revenue: £44m
Tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e): 29
This Manchester-based Google partner revealed in its inaugural SECR report that it is "in the process of establishing carbon reduction initiatives and targets".
The 113k kWh of purchased electricity (scope 2) Cloud Technology Solutions claims to have consumed in its fiscal 2021 equates to 29 tonnes of Co2. "In comparison with other sectors, the company is fortunate that its environmental impact is relatively low," it said.
K3 Business Technology
Revenue: £48.8m
tCO2e: 262
This Manchester-based software specialist now has a strong sustainability play having in January 2022 acquired, ViJi, a French outfit whose solutions help fashion retailers track the sustainability of the products they sell.
It warned that the emissions its own business recorded in its first ever SECR report - covering its year to 30 November 2020 - were flattered by Covid and will likely increase, however. K3 generated 61, 55 and 146 tonnes of scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, respectively (the latter covering employee use of their own vehicles) in the UK during the period. The SECR process enabled it to identify its most energy-efficient sites, and it is now aiming to reduce electricity and gas consumption on a site-by-site basis.
Proact
Revenue: £49.1m
tCO2e: 221
Rolling out nine EV ports at its Chesterfield and Coventry sites is among the recent carbon-cutting actions outlined by the UK arm of this pan-European NetApp partner in its inaugural SECR report, which pegged its total emissions from electricity, gas and transport in 2020 at 221 tonnes.
Efforts to update all office and external lighting to LED between 2018 and 2020 yielded estimated electricity savings of 82 per cent, it claimed.
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How are Node4, Wavenet and ProAV tackling their emissions? See following page for more...
How 25 UK channel partners are tackling their carbon emissions
From Proact and Apogee to market giants Softcat and Computacenter, what actions are top IT solutions providers taking to curb their carbon footprints?
Node4
Revenue: £56.1m
tCO2e: 6,112 (vs 6,729)
Despite having the highest carbon intensity of all 50 firms we looked at in our Channel Net Zero report (not surprisingly considering it operates datacentres in Derby, Leeds and Northampton), Node4 claimed in its inaugural SECR commentary that "energy efficiency and environmental sustainability are a part of everything we do".
The private equity-backed outfit harbours a long-term goal of using 100 per cent clean and renewable energy across its global platform.
Node4's scope 1 and 2 emissions fell from 6,729 tonnes to 6,112 tonnes in its year to 31 March 2021. Actions taken include rolling out HVAC Aircon and more efficient equipment, as well as the introduction of electric and hybrid cars into its fleet.
Wavenet
Revenue: £60m
tCO2e: 89
Wavenet is looking to transition all company vehicles to electric or hybrid over the next five years, the Birmingham-based unified comms provider said in its inaugural SECR report.
It pegged its scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions - the latter of which relate to business travel in rental or employee-owned cars - at 88.6 tonnes in its year to 30 April 2021, and now has its sights set on installing LED lighting and improved insulation at its offices.
ProAV
Revenue: £61.4m
tCO2e: 325 (vs 362)
This Surrey-based audiovisual provider claimed it has a "long-standing commitment to tackling climate change" as it pegged its combined fiscal 2021 scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions at 325 tonnes (down 11.4 per cent year on year).
Its strategy to "significantly" reduce its carbon footprint encompasses encouraging employees to purchase renewable technology such as hybrid vehicles, purchasing energy-efficient equipment for its offices, replacing HVAC systems and adopting behavioural change.
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"Be brave", is the top sustainability tip of one of the three Top VARs profiled on the following page...
How 25 UK channel partners are tackling their carbon emissions
From Proact and Apogee to market giants Softcat and Computacenter, what actions are top IT solutions providers taking to curb their carbon footprints?
Commercial Ltd
Revenue: £66.1m
tCO2e: 567 (vs 641)
Having been reporting its carbon footprint since 2006, this Cheltenham-based office supplies, managed print and IT services outfit last year pledged its commitment to reaching net zero on scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2028 (with a commitment to halving scope 3 emissions by the same year).
Commercial's inaugural SECR report details how it has installed over 400 solar photovoltaic systems at its offices since 2012 and how it is encouraging staff to collaborate on sustainable business projects through its ‘Change Champions Programme'.
It claims its total scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions - which it put at 567 tonnes in its year to 31 January 2021 - have been scythed by 90 per cent since 2006.
Talking to CRN, Commercial CEO Simone Hindmarch stressed that the company has recently begun installing EV chargers for its customers as part of its expansion into smart technology, last month winning a £300,000 deal.
