Sustainability
We build sustainability into all five of our core services
We consider sustainability in how we design, source and run systems. We made three commitments in 2022, and a board-level committee reviews them every quarter.
Management and approach
UNIT 01We manage sustainability under four pillars
We plan the business beyond the next contract. We weigh what customers need today against what they will need in ten years. The systems we build are designed to help them operate with less energy and less waste.
Responsible global citizen
We apply engineering to problems that affect people's lives and the environment. We follow ESG (environmental, social and governance) practice across the business, in every jurisdiction where we work.
Building trust and managing risks
We comply with the laws and regulations that apply in each jurisdiction where we operate. We have zero tolerance for fraud and corrupt practices.
The people who do the work
Our performance depends on our people. Our people and culture strategy builds the capability and capacity we need to grow. It also keeps our workforce engaged and holds us to good practice in how we employ and develop engineers.
Enabling our customers
We build systems that help our customers operate sustainably. These systems balance what customers need today against what they will need in future.
Our Sustainability Statement
UNIT 02We launched our Sustainability Statement in 2022 and still work to it
We have a responsibility, across our entire supply chain, from how we source to how we connect with the community. Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do as a business, and we must continue to drive progress. We have spent the past year taking stock of our processes, measuring our outputs, and working closely with the industry, our customers and partners on emerging technologies, new materials and collective challenges. We have listened to the repeated calls from our clients, demanding greater accountability from companies, and we have taken action.
Our Sustainability Statement, launched in 2022, sets out our vision and commitments in the three areas where we can have the greatest positive impact.
Connect
Attach a sustainability programme to the systems we build, linked to the communities where we work. Involve clients, employees and the wider community in that programme.
Make
Design and develop our solutions to move towards climate neutrality and a circular economy.
Source
Source suppliers and components in a way that protects the environment and strengthens regional communities.
Integrating sustainable operations
UNIT 03Eight practices apply sustainability across our five core services
Orion Five Engineering is a small specialist engineering company focused on digital systems integration. We offer five core services: systems integration for digital platforms, feasibility studies and architecture development, quality assurance and testing, software optimisation and issue resolution, and maintenance and support. Our engineers and technicians deliver them through a mix of on-site and remote work. The eight practices apply to all of this work.
Sustainable digital solutions
We design energy-efficient digital systems and software. This includes optimising code so that it needs less processing power and reduces the energy that client systems consume.
Green IT practices
We apply green IT practices in our own company and promote them to clients. These include reducing e-waste, extending hardware lifecycles and using cloud computing to reduce the need for physical infrastructure.
Eco-friendly project management
Our project management method includes sustainability. We assess the environmental impact of proposed solutions and prioritise sustainable options in system design and implementation.
Remote work and digital collaboration
We use digital tools to reduce physical travel and the carbon emissions it causes. Digital collaboration is also a capability we provide to clients.
Sustainable procurement
Our sustainable procurement policy for hardware and software prioritises vendors with strong environmental credentials.
Employee engagement
We encourage employees to suggest ideas for internal operations and client projects, and we recognise them when they do.
ESG-focused services
One of our service lines improves clients' environmental performance through digital solutions. It includes systems that monitor and reduce energy consumption, and software that tracks and reports ESG metrics.
Continuous innovation
Our innovation programme encourages employees to develop new sustainable solutions to digital integration problems. These solutions can become proprietary sustainable technologies or methods.
None of these practices is a separate programme with its own budget. They are conditions under which we deliver our five core services, so they still apply when deadlines are tight. If your organisation has its own reporting obligations, you can also measure what the systems we build cost to run.
Governance
UNIT 04A board committee and a working group each review sustainability every quarter
Sustainability Committee
A dedicated Sustainability Committee within our board meets quarterly to review the organisation's sustainability performance and initiatives. The committee sets sustainability goals and policies and keeps them aligned with the business strategy. The board is responsible for integrating sustainability into the company's risk management framework, approving long-term targets and key performance indicators, and ensuring that sustainability initiatives receive sufficient resources.
Sustainability Working Group
Our cross-functional Sustainability Working Group includes representatives from engineering and product development, operations, human resources, finance, and marketing and communications. It meets quarterly. The group implements initiatives, monitors progress against goals, and identifies opportunities for sustainable innovation in digital systems integration. It also keeps sustainability part of daily operations.
Engineering and product development
- Incorporate sustainability principles into system design and integration processes
- Develop energy-efficient solutions for clients
- Research and implement green IT practices
Operations
- Implement and monitor energy efficiency measures in office operations
- Manage e-waste and promote circular economy practices
- Oversee sustainable procurement policies
Human resources
- Develop sustainability-focused training programmes for employees
- Integrate sustainability goals into employee performance evaluations
- Promote a culture of sustainability within the organisation
Finance
- Conduct cost-benefit analyses of sustainability initiatives
- Integrate sustainability metrics into financial reporting
- Explore green financing options for sustainability projects
Marketing and communications
- Develop internal and external communications on sustainability efforts
- Ensure transparent reporting of sustainability performance
- Talk to clients, suppliers and staff about sustainability issues
Employee engagement
- Establish a Green Team of volunteer employees to champion sustainability initiatives
- Implement a suggestion scheme for sustainability improvements
- Recognise and reward employees for contributions to sustainability goals
Environmental performance
UNIT 05We are building a framework to report our energy use and emissions
Our operations and services consume energy and produce greenhouse gas emissions. We intend to report this in full and to introduce measures that reduce it. We are building the reporting framework on the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol. It is designed to cover the following areas.
- Office facilities
- Total energy consumption in kWh, energy use intensity in kWh per square metre, and a breakdown of energy sources across grid electricity and on-site renewables.
- Employee remote work
- Estimated energy consumption arising from remote work activities.
- Scope 1 emissions
- Direct emissions from owned or controlled sources, such as company vehicles.
- Scope 2 emissions
- Indirect emissions from purchased electricity.
- Scope 3 emissions
- All other indirect emissions in our value chain, including employee commuting, business travel, purchased goods and services, use of sold products, and end-of-life treatment of sold products.
Emissions reduction initiatives
We are working to introduce the following measures across the business. Each is at a different stage of adoption.
Renewable energy adoption
- Procuring renewable energy through power purchase agreements
- Installing on-site solar panels where feasible
- Purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates to support clean energy projects
Green software development
- Developing and implementing energy-efficient software solutions for our clients
- Optimising code to reduce processing power requirements and minimise energy consumption
Sustainable hardware procurement
- Prioritising energy-efficient and environmentally friendly IT equipment
- Running e-waste recycling programmes for responsible disposal of electronic equipment
Employee engagement
- Promoting telecommuting and remote work to reduce commuting-related emissions
- Providing training on energy-efficient practices and encouraging adoption
Digital carbon footprint reduction
- Implementing data deduplication and compression to reduce storage needs
- Optimising data lifecycle management to minimise unnecessary storage and processing
We are still putting this framework in place, and we do not yet report against it. We will publish figures only when we can show how we calculated them. Once we have a reliable baseline, we will publish it here as an annual report, together with the method.