Technology service provider Tecala Group has announced that it has achieved the Climate Active Carbon Neutral Standard for Organisations and is now certified as carbon neutral for its Australian business operations, the first mid-market managed services provider in Australian to achieve the certification.

The accreditation also now enables Tecala to gain membership of the Climate Active Network (CAN), a network made up of organisations and businesses leading voluntary action on climate change.

Climate Active is an ongoing partnership between the Australian Government and Australian businesses to drive voluntary climate action. It enables organisations to meet standards of carbon neutrality, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition to a low-carbon economy.

Pieter DeGunst, Managing Director, Tecala, says, “Tecala has chosen to partner with Climate Active because its carbon neutral certification is one of the most rigorous in the world.

"By being Climate Active Certified we give our customers and partners the assurance that our IT services are carbon neutral, and the certainty that partnering with Tecala enables them to achieve their own sustainability objectives.”

According to the company, this is essential in the IT industry as many tech companies have complex, global supply chains and direct connections to service, support and manufacturing industries that make our products and services possible.

It enables Tecala to create partnerships with other Australian Climate Active Certified organisations to ensure the ongoing carbon neutrality of operations. In order to become carbon neutral, businesses and organisations calculate the greenhouse gas emissions generated by their activities and then reduce these emissions as much as possible by investing in new technology or making operational changes.

If any emissions remain, these can be 'cancelled out' by purchasing carbon offsets which are generated from activities that prevent, reduce, or remove greenhouse gas emissions.

DeGunst says, “Here at Tecala, in order to achieve our Climate Active Carbon Neutral Certification, we've put in place some important policies and initiatives to reduce our carbon emissions in 2022."

Tecala has utilised 10% Greenpower to power all office locations from May 2022, and moved offices to environmentally conscious corporate spaces that utilise highly efficient Greenpower energy, lighting and waste management practises. In addition, the company ensured that use of natural light is optimised throughout the offices.

On top of this, as Tecala's data centres and network infrastructure are essential to the business, the company now aims to host all servers at certified IT hosting locations which are carbon neutral and powered by highly energy efficient systems and processes.

DeGunst continues, “We've also promoted a flexible, hybrid modern workplace where our people are empowered to work from home. This is supplemented by across the organisation use of Microsoft Teams conferencing for appropriate communication and collaboration between Tecala team members and our clients.

"At the same time, we've also reduced our carbon emissions within our air travel through carbon offsetting. For all our local staff coming to and from the office or travelling between client locations, we encourage commuting by public transport, cycling and or walking. As a result of these actions, we have reduced our emissions as much as possible by investing in new technology or changing the way it operates.”

Tecala has effectively 'cancelled out' any remaining emissions by purchasing carbon offsets from activities that prevent, reduce or remove greenhouse gas emissions from being released into the atmosphere.

The company has chosen two projects, one in New South Wales and the other in West Java, Indonesia. The Salt Lake Darling River Eco Corridor #9 project is active in western New South Wales. It is establishing permanent native forests through assisted regeneration from in-situ seed sources (including rootstock and lignotubers) on land that was cleared of vegetation and where regrowth was suppressed for at least 10 years prior to the project having commenced.

The Darajat Unit III in West Java is one of the most efficient geothermal plants in the world. Located on the volcanic island of Java, this geothermal project is increasing the share of renewable energy resources utilisation. This is helping to displace coal and oil in Indonesia's electricity infrastructure and supporting the nation's transition to renewable energy.

DeGunst says, “We are very proud to be a carbon neutral business and committed to environmental sustainability for a better tomorrow."