"It's important to be brave. This is the decisive decade. It's also important to be positive. I'm absolutely 100 per cent convinced that we have everything we need to resolve the issue," she said (see full interview with Hindmarch here).
Ensono
Revenue: £80.3m
tCO2e: 3,162
Closing its Slough datacentre, replacing the chillers in another, and migrating away from legacy uninterruptible power supplies are among the steps the UK arm of this global MSP undertook that helped it reduce its power use in calendar 2020. It also cut its fleet from five to three vans.
Estimated scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions of 3,162 tonnes equate to the fourth highest carbon intensity ratio (per £1m of revenues) of the 50 Top VARs we looked at. The vast majority - 3,055 - came via scope 2.
Redcentric
Revenue: £91.4m
tCO2e: 4,717 (vs 5,457)
Redcentric claims it has made a "significant investment" in new equipment to reduce power consumption at its datacentre facilities, which contribute to it having the third highest carbon intensity per revenue of the firms we looked at (behind only fellow datacentre operators Node4 and Six Degrees).
Its calculated scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions fell from 5,457 to 4,717 in its fiscal 2021.
The publicly quoted midmarket MSP said it is in the process of installing unused, pre-owned air handling units at its Harrogate datacentre, which is set to cut energy consumption associated with datacentre chilling by around five per cent. It also introduced a compulsory training module for employees to boost awareness of its environmental impact and actions during the year.
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See next page to find out which solutions provider has just appointed an ESG head and which is looking into installing solar power at its HQ....
How 25 UK channel partners are tackling their carbon emissions
From Proact and Apogee to market giants Softcat and Computacenter, what actions are top IT solutions providers taking to curb their carbon footprints?
Maintel
Revenue: £106.4m
tCO2e: 770
Maintel last August claimed it became one of the first companies of its size to appoint an ESG strategy and compliance director in the shape of Joanne Ballard.
She arrived shortly after the AIM-listed Avaya partner was accepted as being committed to the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), which demonstrates its ambitions to reach net zero carbon.
It pegged its total carbon footprint at 770 tonnes in 2020, some 630 tonnes of which related to travel.
Stone Computers
Revenue: £117.8m
tCO2e: 580 (vs 735)
This Staffordshire-based reseller, system builder and ITAD publishes an annual Sustainability Report detailing how its business operations are aligned with four of the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
A 38 per cent reduction in scope 1 and 2 emissions per £1m of revenue in calendar 2020 was partly thanks to Covid, Stone admitted, although it also highlighted efforts to reduce emissions relating to vehicles during the year. This includes introducing a mobile shredding service to increase vehicle load capacity and - as of 1 May 2020 - requiring all new company cars to have an emissions rating of less than 100g/km.
According to draft 2021 accounts it shared with CRN as this research was going to press, Stone's board has approved in principle the first phase of a project to install a solar power generation and storage capability at its main Stafford facility. It has also enlisted a carbon reduction consultancy firm with a view to measuring and then reducing its carbon footprint.
Apogee
Revenue: £127.7m
tCO2e: 1,193
Noting that its fleet and fuel account for 72 per cent of its total energy use, this HP-owned managed print giant said it intends to adopt more alternative fuel and electric vehicles throughout its business between 2021 and 2025 as current vehicles are retired. During its fiscal 2020, Apogee switched all purchased electricity to renewable sources, achieving zero carbon emissions from purchased electricity - and also kicked off an LED light replacement scheme.
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Which Top VAR is rolling out an EV salary sacrifice scheme to tackle its scope 3 emissions? See next page for the answer...
How 25 UK channel partners are tackling their carbon emissions
From Proact and Apogee to market giants Softcat and Computacenter, what actions are top IT solutions providers taking to curb their carbon footprints?
Scan Computers
Revenue: £150m
tCO2e: 346
This Bolton-based e-tailer is gearing up to set annual energy and CHG emissions reduction targets, as well as introduce energy efficiency staff awareness training, it said in its 2020 accounts.
It pegged its 2020 scope 1 and 2 emissions at 108 and 221 tonnes, respectively, and is "actively looking to reduce its energy consumption".
Jigsaw24
Revenue: £150m
tCO2e: 346 (vs 84)
This Nottingham-based Apple partner is committed to achieving net zero carbon status "as soon as possible", it said in its 2021 accounts, adding that it has already implemented a "wide range" of environmental measures to reduce its carbon footprint and waste, electrify where possible and increase recycling. It has also just launched its first annual Social and Environmental Impact report.
