Westcon-Comstor boosts sustainability drive with CDP rating

Westcon-Comstor has reinforced its commitment to sustainability by sharing details of its emissions and other environmental impacts with world-leading climate body CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project).

CDP is a global non-profit that runs the world’s only independent environmental disclosure system. It holds the world’s largest dataset of self-reported environmental data and last year alone helped nearly 25,000 companies, from enterprises to SMBs, to disclose and manage their impact on the environment.

Financial institutions with more than a quarter of the world’s institutional assets use CDP data to help inform investment and lending decisions.

This is the first time that Westcon-Comstor has independently disclosed its sustainability data to CDP. Previously the distributor contributed to an annual submission by its South Africa-based parent company, Datatec.

CDP assesses companies based on the stage they are at in their sustainability journey, awarding scores of between A and D minus. Its scoring methodology assesses the level of detail and comprehensiveness in a response, as well as the company’s awareness of environmental issues, its management methods and progress towards environmental stewardship.

Following its submission, Westcon-Comstor has been awarded a B rating for climate, putting it in the ‘management’ band. Companies that score a B have addressed the environmental impacts of their business and ensure good environmental management.

The distributor scored particularly well on industry collaboration and public policy engagement, Scope 1 and 2 emissions, and environmental policies.

The CDP disclosure and rating mark the latest stage in Westcon-Comstor’s green transition, as it aims to achieve net zero by 2050.

In 2023 it became the first major global technology distributor to have its net zero target and other science-based emission reduction aims formally validated by the internationally renowned Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

Last year Westcon-Comstor announced significant progress towards its goal of powering 100% of global operations purely through renewable electricity by 2030, reaching 42% – up from 33% the previous year. The company has already transitioned fully to renewables in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

More broadly, the distributor is collaborating with partners and vendors as it works to reduce its Scope 3 emissions and create a sustainable IT channel.

“As a business we believe openness and transparency should be at the core of our sustainability strategy, which is why we chose to disclose our data to CDP independently for the first time,” said Kevin Brzezinski, Chief Sustainability Officer at Westcon-Comstor. “We are pleased with our initial B rating and will strive to make further improvements. CDP works with companies of all sizes to catalyse urgent action towards a sustainable net-zero, deforestation-free and water-secure world. It’s an honour to be part of this admirable mission.”