As mentioned in our earlier blog about building a sustainable IT solution, becoming a sustainable company is not a quick fix.
Inter.link is already carbon-neutral; we maintain this level to deliver network services that are better for business and for the world. However sustainability is a journey, and this blog focuses on our next goal: reaching net zero emissions.
The World Resources Institute describes reaching net zero as “when all emissions released by human activities are counterbalanced by removing carbon from the atmosphere in a process known as carbon removal.”
So how does this differ from carbon neutrality? Well, carbon neutrality means purchasing carbon reductionavoidance credits equivalent to emissions released, without the need for emissions reductions to have taken place.
Carbon reduction is different from carbon removal because it focuses on reducing the volume of carbon emissions to be released in the first place.
Achieving net zero involves a two-part approach: the first is reducing human-caused emissions so they are as close to zero as possible, and the second is that any remaining emissions must be compensated by removing an equal amount of carbon, such as through restoring forests or direct air capture and storage (DACS), which scrubs carbon from the atmosphere.
Reaching net zero means covering carbon emission scopes 1, 2, and 3 (direct emissions, indirect emissions, and indirect emissions not included in scope 2). This is not an easy feat, and different types of challenges arise for both large corporations and small businesses.
Over 90% of Inter.link’s emissions come from Scope 3, which is our supply chain. Maintaining a sustainable supply chain is one of our key initiatives, along with sustainability policies, processes, and training; automated measurement; accountability via certifications; and pushing for renewable electricity in data centers.
Maintaining a sustainable supply chain can be challenging because switching suppliers is a lengthy process and not many carbon-neutral suppliers exist. There are categories of suppliers where we simply don’t have any carbon-neutral alternatives.
We have worked extensively with our suppliers. Some of them are very collaborative, but in some cases, suppliers are unable or unwilling to make changes to their practices or timelines. This puts us in a difficult spot, since in some cases we don’t have a viable alternative.
A lot of organisations we work with or are attempting to work with, complete the first step of their sustainability journey--measuring their carbon footprint-- but then get stuck. Once the carbon footprint is measured, businesses can identify their emissions hotspots and set goals to reduce them. Moving beyond measurement to achieving carbon-neutrality requires making decisions that introduce short-term costs. This is where efforts often run aground.
Note that current sustainability policies only require measurement and reporting. That means that organizations must take voluntary action to progress beyond that point. Not every company is willing to do that.
But having a supply chain that is progressing beyond measurement to achieving carbon neutrality is critical for companies like Inter.link. Reaching net zero is not just an individualistic goal for companies who want to make a difference for the planet. It is a collective effort and it will be extremely difficult for most companies to attain net zero without a supportive supply chain.
When many companies (especially big players) become carbon-neutral, this creates a positive knock-on effect across the supply chain, making it easier for other companies to succeed too.
While the positive effects of major suppliers becoming carbon-neutral are promising, the fact is that many of our suppliers are not there, and not yet bought-in to supporting our specific targets. And unfortunately, this has the opposite impact for our net zero goals.
It has previously been our stated goal to achieve net zero by 2025. However, given the challenges in our supply chain, unfortunately we must push out our timeline. We will maintain our carbon-neutral and status and are committed to keep working toward net zero.
Achieving net zero is not just something that looks good for investors, it is necessary for the planet. We’ve seen reports that the world has already breached the key 1.5C warming mark. In order to stop climate change and the worsening environmental disasters that come with it, carbon emissions must stop – reducing them is not enough.
The Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit explains that to achieve net zero, carbon removal is necessary (instead of only reducing emissions) because for certain industries such as aviation and agriculture, the technological limitations mean that it is highly unlikely that emissions will be brought to net zero.
While net-zero is still a work in progress, it’s helpful to retain perspective as we continue to work hard towards that goal. Operating companies will always generate some emissions. Yet, while Inter.link was only founded in 2021, we have already made great progress in our sustainability journey. This includes the following achievements:
When considering the growing legal requirements (such as the regulations mentioned in our recent blog) and the standalone sustainability goals of your organisation, there are multiple benefits to working with a carbon-neutral vendor Namely, you can save a significant amount of time, effort, and cost.
This is because a carbon-neutral vendor like Inter.link does not add to your footprint. For example, we have already taken care of offsetting ourselves.
If you’re a CIO or IT leader, including Inter.link in your information technology vendor portfolio can give you a new green option in your IT strategy. If you are interested in sustainable Network as a Service, please get in touch.