In February, Jigsaw24 claimed that over a quarter of its staff had already shown an interest in its Electric Vehicle Salary Sacrifice Scheme since it was launched three months earlier.
Working with Carbon Footprint, Jigsaw pegged its scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions at a respective six, 20 and 206 tonnes in its fiscal 2021, a 176 per cent annual rise entirely due to the artificial impact of it measuring more elements that fall under scope 3 in its latest year (including employee commuting and home workers).
Talking to CRN, Jigsaw24 CEO Roger Whittle (pictured above, holding octopus) hailed SECR as "the first step" in a sustainability revolution that needs to be undertaken "in the next few years".
"It is a modest and welcome first step," he said.
"It's a bit like the Gender Pay Gap reporting that's mandated and therefore brings the topic forward. With SECR, you just have to detail what your emissions are, but it's not essential to put in a plan to reduce them. Obviously, that is where we need to get to, but the first thing to do is admit what problem you have, and to quantify the problem. Thereafter, you can take remedial action.
"Long term, we need as many employing organisations as possible to be reporting on this. And we need to get to a point when it is mandated in future years to show how you can reduce your carbon footprint rather than just stating the emissions." See full interview with Whittle here.
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See next page to find out which IT partner is currently reviewing 36,000 of the products it carries as part of its net zero plans?
How 25 UK channel partners are tackling their carbon emissions
From Proact and Apogee to market giants Softcat and Computacenter, what actions are top IT solutions providers taking to curb their carbon footprints?
RM
Revenue: £210.9m
tCO2e: 1,483 (vs 1,693)
This LSE-listed schools supplier is in the process of gathering data on the material composition, manufacturing, supply chain, logistics and end-of-life management of 36,000 products it sells as it gears up to set a pre-2050 net zero target that includes scope 3 emissions.
RM pegged its combined scope 1 and 2 emissions at 1,483 tonnes in its year to 30 November 2021, a 12 per cent fall on the previous year and 67.5 per cent drop against its 2015 baseline. It is targeting a 78 per cent scope 1 and 2 reduction by 2035, and harbours a goal to use 50 per cent on-site or locally generated renewable energy at its Harrier Park HQ by 2024.
Talking to CRN RM group strategy and customer director Chris Rothwell (pictured above) said that the 36,000 products RM is evaluating predominantly relate to RM's resources and curriculum businesses, but that the same principle applies for its IT services arm.
Sustainability is now having a greater bearing on which IT vendors RM works with, Rothwell added.
"The sustainability credentials of a supplier are definitely becoming a far greater decision-making factor for us and for our customers. Devices are a good example. Yes, it's about the way the device is manufactured. But it's also about the energy efficiency of that device when it's in use, and the full lifecycle of that device afterwards," he said (see full interview here).
CCS Media
Revenue: £223.7m
tCO2e: 136
Light electric vehicles now comprise 90 per cent of CCS Media's fleet following its implementation of an LEV-only policy on replacement vehicles three years previously, the Chesterfield-based reseller said in its 2020 annual accounts.
In its inaugural SECR report, CCS Media pegged its scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions (the latter of which takes into account business travel in employee-owned vehicles only) at 83, 39 and 14 tonnes, respectively. Its environmental and sustainability plan includes improving light efficiencies, cutting travel and procuring from carbon-neutral suppliers.
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Which VAR is chasing B Corp status? See next page for the answer...
How 25 UK channel partners are tackling their carbon emissions
From Proact and Apogee to market giants Softcat and Computacenter, what actions are top IT solutions providers taking to curb their carbon footprints?
boxxe
Revenue: £238.3m
tCO2e: 418 (vs 440)
This York-based Microsoft partner is aiming to be the first UK reseller to achieve B Corporation status as part of its sustainability drive.
It procured 59 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources in 2020, a figure it intends to boost to 100 per cent by the end of 2022. It is also removing company vehicles as they come up for renewal on the basis that employees can use technology for virtual meetings rather than travelling to physical ones, and reviewing its use of refrigerants (it said cooling currently accounts for three-quarters of its footprint).
"boxxe intends to support the UK government's goal of achieving net zero carbon by 2050," it stated in its SECR report.
Claranet
Revenue: £395.1m
tCO2e: 2,100 (vs 990)
Introducing incentives for staff travel to move to public transport and cycling is among the energy-saving measures introduced by this global MSP giant in its year to 30 June 2021.
The 2,300-employee, London-based outfit reported its fiscal 2021 scope 1 and 2 emissions at 2,100 tonnes, more than double the previous year's tally.
