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QBS has been independently verified as net carbon neutral.
“We have actually been carbon negative for some time, but now we are officially certified and independently verified. It is all about being totally authentic and avoiding the greenwashing. This achievement is due to the exceptional hard work of the team – our carbon footprint has been certified at a modest 34.2 tonnes,” says Anita Bitard, Sustainability Director, QBS Technology Group.
In June 2021, QBS was independently verified as carbon neutral as defined by the publicly available PAS 2060:2010 specification (the common definition and most scientifically valid definition). Verification was in accordance with the WBCSD/WRI GHG Protocol Standard.
The independent verification and accreditation means that QBS has accurately defined its organisational footprint, agreed boundaries and met all three scopes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions with environmental integrity:
Scope 1 – The direct emissions from sources it controls, including its offices and datacentres
Scope 2 – The indirect emissions from the electricity and gas that it consumes
Scope 3 – The wider emissions that it is responsible for through its upstream and downstream supply chain, the commuting and remote working of its employees
“Becoming net carbon neutral is only part of QBS’ ESG narrative – yet the environmental strand reflects arguably the most unifying factor facing the world today, that of climate change.” Dave Stevinson, CEO at QBS Technology Group, continues, “I believe that the social and governance themes are here to stay too – they espouse unstoppable changes in what is considered acceptable corporate behaviour.”
According to Stevinson, “The post-pandemic world means the channel has the opportunity to Build Back Better!” He believes that a company’s ESG rating will become as important as its credit rating.”
“Despite our modest size and perceived low environmental impact, we are not aware of anyone else in our industry that is taking action with the clarity of vision and speed of execution that we are,” he continues.
Stevinson is a man on a mission. Whilst the Net Carbon Neutral certification is QBS’ latest environmental achievement, he confirms that the company holds ISO 14001 accreditation, has signed the Pledge to Net Zero and the Tech Talent Charter, actively supports the UN Sustainability Development Goals, and is progressing towards becoming a B Corp – a critically-important certification in his eyes as it measures a company’s entire social and environmental performance.
Stevinson adds, “Including the climate impact of our complete supply chain in our carbon calculations was an incredibly difficult, expensive and lengthy process for a company of our size and extensive supply base – yet we want to demonstrate to others that it is possible. We are also taking the unique action of supporting and rewarding our global workforce with their journey to a personal carbon-free footprint.”
“We are trying to bring the entire industry with us on this journey. We have invested in dedicated staff, specific budgets and carbon literacy training for our employees, customers and publishers. We believe that our commitment to ESG also brings significant benefits to our business: cost and efficiency savings through reduced energy usage, compliance to anticipated future legislation, improved stakeholder management, and compliance with the most rigorous tender and pre-tender qualification questions for our partner network.”
For Stevinson and QBS, the most important outcome though is fulfilling the company’s purpose of ‘creating sustainable long-term stakeholder value’, which is only possible through: its commitment to strong corporate governance, its collaboration to ensuring a healthy planet, and its contribution to an equitable society.
Stevinson ends, “We are looking into triple bottom line reporting, committing us beyond the traditional bottom line of profit to focusing on people and the planet too.”
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