TD Synnex has launched a three-day course designed to help partners kickstart their net zero plans.
The unveiling of its ‘Net Zero Academy’ was accompanied by a warning that end customers are “looking much harder at the commitment of their suppliers to sustainability”.
It will be delivered by Arete Zero Carbon, a consultancy that is helping the broadline distributor (not to mention several other top distributors and resellers including Softcat, Exertis and Jigsaw24) on its own net zero journey.
‘More accessible option’
The three-day course is designed to hand partners a “more accessible option” than the full Arete-delivered Net Zero Carbon Assessment TD Synnex already offers.
Sophia Haywood-Atkinson, business unit director, services, UK, TD Synnex (pictured above), said: “The Net Zero Academy will give channel partners a simple, quick and effective way to acquire the knowledge they need to take ownership of their responsibility to reduce their carbon emissions.
“It will equip them to make a proper carbon assessment of their own business and set out a realistic plan to reduce emissions – based on recognised industry standards – and move towards net zero.
“That’s increasingly important now as customers are looking much harder at the commitment of their suppliers to sustainability. Regulations and directives such as the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)1, and the NHS PPN 06/21 directive2, for example, are starting to come into force. Businesses that do not meet these requirements could find themselves at a significant competitive disadvantage.”
Zero clue?
Comprising two days in the classroom at TD Synnex’s Basingstoke office and one day at home, the course will cover the “fundamentals” of net zero carbon. This includes UK and EU policy and regulation, governance and accountability for net zero, and how to build a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventory.
It will explain how partners can apply to be accredited under the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), which has already been adopted by a number of larger IT solutions providers from Computacenter and Softcat to Bechtle, SoftwareOne, SHI and Logicalis.
Options for decarbonisation – in the supply chain, purchasing, transport, waste, and buildings – and best practice and recommendations for carbon offsetting will be explored, TD Synnex promised.
At the end of the course, partners will bag an official certificate from the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment.
Stephen Finnegan, managing director of Arete Zero Carbon, said: “There is a real need for IT channel companies to get an understanding of where they are with respect to their carbon footprint and exactly how far they need to travel to achieve net zero. The three-day course will give them the fundamental knowledge they need to make a good assessment and formulate a plan. It’s something we believe all IT businesses will need to do very soon now. As well as being the right thing to do, it will increasingly make commercial sense.”