Claranet's SECR report also highlighted efforts to boost flexible working, install movement-activated lighting, upgrading hardware to more efficient devices and replacing old windows to cut heat loss.
XMA
Revenue: £399m
tCO2e: 755
In its inaugural SECR report, this Nottingham-based VAR said it has compiled a register of energy efficiency measures with a view to implementing them "in the next five years".
The £400m-revenue HP partner - which is part of Westcoast Holdings - calculated that its scope 1 and 2 emissions stood at a respective 408 and 347 tonnes in 2020.
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How are Daisy, Telent and SCC tackling their emissions. Find out on the next page...
How 25 UK channel partners are tackling their carbon emissions
From Proact and Apogee to market giants Softcat and Computacenter, what actions are top IT solutions providers taking to curb their carbon footprints?
Daisy
Revenue: £417.1m
tCO2e: 12,004 (vs 18,201)
After admitting that Covid temporarily delayed it, Daisy said it has now restarted its energy efficiency programme. It includes a focus on moving to an electric and hybrid fleet and appointment of a head of ESG in its Corporate division.
The comms specialist's combined scope 1 and 2 emissions fell by around 50 per cent to 12,004 tonnes in its year to 31 March 2021. It warned that its carbon usage will likely rise closer to its pre-pandemic base in its FY2022.
Telent Technology Services
Revenue: £472.1m
tCO2e: 6,982 (vs 10,065)
This telecoms and IT infrastructure juggernaut has formally committed to setting Science-Based Targets with a view to validating and publishing them during Q2/Q3 2022, it said in the SECR section of its 2021 annual accounts.
Telent chalked up a 30 per cent fall in its combined scope 1 and 2 emissions in its fiscal 2021 to a combination of energy efficiency measures and the shift in working arrangements sparked by Covid. It is currently assessing its scope 3 emissions inventory.
SCC
Revenue: £712.4m
tCO2e: 7,852 (vs 10,326)
Reductions in business travel associated with Covid helped SCC slash its (location-based) emissions by 24 per cent in its fiscal 2021.
That's significantly above the five per cent annual reduction target set by the Birmingham-based IT solutions provider (it harbours a goal of cutting emissions by 50 per cent between 2020 and 2030).
SCC's s refurbishment of its global HQ is expected to save it 400MWh of electricity and 580MWh of gas annually through use of heat pumps, heat recovery ventilation, LED lighting, metering and controls, it said in the environmental section of its 2021 annual accounts. It also has a zero per cent landfill objective on recycled IT.
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How far along are Bytes and CDW on their sustainability journeys? See next page for more...
How 25 UK channel partners are tackling their carbon emissions
From Proact and Apogee to market giants Softcat and Computacenter, what actions are top IT solutions providers taking to curb their carbon footprints?
Bytes Technology Group
Revenue: £958m
tCO2e: 315
This software licensing giant indicated in its 2021 accounts that it is in the process of developing its first carbon dioxide reduction policy.
It pegged its respective scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions for the year at 55, 233 and 28 tonnes, emphasising that it switched to renewable energy suppliers for its entire electricity needs at the start of 2021 and has upped the number of electric/hybrid car charging points at its main sites.
Phoenix Software, which is part of Bytes, was flagged up in Microsoft's recent partner net zero report for creating a sustainability network designed to engage staff in its carbon reduction plan and then using what it had learned to develop similar solutions for its public sector clients.
As a newly publicly listed business, Bytes will have to respond to the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures in its 2022 annual report.
CDW
Revenue: £990m
tCO2e: 3,768
The UK arm of this global reseller claims the roof panels on its Rugby and Peterborough facilities can generate up to 60kW of electricity, adding that it purchases renewable electricity "for all UK offices where it can control the energy supply and appropriate tariffs are available".
It pegged its scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions in 2020 at 272, 1,777 and 1,719, respectively.
Several lighting initiatives across its facilities have been undertaken or are underway, CDW UK said in its inaugural SECR report. It detailed how the £1bn-revenue juggernaut intends to move its car fleet to hybrids and introduce EV stations at its Rugby and Peterborough offices.
With Covid helping to "significantly" reduce its travel emissions, CDW said it now intends to "reduce business travel to ensure business trips are truly necessary".
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See next page for the lowdown on Softcat's net zero plans...
How 25 UK channel partners are tackling their carbon emissions
From Proact and Apogee to market giants Softcat and Computacenter, what actions are top IT solutions providers taking to curb their carbon footprints?
