Last week some of our colleagues in Europe joined events in Glasgow relating to COP26. We were delighted to attend techUk’s Glasgow reception which brought together 200 stakeholders on the frontline of the intersection of digital and climate for informal networking and discussions. The event, co-sponsored by Cisco and Oracle and introduced by Julian David, also marked the launch of a new techUK report highlighting thought leaders’ views on how digital technologies are set to shape the world’s low carbon transition.
The reception opened with keynote remarks from contributors to the report, “Climate Tech: The Innovators,” including Cisco, Oracle, BT and Atos. Oracle’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Jon Chorley, spoke about how sustainability has evolved as a priority. His early work in compliance evolved into a focus on sustainability as the business landscape changed. This reflects a positive trend that we at Sims Lifecycle Services (SLS) see in many of the organizations we work with. SLS also continues to invest in our sustainability resources to drive the business towards the goals set out in the Sims Limited Sustainability Report.
Will Wells from Hummingbird Technologies, who co-wrote the report, spoke about the journey ahead for climate and ended with a quote from “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost:
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
but I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
This was an emotive reminder for everyone to think and prepare for the road ahead of all of us on the climate change journey.
We also joined The Department for Food and Rural Affairs’ (DEFRA) E-Alliance “Tech for Climate Action” event which was made up of an Environmental Conference followed by their “Race for Zero” event. Speakers from Vodafone, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, BP and more shared their visions and actions towards their sustainability goals, and joined panel discussions hosted by the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) discussing progress and next steps.
These were a small snapshot of the many events surrounding COP26 that we, and I’m sure all of you, were attending in person or virtually. What is clear is that the time for action is now. This problem is significant but the desire to make real progress towards carbon reduction goals is there. Tackling a problem starts with intent and then measurement. In order to manage your efforts towards net zero, you need to be able to measure your progress. So as COP26 draws to a close we’re delighted to launch our new sustainability calculator.
The new SLS Sustainability Calculator empowers you to quantify your carbon avoided reusing assets and recycling IT equipment. SLS is set to provide clients with transparent sustainability reporting to contribute to corporate carbon accounting and achieving carbon neutral goals. SLS is now able to produce accurate carbon savings achieved through our IT asset disposition program. To find out more please visit our website: www.simslifecycle.com