Westcon-Comstor breaks down its carbon emissions

Distributor managed to shrink its Scope 1 and 2 emissions but saw a double-digit increase in its Scope 3 footprint

Westcon-Comstor has published a breakdown of its latest annual carbon emissions as it continues to strive for sustainability goals using a data-driven approach.

The distributor's Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions - defined as those it owns or controls either directly or indirectly - fell by 2.2 per cent to 3,276 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) in the year ending 28 February 2023.

Meanwhile, Scope 3 emissions - indirect emissions that occur in the company's value and supply chain - saw a 17.4 per cent year-on-year increase to 785,953 tCO2e.

Westcon claimed the rise is a result of the current use of a spend-based emissions calculations methodology that reflects the company's 18.3 per cent revenue increase over the same period.

In support of its goal of reducing Scope 3 emissions by 25 per cent by 2030 against 2022 levels, Westcon-Comstor said it intends to make its data more robust and accurate by shifting from a spend-based methodology to using product-specific data in emissions calculations.

The group's Responsible Business report covering its 2023 financial year also reveals that 54.5 per cent of its suppliers globally have set science-based emission reduction targets, against a target of 80 per cent by 2025.

"The fact that 99 per cent of our overall emissions globally are within our supply chain shows the importance of collaborating with our vendors and partners as we work towards our long-term goal of achieving net zero as a business by 2050," said Mark McLardie, head of ESG at Westcon-Comstor.

"We recognise the need to de-couple our business growth from emissions growth, which is why we are prioritising engagement with our vendors and partners, including improving the robustness of our supplier emissions data with a particular focus on their products."

Westcon-Comstor CEO, David Grant adds: "Reducing our carbon footprint and doing our bit to protect the planet is a key strategic focus for us as a responsible business, and these figures demonstrate the scale of the challenge we face in meeting the ambitious targets we've set ourselves.

"As well as dramatically reducing the carbon emissions that we own or control, we aim to leverage our position at the heart of the IT ecosystem to lead those around us into more sustainable practices as part of a shared journey to net zero."

Westcon-Comstor is a member of the Business Ambition for 1.5°C campaign launched by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTI).

The SBTi recently validated the company's 2050 net-zero targets.

The distributor said its focus in FY24 is continuing to improve data quality, including capturing prioritised Scope 3 emissions and developing its ability to collect and report data related to general office waste across its operations.