Okta reaches 100% renewable Electricity for global offices
Okta – the leading independent identity provider – has announced the company has reached 100 percent renewable electricity for its global offices and employees’ work-from-home consumption in FY22, and launched the Dynamic Work Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Study, a study designed to measure the environmental impact of today’s hybrid workforce. The study found that in a Dynamic Work environment, Okta’s hybrid work framework which provides equity across work environments, per employee emissions are estimated to be 21 percent lower than they were prior to implementing Dynamic Work.
As Okta expands its global presence and embraces Dynamic Work, quantifying the company’s new environmental footprint has become a critical piece of Okta’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) process. Okta partnered with Global Sustainability Consultancy Anthesis to run an analysis comparing its FY20 pre-pandemic, pre-dynamic year of work (Feb 1, 2019 - Jan 31, 2020) with an FY23 projected year with Dynamic Work in place to understand the impact Okta’s Dynamic Work framework has on its greenhouse gas emissions inventory. The study found that Dynamic Work can reduce GHG emissions, due to reduced employee commuting and reduced workplace square footage per person, even when accounting for incremental increases in home energy use.
“As a business, the way we evaluate our environmental footprint has evolved along with the way we work. Just as we need to be responsible for the environmental impact of the buildings we occupy and the services we provide, now we need to account for and help our employees to understand, measure and reduce their environmental impact in this new distributed, Dynamic Work model,” said Erin Baudo Felter, Vice President, Social Impact & Sustainability, Okta. “This study is an important first step in understanding and quantifying our impact with Dynamic Work.”
“Businesses around the globe are setting targets to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions as part of their climate change strategies. Anthesis is a critical partner to our clients in their efforts to not only create sustainable business models but to also measure impact”, said Emma Armstrong, Executive Director with Anthesis. “As the workplace evolves to accommodate changing needs accelerated by the pandemic, we were excited to partner with Okta to understand how a model that supports this new way of work impacts the environment. The projected reduction in emissions per person resulting from Okta’s Dynamic Work model is significant, and provides an example for how other companies might examine their workplace emissions in the future. We look forward to partnering with Okta to measure the actual impacts resulting from the full roll out of Dynamic Work, which we anticipate will further inform emissions measurement and workplace strategies through the lens of sustainable performance”.
The launch of the Dynamic Work GHG Emissions Study follows Okta achieving 100 percent renewable electricity this year for its global offices, including coworking spaces, and global employee work-from-home electricity consumption. This critical milestone was reached by purchasing renewable energy certificates (RECs) equivalent to 100 percent of its global office and work-from-home employees’ electricity consumption, and a commitment to energy efficiency with both LEED Silver and WELL Silver certified Okta offices.
The majority of the RECs Okta purchased were from the California Bright Schools solar program, which helps to realise the most cost-effective energy-saving opportunities, supports renewable energy education and the installation of solar on schools across the state.
To build on these milestones and to further maximise benefits to society, the environment, and all of its stakeholders, Okta has committed to:-
Providing employees with a guide for bringing sustainability into their work environments and wherever they are based
integrating climate into enterprise-wide risk management processes, as per the Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosures
“Listening and learning”. Meanwhile, climate and environmental justice organisations will inform the company’s climate strategy
incorporating social equity and justice into climate work through grantmaking, as seen with investments in GRID Alternatives and the CLIMA Fund, as climate change disproportionately impacts historically excluded communities, including communities of colour.