Softcat
Revenue: £1.94bn
tCO2e: 386 (304)
The UK's largest reseller has published sweeping carbon reduction targets last May, with an aim of being ‘net zero supply chain' by 2040.
The target encompasses scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, the latter of which Softcat acknowledges hinge partly on the progress of its vendor partners. On that note, Softcat's annual report includes a useful summary of the sustainability commitments of its key manufacturer allies (including Dell and HPE's pledge to be net zero by 2050 and Apple committing to all its products being carbon neutral by 2030).
Over half of Softcat's locations are now using renewable energy, with the giant reseller hoping to use 100 per cent renewable energy by 2024.
It reported its collective scope 1 and 2 emissions at 386 tonnes in its year to 31 July 2021. That's an 18 per cent hike on the previous year, which Softcat stressed reflected an improved assessment methodology rather than a like-for-like rise.
"We've been able to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of our own business in recent years despite our growth, but as we look ahead, we have a strong desire to become a leader in the journey towards carbon neutrality," Softcat said in its 2021 accounts.
Talking to CRN, Softcat operations director Alastair Wynn said the £2bn-revenue reseller giant hoped to have its net zero plans validated by the Science-Based Targets initiative by the end of 2022.
"We've gone through a lot of work with Support the Goals. But we want that ratified by science. It's important, to keep us honest and validate the results - I consider it an audit of our thinking and methodology," he said.
"The pace of it has frustrated me a little, because it's hard to get those sessions in with SBTi. However, this is a bit of a blessing because SBTi was made tougher and more robust following COP26. Before, an organisation could just get a stamp of approval for short-term targets, whereas now there have to be long term targets, aspiring towards 2040/2050. So we're going through the reinforced, revalidated, tougher measures with SBTi, which puts us at a better endpoint." See full interview with Wynn here.
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Why is Computacenter taking a "pragmatic" approach to net zero? See the final page for more...
How 25 UK channel partners are tackling their carbon emissions
From Proact and Apogee to market giants Softcat and Computacenter, what actions are top IT solutions providers taking to curb their carbon footprints?
Computacenter
Revenue: £6.73bn
tCO2e: 5,210 (vs 13,856)
The world's largest UK-headquartered IT solutions and services outfit last month unveiled a new target of being net zero across scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 2040 - trumping its previous aim by ten years.
Helped by a recent record-breaking solar roll out at its Hatfield HQ, Computacenter now generates 73 per cent of its electricity usage from renewables (according to its recent annual sustainability report) and this month announced it has brought forward its goal of being carbon neutral across scope 1 and 2 from 2027 to 2022.
It stressed that the new targets come on the back of "years of carbon reduction efforts across the business".
Having cut its scope 1 and 2 emissions by 74 per cent between 2021 and 2019 (with its estimated total falling from nearly 14,000 to just over 5,000 tonnes last year), Computacenter is confident of becoming carbon neutral this year with "minimal" usage of carbon offsets.
The reduction was fuelled partly by its installation of solar panels at its Hatfield HQ in 2020 and German head office last October, with plans now afoot to repeat the feat at its US integration centre in Livermore, California. This would potentially generate a further 0.75m kWh of renewable electricity annually, on top of the 1.8m and 1.5m kWh already generated by Hatfield and Kerpen.
Partly in a bid to ensure this figure does not rebound to pre-Covid levels, Computacenter introduced a travel levy for all staff on 1 October 2021, as revealed by CRN. The £10/€12/$14 levy raised around €50,000 during Q4 (according to its recent annual sustainability report). It will be used to offset the travel element of Computacenter's scope 3 emissions.
The 2040 net zero target also encompasses ‘indirect' scope 3 emissions, including business travel and transportation and the supply chain and product of its technology vendors, however.
Talking to CRN, Computacenter's UK sustainability lead, Clare Parry-Jones, said Computacenter had taken a "pragmatic" approach to net zero.
"Other organisations - predominantly private ones - and not necessarily in the IT sector, have been very bold in terms of going out, and are almost giving investors and employees happy ears. But they haven't thought about the impacts in detail," she said.
"We wanted to make sure we fully understood it, and that we understood scope 3. We signed up to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) in March, and are submitting for validation. They will come back with timelines and areas we can work on, but if you look at the advances we've made on scope 1 and 2, we know we can get there in that period we're talking about.
"We've not put 2040 closing our eyes and crossing our fingers and toes. We've put 2040 because we have confidence we can get there. And it may be that we could bring that even further forwards."