Softcat talks about the steep learning curve of sustainability regulations

‘Sustainability is all about taking responsibility and minimising waste’ says Alastair Wynn, business development director at Softcat

Back in 2020, Softcat carried out some research following an article about non-compliance of packaging waste regulations by a large IT company.

The regulation is designed to ensure that businesses which handle 50+ tonnes of packaging materials and have a turnover of £2m or more per year contribute to a waste compliance scheme to offset the packaging waste that they place on the UK market.

The scheme however is not widely published and as such it is not always captured as part of well-respected ISO audits.

When we discovered this non-compliance, we contacted the Environment Agency to inform them, after engaging with a waste management partner. Softcat's sustainability team spent several weeks putting in place everything that was needed to become fully compliant, which was achieved in March 2020.

It was also important to us to review data and take responsibility and eliminate any historical impact.

As reported in the press last week, a voluntary undertaking was completed and agreed with the Environment Agency to make a donation (equivalent to that of a non-compliance fine) to the National Trust this year.

Softcat cares passionately about its people, its customers, the community and the planet. Once we realised the oversight, our goal was not simply to become compliant but to continue on our mission to make sustainability a key part of what we do, how we do it and drive positive change in our value chain.

Within a matter of weeks, we were able to review and assess the discovery. However, we know there will be organisations in a similar position, and we urge all businesses to proactively review their environmental responsibilities, which will result in the creation of robust sustainability strategies and actions.

We have learned a lot from our research to date and our officially approved SBTi goals underline our commitment to climate change.

Sustainability is an ever-changing, never-ending journey - we all have a responsibility to take action and make a positive impact.

This is a paid-for article, commissioned by Softcat.