The past two years have not only been a time of challenge and uncertainty; they have also reinforced the need to protect both our health and the health of the planet. The challenges of climate change, poverty, hunger and inequality are significant, and only through bold collective action can we begin to overcome these challenges to create a better, greener and fairer world.
At Avaya, sustainability is embedded in what we do. We are proud of our environmental stewardship and strive to reduce the environmental impact of our products, solutions, services and activities, as well as facilitate the return and end-of-life management of devices, batteries and packaging.
Responsible product design
In today’s experience economy, every experience matters. Similarly, when it comes to our environment, every decision matters. The consequences of climate change directly impact both our planet and our communities. By considering design and management throughout the life cycle of our products, our technology can play an important role in helping companies reduce their carbon footprint. It is our responsibility, both to our customers and to the environment, to design technologies that reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. This has enabled us to offer products that deliver energy efficiency, as well as economic and commercial benefits.
A great example of this is Avaya OneCloud. During the pandemic, Avaya OneCloud solutions proved to be more than efficient; they enabled a sudden shift to remote working and online learning. By enabling the interconnection of customers, employees, users and multi-experiences, they were able to create experiences to meet changing needs and bring organizations together in a secure, effective and efficient way.
Minimizing our environmental footprint
Beyond helping our customers reduce their carbon footprint, we also use our technologies to reduce our own footprint. We exceeded our CO2 emissions target and reduced our Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 65% and Scope 3 emissions from business travel by 49% from 2014 levels. Building on our achievements, in March 2022, we committed to establish a near-term, company-wide emissions reduction target aligned to climate science with the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). We will continue to identify opportunities to use energy more efficiently and, in the future, we plan to purchase renewable energy and work with our supply chain to reduce emissions.
We are also continually looking for additional ways to reduce our environmental footprint across our global operations. In 2020, we reduced water consumption by 6% and diverted 94 metric tons of e-waste from landfills, ensuring that it was recycled.
Helping out wherever we can
We face tremendous challenges in today’s world that require all of us to do our part. This year, for Earth Day, we launched an educational campaign designed to introduce Avaya employees to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a global plan to achieve a better, more sustainable future. By providing an overview of each of the SDGs and actions employees can take, we encourage action and support. This includes switching to more sustainable energy solutions, such as LED light bulbs, and choosing reusable products, such as water bottles and grocery bags. Even these small changes can turn into big results that have a significant, positive impact on our environment.
More to come
The Earth Day 2022 topic is “Investing in our planet.” As a company, this is our time to act boldly, innovate broadly and implement equitably. As a team, we are investing in our planet and our future by working together and supporting our customers as we respond to climate change. Together, we are driving positive change today and tomorrow, helping to make a difference in the world.
