Peachtree 2012 Annual Report Download - page 50

Corporate Responsibility
Environment
Data on carbon emissions
We work hard to keep down our carbon footprint by raising
awareness among our employees to reduce energy and water
use, minimise travel and by switching to green energy suppliers
wherever possible. We continue to monitor our carbon footprint
and have published data on our carbon emissions since 2009.
This year we recorded a carbon footprint of 24,493 tonnes CO2
equivalent, achieving a reduction of 4.8% compared with 2011.
During 2012 we installed Telepresence equipment at key locations
to work collaboratively while reducing the need to travel. In
addition, we have signed a Group-wide WebEx deal which enables
us to work globally on Instant Messenger and meetings with up
to 1,000 attendees. Open…, our global enterprise platform, also
enables our employees to work in virtual teams and reduces
the need to travel.
All our operating companies are focused on ways to reduce their
environmental impact locally. In the US, we reduced electricity by
consolidating servers or installing virtual ones, using one dedicated
server location for associated ventilation and air conditioning on site.
The UK installed LED lighting which uses 75% less energy. Motion
sensors were installed in car parks so electric lights turn off when
not in use. We continue to highlight energy efcient measures
during ofce re-ts. In Spain, two new “intelligent” ofces also
exploit natural light and reduce the use of gas and electricity. The
air con system works with water instead of gas and there are
sectored spaces for more efcient energy use. Light, temperature
and humidity levels are measured twice a month in common zones
to control optimum efciency and low consumption. Solar panels
provide hot water to the building. In Australia, window tinting is
applied to reduce heating and air conditioning requirements.
Total CO2 emissions from energy (in nearest
whole tonnes)
2012 2011*
Europe 9,621 9,795
North America 9,295 10,885
AAMEA 5,577 5,044
Total 24,493 25,725
* 2011 North American data has been restated to align with more accurate
emissions factors used for the Canadian and US operations this year.
Scope 1 and scope 2 carbon emissions are measured from the electricity
and gas consumption paid for, together with the emissions factors provided
by the UK’s Department for Energy and Climate Change (“DECC”) in order
to calculate our carbon footprint from this usage.
It is our policy to report on ofces with more than 25 Sage employees. This
excludes companies acquired during the year.
Reducing waste
We look for ways to promote recycling and the use of recycled
materials, as well as increase electronic materials to reduce print
and packaging. Open…, our global enterprise platform, means we
can store vital content electronically, so it is accessible to those
who need it wherever they are located. During 2012, the number of
Open… users increased by 88%, and there are 1,100 active teams
across Sage. Most of our software user guides are also now online
and we continue to reduce the use of paper wherever we can.
We are making progress in cutting down on our in-house waste
and, this year, we have achieved zero waste to landll at our
Newcastle headquarters. In South Africa, employees have to enter
a PIN to print documents and payslips are emailed. The target is to
progress to a paperless environment, and all recyclable paper goes
to Afrika Tikkun, a local charity that works with children.
North America eliminated printing of an additional 15,000
downloaded documents, while the Sage Summit Tote bag replaced
paper again in 2012. There have been many good initiatives around
Sage, for example in the US we have tested a paper towel dispenser
that conserves waste and re-uses waste products and the UK is
harvesting used water for use on gardens and ower beds.
Our aim is to reduce the energy our business uses and make the most of recycling
opportunities. Our operating companies can choose to focus where they feel they can
have the greatest impact, while complying with local laws as a minimum. Sage continues
to take part in the global Carbon Disclosure Project, an independent non-prot organisation
focusing on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and sustainable water use by
business and cities. We are also a member of the FTSE4Good Index.
MWh of energy used within Sage business
2010
2011
2012
22,417
20,787
16,154
16,890
North
America UK & Ireland France Spain South Africa
Other
countries
5,721
4,969
4,826
4,146
4,676
4,475
3,861
3,844
18,636
16,897
4,909
3,870
4,928
3,538
Sage Group’s global carbon footprint from
energy (tCO2e)
Scope 1 (gas) 6%
Scope 2 (electricity) 94%
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