Sustainability Policy

 

Introduction

Increasingly, sustainability is becoming a key issue for businesses and society in general, as people realize that current industrial, economic, and social systems are storing up problems for the future. Sustainability is not about moving backwards but about looking forwards to new, better ways of doing things.

We believe in the triple bottom line concept of sustainability:

Environmental – reducing environmental damage to levels that can naturally be absorbed by nature

Social – developing a healthy and fair global and local society

Financial – creating sustainable business models and stable, prosperous economies.

At ScalePV we aim to do our best to work towards sustainability. We’re not perfect, but it is something that we take very seriously. We have a range of environmental, social, and financial strategies to help us reduce our negative impact give something positive back to the world. These include:

Environmental

  • ScalePV intends to minimize its carbon footprint by operating a virtual business structure, centered around our innovative workspace. This allows our team to work at convenient locations and avoid excess travel. We also use the most efficient, practical mode of transport for each journey.
  • Wherever possible our stationery is recycled or recyclable, hence minimizing its impact on the We use wood and paper only from sustainable sources where available. Perhaps more importantly, we try to avoid using physical stationery and printing documents wherever possible.
  • We reduce by only buying products that we need, re-use by using secondhand products where available and selling our unwanted items and try to recycle or compost as much of our waste as possible.
  • All our cleaning products are natural, biodegradable and are bulk purchased, when possible, to minimize
  • We use low energy appliances wherever
  • We have a no-fly policy, and instead work with international clients, staff and partners using web communications and travelling over land if required.
  • We try to keep our carbon emissions to a minimum and in 2020, we moved away from offsetting our carbon emissions, to ‘carbon synching’. This is the idea that we need to not just remove CO2 from the atmosphere, but we need to do it at roughly the same speed (or faster) than we are emitting it.
  • We develop services that can be delivered with no physical goods production or

Social

  • We value our We make sure that our team members enjoy their work by giving them every possible opportunity to express themselves, fulfil their potential and fit their work around the other important aspects of their lives
  • We allow flexible working by allowing our team members to choose their own place and time of This helps team members maintain a healthy work-life balance
  • We maintain healthy relationships with our customers and accommodate their needs wherever possible
  • We use local suppliers where possible to reduce our carbon footprint and stimulate the local economy
  • We only deal with ethical organizations, who treat their staff well
  • We try to create opportunities for young talented individuals with strong ethics and help them to develop their careers by getting them involved in our work and helping to promote them
  • We use fairtrade products where appropriate
  • We comply with all equal opportunities laws and regulations
  • We actively promote the benefits of socially responsible business
  • We refuse to work with organizations involved with ethically dubious activities such as military systems, tobacco, junk food, hunting, animal testing and genetically modified crops.

Financial

  • We will build a strong, valuable brand
  • We will keep costs to a minimum by virtual operation of the business using modern communication technologies
  • We will avoid ethical liabilities by implementing our social and environmental sustainability
  • We will minimize debt and other financial liabilities
  • We will invest in sustainable businesses, to help encourage the growth of a sustainable economy, as well as providing the business with a strong long-term investment portfolio
  • We will implement simple and effective business systems so that the business runs efficiently without reliance on the specialist knowledge or skills of any one individual.

We measure our impact

Our reason for existing is to make a positive impact, which is why since the beginning of 2022 we are striving to get better at monitoring and reporting our environmental and social impact in the years ahead.

We declare a climate emergency

We have declared a Climate Emergency and act accordingly.

Our business was designed with the objective of using business as a force for good in the world, specifically helping to demonstrate how business can work to protect the natural environment. As a small business we have shown creative leadership in how to operate a low carbon business model and are proud of what we have achieved so far.

However, we cannot rest on our laurels. When we formed the company in 2018, we did not understand the urgency of climate change as we do now. Today it is clear that there is a Climate Emergency that will require immediate and radical action by all businesses, including ours.

Based on the scientific facts we know today; it would be a breach of our duties as directors of the company and custodians of our stakeholders’ interests to continue as though there is not a Climate Emergency.

This Declaration requires that the entire business design be optimized in the context of a Climate Emergency, with climate impacts being prioritized in all key decisions. It authorizes and encourages all team members to openly challenge the directors on decisions or aspects of our business that may not be appropriate in this Climate Emergency.

We have committed to maintain our carbon neutrality as a minimum standard. A Climate Emergency requires us to also commit to taking positive action, so we are also pursuing ever greater efficiency and seeking ways to contribute to the decarbonization of the economy wherever we can.

We must deliver value to our customers and society, and provide a meaningful livelihood to our team in a way that permits and promotes a healthy planet for future generations. This is our challenge.

Reuse, reduce, recycle

We are fully digital, so we really minimize printing to the absolute essentials. We use recycled, organic and/or FSC certified materials where possible.

A truly regenerative business

In 2020, we moved away from offsetting our carbon emissions, to ‘carbon synching’ – the idea that we need to not just remove CO2 from the atmosphere, but we need to do it at roughly the same speed (or faster) than we are emitting it. To the end of FY2021/22 we had already planted 129 trees in ecosystem restoration projects, nearly double our target.

Positive vendors and clients

We positively and negatively screen all clients to ensure that our work is making a positive impact.

A big part of the impact we have revolves around the type of projects we work on. We work with clients in many different industries and try to work with positive people on positive projects. This is determined on a case-by-case basis where we feel there is a good fit. However, we positively and negatively screen projects to ensure they fit with our values.

We primarily screen projects instead of clients, contractors and vendors since many organizations are complex and are engaged in many activities. It’s quite possible that a single client could be engaged in projects we would refuse to work on, while also being engaged in positive projects that we’d love to be involved with. However, there may be extreme cases where the parent organization fails our screening to such an extent that the team feels uncomfortable being associated with them, even on a positive project. We would therefore decline that project.

Greening the web

We actively promote green web design, calculating the approximate energy consumption and carbon emissions of all digital activities and projects that we work on.

We host all our services, instances and websites (including staging and development) on shared resource energy efficient servers using at least 90% renewable energy.

We share knowledge, experiences, and inspiration on how to use business for good via published articles and presentations.

Fair recruitment

We have a genuine open hiring policy that focuses on individuals’ skills and talents not arbitrary criteria. Please read our Equal opportunities policy

Open source

All our non-sensitive internal web projects since 2018 have been released as open source.

Second-hand appliances

We use second-hand equipment where available and donate used computers to Computers 4 Africa.

No fly policy

We prioritize efficient, low emission transport and strive to never fly for business.

Flexible co-working and remote work

We use low impact shared office space as part of the vibrant creative community at the heart of New York.

We strive to be 100% remote work company and have enabled genuine flexible working with the aim of promoting a happy, healthy life balance.

 

Last updated: 04/19/2022