Sustainability at SCC
How we run as a responsible business across Planet, People and Prosperity.
Responsibility is one of our five core values at SCC
It shapes every operational decision we make, running through the energy powering our buildings, the people delivering our services and the communities where our offices sit.
As a privately owned family business, we have the independence to take a long view on sustainability. Our ESG work has three practical aims. Reducing our environmental impact to the lowest operational level we can reach. Investing in our people and the communities we operate in. Holding our ethics up to external scrutiny.
For our customers, those commitments translate into commercial and regulatory value. A partner whose sustainability credentials stand up to audit. Supply chain disclosures that feed your own ESG reporting with clean, science-based data. Circular IT capability that reduces your Scope 3 emissions.
Our net zero target is 2040, board-approved, tracked against a FY20 base year and submitted to the Science Based Targets initiative for validation. We have been Carbon Neutral since 2018 and a zero-waste-to-landfill business since 2019.
How those commitments translate across three pillars: Planet, People and Prosperity.
Planet: the environmental commitments we measure ourselves against
Environmental responsibility starts with what we measure. Every sustainability claim on this page is backed by a baseline, a cadence of measurement and a route to external validation. That discipline is what makes the claim worth something to you when it shows up in your own reporting.
Our net zero target is 2040, board-approved and tracked against a FY20 base year. It is submitted to the Science Based Targets initiative for validation. We are already 30% below that base year on Scope 1 and 2 emissions and have committed to halving those emissions by 2030. We publish a Carbon Reduction Plan annually in line with PPN06/21.
Where we have responsibility for the electricity supply, it is 100% renewable, from wind, solar and hydro. A 730kW solar PV system installed in partnership with Conrad Energy is supplying our CV1 Birmingham data centre and is generating around 130 tonnes of annual carbon saving in its first year of operation. A further 1,150kW of solar projects is in the pipeline. We have been Carbon Neutral since 2018 through verified offsets, an interim step on our path to full net zero by 2040.
Resource circularity is the other half of our environmental commitment. We have operated as a zero-waste-to-landfill business since 2019 and hold ISO 14001 accreditation across our environmental management system. Our Recyclea facility in Birmingham, built on more than 15 years of WEEE refurbishment and recycling operation, processed 200,000 devices in FY24, with close to half given a second life through refurbishment and redeployment.
The external validation is deliberate. We are members of the Science Based Targets initiative, CDP, the Government Digital Sustainability Alliance, the UN Race to Zero campaign and the UN Global Compact. Each membership carries a set of annual numbers we are held to.
People: how we invest in the colleagues behind every engagement
We take investment in our people as seriously as investment in our technology infrastructure. The quality of service our clients experience comes directly from the 7,300+ colleagues who design, deliver and support it.
Our People Promise is structured around three commitments.
- Meaningful work and contribution.
- Growth and development.
- A collaborative culture.
Each has a named programme behind it and measurable outputs we report against.
Learning runs through our STAR platform, powered by Skillsoft, which gives every colleague access to 18,000 pieces of learning content, AI-driven recommendations based on role and interest, and live courses. Since launch in November 2023, colleagues have completed over 6,000 courses. We ran 33 new apprentices through the year with nine completions, from Level 2 entry through to Level 7 master’s-equivalent. PEAK, our performance development process, sets regular 1-2-1 reviews with clear objectives across the business.
Diversity and inclusion runs through SCC Belong, the umbrella for seven colleague networks covering ACCESS (ability and disability), REACH (race, ethnicity and cultural heritage), NOW (women at SCC), Rainbow (LGBTQ+ colleagues and allies), STEM, wellbeing and young professionals. We have signed the Race at Work Charter, hold Disability Confident Level 2 Silver, are members of Neurodiversity in Business, and updated our menopause policy during the year.
Wellbeing and safety carry the same rigour. We operate a mental health first aider network across the UK business, an Employee Assistance Programme, ISO 45001 accredited health and safety processes, and we are approved under Achilles, CHAS and Safe Contractor schemes.
The engagement numbers speak directly. In our most recent survey, 84% of colleagues took part, our engagement score was 74%, and 63% said SCC is a great place to work, up ten points year on year. The year-on-year direction is what matters most, and it is the right one.
Prosperity: where we invest in the communities we operate in
Responsibility extends beyond the business. We aim to make a positive, measurable difference in the communities where our offices sit, focused on skills, jobs and opportunity for people who need them most. Our community work also feeds the social value reporting our customers increasingly require in public sector and large corporate tenders.
Further reading
The fastest way to see how this work translates into delivery is the Circular IT Solution and Recyclea pages below, where the operating model and the annual processing numbers are set out in full.
Speak to a specialist
A short conversation will help identify where SCC’s regional framework positions, local presence and operational capability can support your current programme, with no commitment required.
