Case Study
Computacenter: Driving Collaborative IT Climate Leadership
Enabling global IT procurement to align with Net-Zero targets through transparency, engagement, and data-driven strategies.
This case study highlights how Computacenter has integrated a strong decarbonization focus into its business strategy, driven by insights shared by Florence Fisher, Sustainability Sourcing Strategy Manager; Laura Burns, Environmental Specialist; and James Townsend, Environmental Coordinator. Their collective expertise demonstrates how aligning internal goals with supplier collaboration and innovative tools can drive meaningful climate action.
Why Climate Action Matters
For Computacenter, sustainability is both a responsibility and a business opportunity. Customers increasingly demand transparency in procurement, aligning with suppliers who prioritise environmental stewardship. Regulations like the CSRD and evolving market expectations underscore the urgency to act. Beyond external pressures, Computacenter sees sustainability as a core business value. Climate action attracts top talent, enhances operational resilience, and strengthens customer relationships, creating a competitive edge.
Turning Ambition into Action: Key Achievements So Far
Computacenter has made significant progress in sustainability: reduced Scope 1 and 2 emissions by over 80% since 2019, completed its first Scope 3 inventory in 2021 to identify key focus areas, and established a science-based target to achieve Net-Zero by 2040. Now, the company is addressing the complexities of Scope 3 emissions, where most of its environmental impact lies.
How Computacenter is Tackling Scope 3 Challenges
As part of the Lenovo 360 Circle initiative and by leveraging the ClimateChoice intelligence platform, Computacenter participated in a comprehensive program to drive progress in Scope 3 decarbonisation. The approach included:
Assessment of Own Climate Maturity and Benchmarking: Results from the ClimateChoice maturity assessment confirmed Computacenter’s strengths while identifying opportunities for improvement, particularly in supplier engagement. Customised recommendations helped refine strategies for emissions tracking and reduction.
Driving Knowledge Sharing via the Lenovo 360 Circle: As a lead participant in the Lenovo 360 Circle, Computacenter collaborated with a global network of partners to exchange best practices and align sustainability goals. The Lenovo 360 Circle provided a collaborative platform to support companies at different maturity levels and sizes, enabling knowledge-sharing and accelerating progress for the entire network.
Strengthening Supplier Engagement: Through deeper collaboration with top tech vendors, Computacenter aligned supplier sustainability goals with its Net-Zero targets. This included detailed discussions on lifecycle assessments and emissions reduction strategies.
This approach combined internal alignment with external collaboration to address Scope 3 emissions holistically.
“The ClimateChoice Intelligence Platform was intuitive and seamlessly aligned with our existing sustainability reporting frameworks. The assessment not only validated our strengths but also identified key areas for improvement, particularly in supplier engagement. The ability to receive tailored recommendations and benchmark our progress against industry standards provided actionable insights that are instrumental in refining our emissions tracking and reduction strategies to drive meaningful impact.” Florence Fisher, Sustainability Sourcing Strategy Manager
Results
Computacenter’s efforts yielded tangible outcomes: improved collaboration with vendors and customers, fostering alignment on sustainability objectives; validated focus areas and clarified supplier performance, improving the accuracy of Scope 3 reporting; and enabled actionable steps for addressing upstream and downstream emissions challenges, enhancing transparency and accountability. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of combining collaboration, technology, and strategic focus in driving sustainability.
Key Learnings
Standardization is key: consistent methodologies for carbon reporting are essential to ensure accurate tracking and comparability across the supply chain.
Collaboration enhances impact: engaging with suppliers and customers fosters shared accountability and drives meaningful progress.
Internal alignment accelerates success: embedding sustainability into business culture and securing leadership buy-in ensures long-term commitment and strategic focus.
Efficient data management matters: early investments in tools for emissions tracking save time and improve decision-making as sustainability initiatives scale.
Recognise and celebrate progress: milestones like emissions reductions and improved ratings build momentum and validate efforts.
Engage people as change agents: employees, from leadership to operational teams, play a crucial role in embedding sustainability into daily practices and attracting purpose-driven talent.
Conclusion
Computacenter’s success in integrating sustainability into its operations and value chain highlights the power of collaboration, innovation, and strategic alignment. By engaging with initiatives like the Lenovo 360 Circle and leveraging ClimateChoice’s intelligence platform, the company has established itself as a key player in addressing Scope 3 challenges. The journey showcases the importance of aligning internal goals with external collaboration to create actionable, measurable progress.
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