Softchoice Corp., (TSX:SO)in its first ever sustainability report, found that the global use of technology generates as much in the way of greenhouse gas emissions as the entire aviation industry.
The Toronto-based full service VAR is one of the pioneers of the green movement in the channel. It was named last year as a Top 5 Green VAR by CDN.
This Corporate Sustainability Report makes Softchoice the first ever North American VAR to issue a report in accordance with the guidelines established by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) – considered the international standard for the transparent and reliable reporting of economic, environmental and social performance indicators.
“This report is a major milestone in the execution of the sustainability strategy we outlined one year ago,” said David MacDonald, President and CEO of Softchoice. “Being the first VAR in North America to issue a report like this underscores our commitment to becoming the greenest end-to-end provider of IT solutions in our industry. But more important than industry firsts, it is our hope that others will follow as we work to put IT at the forefront of sustainable business.”
Softchoice also won the top spot in CDN’s annual Top 100 Solution Providers Rankings.
In addition to rising energy demand, as capital spending on IT infrastructure has increased, so too has the amount of electronic waste entering landfills as old systems are replaced with newer, more powerful models. Softchoice’s 2008 Sustainability Report details the Company’s efforts to address these issues through end-user awareness campaigns and innovative online tools that make it simple to search for and compare the world’s greenest technologies. The report also highlighted the company’s progress at improving the sustainability of its own internal operations and providing access to technology to those less fortunate around the world.
“Launching the world’s first searchable green IT product listing on softchoice.com and being named one of Canada’s Top Five Green IT Solution Providers are significant achievements, but the reality is we have only just begun our journey,” added Melissa Alvares, Sustainability Programs Manager for Softchoice. “Global warming is the biggest challenge humankind has ever faced. We happen to be in an industry that has a tremendous opportunity to make a difference and help boost efficiency in the process. Even in this economic climate, sustainable IT is proving to be just as good for business as it is for the planet.”