Energy Efficiency, GHG Emissions  -  April 21, 2022

Blackbaud Reaches Carbon Neutrality

Blackbaud, a cloud software company, announced it has achieved carbon neutrality across its operations and data centers for 2021. The company will also work with the Taskforce and Climate Financial Disclosure (TCDF) and CDP on transparent sustainability reporting and progress.

"As a company with a longstanding track record of commitment to social good, we prioritize our obligation to operate our business sustainably," said Rachel Hutchisson, vice president, global social responsibility, Blackbaud, in a statement. "We are committed to doing our part for climate change by calculating and reducing our emissions, investing in renewable energy and sustainable projects, and working with our employees, customers and partners to collectively advance our efforts." 

Blackbaud began its carbon neutral journey by evaluating its Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, which included emissions from its owned buildings (Scope 1), emissions from sources that are not owned but controlled like leased offices (Scope 2), and then emissions from data centers, cloud services and employee work from home energy consumption (Scope 3).

The company transitioned to a remote-first workforce strategy in 2021, which helped fast-track its goals for minimizing environmental impact. Since 2019, Blackbaud has reduced its global real estate footprint by 50%, reduced the energy emissions required to run its office space by 63%, and reduced employee commute emissions by 75%.

Blackbaud has retained one owned office building, its LEED Gold-certified world headquarters in Charleston, South Carolina. This building leverages solar power and operates with 30% more energy efficiency and 20% less water than other buildings. 

To balance the remainder of emissions from its business operations, Blackbaud has invested in renewable energy credits (RECs) and carbon offsets. The company purchased Green-e® RECs, which funded clean energy generation at a South Dakota wind farm to account for its Scope 2 emissions. To reduce the effects of Scope 1 and Scope 3 emissions, Blackbaud is supporting several carbon offset projects, including Mississippi valley reforestation in the U.S., community reforestation in Ghana and a portfolio of global renewable energy projects.

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