_Green revolution & the IT industry

The ubiquitous smog, global warming, and extreme weather phenomena are just a few factors that make us think more and more about the future of our planet. Fortunately, the great minds of this world work on solutions during climate summits, companies invest in modern eco-initiatives, and individuals try to be more eco-friendly (they ride bikes, use less plastic, or follow the zero-waste trend). The IT industry is no different and actively participates in the green revolution. In this article, we briefly present examples of solutions that we have implemented in TT PSC that enable our business to grow in a sustainable and socially responsible way.

What is the green revolution?

One of the biggest problems today is the climate crisis. It affects all of us, whether we consider it from the perspective of the individual, business, or society. We must remember that the time for taking actions that may stop it from deepening is here and now. One of the key factors contributing to global warming is greenhouse gas emissions. If we do not reduce it, the average temperature of the earth will continuously increase. Furthermore, even if we stop this growth now, we will still have to deal with the effects for centuries.

That is why we should start taking care of our environment now, bearing in mind that every person, every company, and every country has to join the new green revolution. This concept includes many different areas and actions:

• Industrial revolution – its most important goal is the change of approach – moving away from the wasteful economy of exploiting nature towards the idea of growing with it.
• The energy revolution – assumes that in the next 50 years, we should fully cover the global demand for energy with renewable sources.
• The Revolution of efficiency – highlights the importance of production processes – we should produce more goods using fewer resources.
• Greener agriculture – covers both small farms and large-scale crops (also technologically advanced agriculture in cities). This concept goes beyond the cultivation of food or livestock farming. It should combine agriculture, food processing, biochemical production, and energy production.
• Eco-friendly construction – buildings should operate and function in symbiosis with nature. It means that they should create a compatible system with the environment through, for example, green facades, roof gardens, or green energy production.
• Zero waste (zero emissions) – each material/thing that we use should be recycled and re-entered into biological or industrial circulation.
• Bioeconomy – according to this concept, biological and natural processes should be the basis for a sustainable production process.
• Modern transportation – we should focus primarily on further developing public transport, transport chain optimization, and powering as many vehicles as possible with electricity.

Sustainable development – for the better future of our planet

The climate crisis forces everyone to act and introduce changes in every aspect of our lives. To make it easier for companies that have to gradually adapt their processes and activities to the new criteria, the International Organization for Standardization introduced the ISO 26000 standard.

CSR – corporate social responsibility, what does it mean?

CSR refers to practices and policies undertaken by corporations intended to have a positive impact through investing in areas such as human resources development, environmental protection, or relations with society. On October 28, 2010, ISO 26000 defined and standardized the scope of activities known as CSR. The standard contains specific solutions that can be implemented in any enterprise, regardless of the type of business activity, company size, or location. It distinguishes the following areas:

• Organizational governance
• Human rights
• Labor practices
• Environment
• Fair operating practices
• Consumer issues
• Community involvement and development

ESG – environmental, social, and corporate governance.

Even though the awareness of responsible business practices has increased significantly over the last few years, CSR activities, in opposition to the constantly growing climate crisis, have proved to be insufficient. Many companies treated them as an opportunity for good PR instead of a step towards meaningful, systemic changes. Therefore currently, CSR is slowly evolving toward the new, broader approach called ESG. This abbreviation stands for measurable standards that are the basis for non-financial ratings of companies, states, and other organizations. Nowadays, it is becoming increasingly significant for companies that care about building relations with potential investors and their business environment in general.

ESG stands for:

• Environmental – includes aspects such as energy consumption, waste management, emission of pollutants, testing products on animals, and compliance with governmental regulations.
• Social – it concerns business relations both inside and outside the company. The area includes, among others, respect for human rights, promoting diversity and equality among employees, investing in training, as well as meeting the expectations and needs of customers.
• Corporate governance – evaluates the structure of the management board, shareholders’ rights, and corruption prevention mechanisms.

For modern companies, ESG compliance is a factor that can and should significantly influence business decisions. More and more often, it translates into the trust of customers and business partners. Discrimination, testing products on animals, and inadequate management of materials or resources can negatively affect the company’s image.

Green revolution – IT industry and ecology

The IT industry, compared to others, has a gentle impact on the environment. Nevertheless, as a leader of innovation, it should set new standards and constantly raise the bar. Furthermore, it can actively participate in the green revolution by offering Green IT solutions created to protect the environment. These can include, for example, improvements in the production process, the use of modern materials, or the digitization of processes.

Well-thought strategy and commitment

At Transition Technologies PSC, we passionately believe that digital transformation is crucial for the green revolution. We constantly update and improve our strategy of actions related to corporate responsibility and sustainable development. At the same time, we work on the internal educational initiatives that help us shape an informed, committed community in and around the company.

Here are some examples of what we are currently doing in TT PSC to move forward with our TT Goes Green strategy:

1. We limit the consumption of resources – a lot is happening in this area. First of all, we optimize the office space – most of our team works remotely now, so we naturally take up less space. It is also associated with lower energy and water consumption. In addition, we are replacing our car fleet with electric and hybrid vehicles to minimize fuel consumption.
2. We focus on recycling – in addition to the standard, but still incredibly significant, waste sorting in offices, we went a few steps further. Our uneaten office snacks get the new life in community fridges. Equipment such as chairs, desks, or boards that we no longer use in offices is available to buy during the corporate garage sales. Our “retired” laptops are sold internally or donated to those in need.
3. We digitize – this is obviously our specialty. Every day we help our clients achieve better business results thanks to the power of digital transformation. We also make sure that our processes are as digitized as possible – from document circulation, meetings, and recruitment to some corporate events.
4. We educate and evolve – by running internal campaigns related to environmental education for our employees and sharing our experiences outside. In 2021, to celebrate the company’s fifth anniversary, we planted seven hundred trees together. This number corresponded to the number of employees back then. We hope that with the dynamic development of TT PSC, our symbolic forest will also continue growing.

These are just a few examples of how we contribute to a better future through our daily activities. However, the scope of our initiatives related to the sustainable and responsible development strategy is much broader. More information is available at https://ttpsc.com/pl/csr/.

In 2022, we also published our first ESG report, in which we described specific actions in detail. Although we are already approaching the topic very thoughtfully and strategically, a lot of work still lies ahead. We are all responsible for the green revolution, and it is happening now. Total mobilization is still needed to make it effective, so we encourage everyone to start today!