IBM partner Meridian goes carbon neutral

Global MSP achieves goal two years early

A global IBM partner with nearly 1,000 staff has achieved carbon neutral status two years ahead of its initial goal.

US-based Meridian Group International (MGI), which operates in the UK through its Meridian IT subsidiary, claims to have offset all its greenhouse gas emissions via two carbon offsetting projects.

Specialising in managed services and equipment leasing and financing, Illinois-based Meridian's operations span four continents.

"Our goal, when we set out on this journey, was to understand our Green House Gas (GhG) emissions and assess how we could improve our negative GhG impact on the environment," said MGI CEO Jeff Murray.

"We committed to our employees to be Carbon Neutral by 2025 and I am thrilled that we have been able to accelerate our commitment and announce that we are Carbon Neutral today."

Meridian assessed and calculated its baseline global carbon footprint via a certified third party in August 2022, before appointing a global environmental officer to lead its carbon-neutral initiatives in December in the form of Carla Spoors (pictured, top).

In January 2023, it then partnered with accredited carbon neutral offset programmes, including VCS and Verra, to immediately begin offsetting its footprint.

The goal from this month onwards is to reduce its operational carbon footprint to cut the need for future carbon balancing, and report its global tCO2e figures to the UN's Climate Neutral Now programme and to the Carbon Disclosure Project.

"We are proud to be able to tell every current and future employee working here that their work-based carbon footprint is zero and we are committed to keeping it that way," said Spoors.

"We like to say that the day you start working for us you start improving the environment. And, for as long as you're here, your impact will be felt everywhere, by everyone, every day."