Westcon-Comstor has announced significant progress towards its goal of powering all global operations purely by renewable electricity by 2030, as it published its latest annual Responsible Business report.
The report reveals that the group derived 42% of its electricity globally from renewable sources during its latest financial year, up from 33% the previous year, as it works to reach 100% by the end of the decade.
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 ambitious science-based emission reduction targets in 2023, later becoming the first major global technology distributor to have its targets formally validated by the internationally renowned Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). This includes its overarching objective of achieving net zero by 2050.
More than 80% of Westcon-Comstor’s supply chain partners across the IT channel now have science-based emission reduction targets of their own, meaning the company has achieved this aim a year ahead of schedule. The focus will now be on engaging with these suppliers to ensure they have a plan for achieving their targets, and monitoring progress.
The Responsible Business report covers Westcon-Comstor’s action on three strategic focus areas of ‘people, planet and communities’ during its 2024 financial year (FY24). As well as detailing progress made on sustainability and environmental protection, the report reveals that company training budgets increased by 13% 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 (GRI), an independent not-for-profit organisation whose consistent, comparable and globally applicable standards have become the world’s most widely used sustainability reporting framework.
“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,” says 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.”