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33 Estonian technology companies signed a Green Pledge at Tallinn Digital Summit yesterday, promising to take their operations to a completely environmentally sustainable basis by 2030. Later this week, the signed agreement will be handed over to the President of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid, who will be participating at the UN Climate Summit on September 23rd in New York.
The tech companies have taken this step considering the scale of global climate and environmental challenges, and willing to express their shared desire to find innovative solutions to these acute problems. With the Green Pledge, Estonian technology sector is prioritizing the environment as an integral part of their business. More specific targets and action plan to complement the Pledge will be compiled by the end of 2019.
“All companies are responsible for environmental and climate issues. New technologies are playing an increasing role in reducing the environmental impact of human activities. Estonian tech companies are already doing a lot to monitor, measure, and mitigate environmental impacts, however, with the Green Pledge we promise to do our utmost to bring about even greater positive change. We invite all other tech companies to join the pledge,” said Martin Ruubel, president of Guardtime.
“We encourage our business partners and suppliers around the world to join in an environmentally sustainable business. When choosing suppliers, we prefer companies that deal with the mitigation of the environmental footprint of their business. We verify people’s identities online and as a result, they no longer have to physically go to a service provider to identify their identity hence saving valuable resources,” said Janer Gorohhov, co-founder of Veriff.
According to Robert Pajos, CEO of Telia Estonia, further work will be done in full cooperation with all interested parties and experts who share the same values and can help to achieve the set goals. “Innovative digital solutions make it possible to modernize also rather carbon-intensive industries, such as for example logistics and agriculture. We promise that in addition to reducing our own footprint, we will continue to actively help digitalize our customers´ businesses, drive innovation, and work with broader awareness of environmental issues,” said Pajos.
Martin Villig, the founder of Bolt, said that climate change will also bring along a change in economic models. “Tech companies can manage change by acting more sustainably on their own or by providing technology solutions to that end to others. We want to develop a technical climate and environmental index that will provide companies with important information about the environmental footprint that they produce,” he added.
To date, a total of 33 technology companies and organizations have joined the Tech Green Pledge: Autlo, Bolt, Cachet, Cash On Go, Corle, Cybernetica, Cybexer Technologies, E-Governance Academy, eAgronom, Empower, Evocon, Fundwise, GoSwift, Guardtime, Icefire, Lift99, Pactum, Proud Engineers, RaulWalter, Reverse Resources, SK ID Solutions, Skeleton Technologies, Stigo, Telia, The Exit Academy, Thorgate Management, Topia, TransferWise, Veriff, Weekdone, WePower, Xolo and Yaga.
All like-minded domestic as well as international tech companies are invited to join the initiative.
This also marks the long overdue launch of a new content category on the e-Estonia blog – sustainability. We’ll be investigating the sustainability and social good side of digital more in the future.
