Jigsaw24 shows it CAREs with first sustainability charter

Nottingham-based Apple partner targeting net zero “before 2040” as part of wider sustainability charter

Jigsaw24 has unveiled an ambitious decarbonisation roadmap - which includes the goal of hitting net zero before 2040 - as part of its first ever sustainability charter.

Talking to CRN, Jigsaw24 CEO Roger Whittle said the charter (pictured below) will allow the Nottingham-based Apple partner to "keep mastery of the big picture".

It summarises how the reseller plans to make its business more sustainable across four pillars, namely ‘Climate Ambition', ‘Action', ‘Roadmap' and ‘Evangelisation' (CARE).

"What was lacking at Jigsaw24 was a clear, relatively concise framework, which is relatively timeless, that we can improve once or twice a year," Whittle explained.

Under the ‘Roadmap' heading, Jigsaw says it will measure and publish its scope 1, 2 and 3 (all relevant categories) carbon emissions for 2022 onwards, halve its scope 3 emissions by 2030 and gun for net zero "before 2040".

It is currently validating its plans using the Science-Based Targets initiative, a process publicly listed peers including Computacenter and Softcat have already completed or are part way through.

"You have to move beyond the platitudes and show in concrete terms how you're going to make progress on this," Whittle said.

"So what [the charter] tries to do, is to talk about our overall strategy: our firm commitment to decarbonisation; our strongly held views about offsets; the actions we're taking in line with the greenhouse gas protocol, with electricity, with the Woodland Trust; how we're bringing the vendors into this with the product declarations; the role for compliance and all the industry standards; the importance for procurement and for reporting; and then laying down some sensible, practical, but sufficiently visionary objectives so that people understand by when we're trying to achieve things."

On the vendor front, Jigsaw - the UK's largest B2B Apple reseller with 2021 revenues of £156m - said it will work with vendors "initially responsible for 75 per cent of our product sales" to ensure it has documented the environmental product declarations of these products by the end of 2023.

Net zero 'after 2031'

Whittle stressed that the goal is to achieve net zero as soon after 2031 as possible, rather than just before 2040.

This means reducing scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions to as low as practically possible and only using offsetting as a last resort.

"Our policy is not to offset but to decarbonise full stop," Whittle explained.

"Offsetting is, in many ways, a mark of failure. It's an excuse. It's putting off that which should be addressed. We only believe that offsets should be used with reluctance and with careful help from experts, to reduce the very-hard-to-abate emissions."

Jigsaw's scope 3 emissions are generated mainly by employee commuting and courier partners, the former of which it is tackling partly through its recent introduction of an EV salary sacrifice scheme (see video below).

"It's not just those two, but they are largely it. I believe both can be solved," Whittle said.

"A triple initiative is required here, for each company, the sector in which you find yourselves, and then the country. All three need to work."