At Appvia, we're committed to positive change. From utilising renewable energy to supporting minority groups in tech, we aim to make a difference.
We view it as our responsibility to use our platform as a business to create positive change. From smaller initiatives like using renewable energy provider Octopus in our office to larger efforts like working with minority groups in tech, we're committed to doing our part.
Working in the cloud space significantly reduces our impact on the environment but it does not erase it entirely. We must still take active action so that we can achieve our goal of being Net Zero by 2050. This commitment reflected in Appvia's core purpose of aiding organisations in migrating to the Cloud, a more environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative to traditional data centres.
Some of the ways we currently do this are through the benefits available to employees. We offer a pension which invests in Smart Sustainable Growth Fund that allocates investments to help with environmental and social issues. We also offer the Cycle to Work scheme through GCI so employees can partake in environmental travel.
We have also made improvements to the office through the installation of motion sensor lighting, reducing electricity usage, and incorporating renewable energy sources.
To hold us accountable we joined Tech Zero in 2023. Their focus is to help tech businesses grow more sustainably as well as reaching their Net Zero goals quicker. They're also an official partner to the UN Race to Zero whose aim is to halve emissions by 2030.
The details of our Carbon Reduction Plan, which outlines our trajectory to achieve Net Zero by 2050, can be found here.
Tech Talent Charter (TTC) reports that only 25% of tech workers belong to ethnic minority groups and 28% of tech workers are gender minorities. We want to do our part to increase diversity in this sector.
One way we do this is by partnering with codebar, a charity that encourages the growth of a diverse tech community by running programming workshops for minority groups in tech. To help them achieve this we run free workshops with Appvia engineers who offer their time to coach students in a safe and encouraging environment. Knowledge sharing in this way is our way of elevating people to help accelerate innovation in this field.
We also provide anonymised employment diversity data to TTC for publication in their annual Diversity in Tech report. This can then be used to inform companies' decisions to drive their diversity and inclusion efforts.
To strengthen collaboration within the engineering community we host free quarterly meetups in our office with Cloud Platform Engineering London where Platform Engineers listen to speakers talk about their specialty fields. These events offer attendees an opportunity to further develop their knowledge in the kubernetes and Cloud space as well as network with other engineers who share their interests.
Ethical business practices pave the way for everyone’s success. To ensure ethical compliance legally Appvia is a signatory of The Prompt Payment Code (PPC), a voluntary code for companies that helps to enable ethical business practices. Signatories agree to pay suppliers on time and in doing so ensures speed and certainty of payment and therefore stable cash flow which is essential for all businesses to flourish and grow.
We also support the Better Business Act. Their aim is to change Section 172 of the Companies Act which will hold company directors responsible for protecting people and the planet whilst pursuing profit. This would mean that every single company in the UK, whether big or small, would take ownership of its social and environmental impact.
