Westcon-Comstor has made significant progress towards its goal of powering all of its global operations using 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2030.
That’s according to its latest annual Responsible Business report, which has revealed the company derived 42 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources during its latest financial year, up from 33 per cent the previous year.
Progress was fastest in Europe, with the UK having recently become the first country in which the distributor has completed the transition to renewables.
Westcon-Comstor set a series of science-based emission reduction targets in 2023, with its targets formally validated by the internationally renowned Science Based Targets initiative. This includes its overarching objective of achieving net zero by 2050.
More than 80 per cent of Westcon-Comstor’s supply chain partners across the IT channel now have science-based emission reduction targets of their own, meaning that the company has achieved this aim a year ahead of schedule. The focus will now be on working with these suppliers to ensure they have a plan for achieving their targets and monitoring progress.
As well as detailing progress made on sustainability and environmental protection, the report has revealed that company training budgets increased by 13 per cent year-on-year, with around $1 million invested in employee development programmes globally.
Westcon-Comstor has also aligned for the first time to the standards of the Global Reporting Initiative, an independent not-for-profit organisation.
“We’re pleased to have made significant progress in certain areas, for example in transitioning to renewable electricity, but we acknowledge that there is much to do as we look to accelerate progress in pursuit of our ambitious medium and long-term sustainability goals,” said Kevin Brzezinski, chief sustainability officer at Westcon-Comstor. “As a business we are committed to achieving the targets we have set ourselves and working with channel partners and vendors to create a truly sustainable IT channel.”