Working in IT has a unique way of highlighting the importance of taking action toward improving sustainability: everything a managed IT provider or procurement specialist does is focused on improving the lives of a technology’s end-users. When you care about real people, it’s hard not to recognize the need to protect their environment and ensure future generations have the same opportunities to thrive.
At PC Corp, we’re always looking for ways to do our part—not just in our day-to-day work, but in the broader community and environment.
In August 2024, we took an important step toward advancing that commitment to social good by joining the United Nations Global Compact. This global initiative brings businesses together to tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
With Earth Day happening in April, it’s a good time to pause and think about our impact on the world around us. In this article, we’ll share some of the real actions PC Corp is taking to increase our community impact and create positive change—for people, the planet, and the future.
Fulling Our Responsibility to People and Planet with Our Green Projects Committee
The PC Corp team doesn’t just talk about sustainability or make promises that we don’t intend to keep. We actively work toward a positive impact every day through our various Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives. We’re focused on gaining knowledge from industry peers worldwide on what ethical business looks like and taking concrete steps to make a meaningful difference.
Our Green Projects Committee leads the charge across the company to protect our environment. We operate with the belief that we are caretakers of this planet and that individual efforts can collectively contribute to systemic change.
Here are some of the initiatives that they have implemented to support our environmental goals:
Partnering with Tree Canada
As our Green Projects Feature Initiative, PC Corp has been proud to partner with Tree Canada. This national non-profit organization is dedicated to planting and nurturing trees in rural and urban environments as part of their critical work in growing Canada’s tree canopy.
A tree canopy refers to the upper layer or “crown” of trees in a forest or wooded area, formed by the tops of the trees’ branches and leaves. It provides cover, protection, and shelter for the ecosystem below, which is crucial for providing habitat for various wildlife, regulating temperature, improving air quality, preventing erosion from water, and supporting biodiversity.
To support the organization’s efforts, we allocate a percentage of our sales toward planting trees. In 2024 alone, we planted 465 trees, helping to restore and maintain Canadian forests.
Enacting Green Corporate Policies
To strengthen our sustainability efforts at PC Corp, we recognized the need for corporate policies that guided how we would embed our values into the core of our operations. With clear guidelines and practices for how our people can align with environmental, social, and ethical goals, they can have a framework for making responsible decisions that help them reduce their environmental footprint. Building and refining our policies will be an ongoing process.
To date we’ve established policies, such as:
- Idle-free policy for company vehicles: By encouraging employees to turn off their engines when parked or waiting, we collectively can eliminate unnecessary fuel consumption and lower our emissions.
- Sustainable fleet management: Going forward, we will no longer be depending on fully gas-powered models. As we replace vehicles, we will be moving toward hybrid or fully electric fleet vehicles to further minimize how much fuel we consume.
- Refuse policy for industry ‘swag’: Unfortunately, many promotional items are often poorly made and short-lived. Rather than supporting the distribution of low-quality gadgets that serve little purpose, we help reduce unnecessary waste and promote more thoughtful, sustainable choices in business.
- Responsible power management: We will examine the energy use for every pluggable item we bring in-house to optimize our overall footprint.
Eco-Conscious Office Practices
Every day at PC Corp, we encourage our employees to make the small, thoughtful choices that add up to meaningful change. Together, we focus on building a workplace that reflects our commitment to sustainability in every detail.
Besides encouraging everyone to adopt tech habits that support sustainability, these are just a few of the practices that help bring that vision to life:
- Participating the “Adopt Our Block” programs to keep our community space clear of litter,
- Prioritizing mixed materials separation and recycling to increase recycling efficiency, and ensure more materials are repurposed rather than discarded,
- Implementing organics collection for composting to reduce landfill waste and return nutrients to the soil,
- Upgrading to energy efficient office lighting to lower electricity use
- Opting for environmentally friendly printing paper and re-using printed paper to reduce waste and conserve resources,
- Responsibly recycling our technology to extend the lifecycle of materials and decrease landfill waste,
- Switching to an in-house water filtration system to replace water delivery and plastic bottles,
- Replacing traditional coffee capsules with recyclable options to cut down on single-use products
- Regularly sharing green tips and tricks for staff to encourage eco-friendly behaviour
Aligning Our Work with a Greener Future
Throughout our company, we’re also looking at our role in the bigger picture. We are currently in the initial stages of investigating our carbon baseline, which will be a project that takes time to fully assess and implement effectively.
In the meantime, as we move forward with refresh cycles with technology, building improvements, and other hardware or equipment purchases, we will approach them with a green lens, whether it’s through
Maintaining responsible vendor and supplier partnerships
Whenever our team needs new tools in the workplace or our procurement specialists recommend solutions to clients, the supply chain should reflect our sustainability goals. We are committed to working with companies that share our commitment to sustainability and consider environmental, social, and ethical factors when developing their products. That means using vendors who are taking tangible steps, such as
- Developing more energy efficient products
- Reducing the water consumption in their production
- Switching to cleaner energy sources
- Preventing waste in their materials management
- Prioritizing greener packaging and materials
- Caring for the environment around their physical locations and data centers
Supporting our clients in using technology sustainably
We help our clients take practical steps toward relying on more environmentally friendly IT processes. One of the ways we do this is by helping them properly dispose of and recycle old hardware. We know that getting rid of outdated equipment the right way can be tricky, so we make it easier for clients to manage. Stay tuned for more information about our upcoming event, where we’ll offer a recycling collection service so you can simply drop off your old electronics for us to handle!
Sharing our ideas with industry peers
We are always looking for opportunities to contribute to meaningful discussions on sustainability in the tech sector. For example, in November 2024, PC Corp attended the Ingram Micro ONE event, where we connected with industry leaders and explored the latest technology trends. Jeffrey Jansen, our Vendor Relationship Officer, discussed the importance of a human-centred, sustainability-focused approach to IT.
Choose an IT Partner That Prioritizes Sustainability
Sustainability is an ongoing journey: while we will always have room to grow, we’re committed to continuous improvement and always looking for new ways to enhance our approach to protecting our planet. Collaboration is at the heart of this effort—whether it’s with our clients, vendor partnerships, or colleagues.
Are you interested in working with an IT provider with a shared vision for a more sustainable future?
At PC Corp, we firmly believe that sustainability and smart IT go hand in hand. When you partner with us for IT procurement and managed IT services, you’ll be working with an organization that will work hard to find you environmentally responsible solutions while also being more efficient and effective at boosting your business performance.
Contact us to discuss how we can optimize your IT while making a positive impact on our community.
