Sustainability is a term used everywhere across industries, markets and geographical locations. But what does it mean? In 1987, the United Nations Brundtland Commission defined sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
Sustainability encompasses economic prosperity and social equity along with environmental responsibility, so it is critical for businesses to invest meaningfully in this area.
We all have a responsibility to focus on sustainability initiatives for the following reasons:
- Climate Change: Society is beginning to pay close attention to how its daily habits affect the planet’s health
- Company Vision: Sustainability planning is essential for continuing the development of our products and services with a future-focused mindset.
- Regulations: Businesses need to keep up with sustainability regulations to remain compliant and avoid penalties.
As a leader in battery charging solutions for electric vehicles and industrial equipment, we are proud to be part of the electrification movement that addresses sustainability concerns. We remain committed to implementing and following sustainable practices to help bring about a better future for everyone.
What Have We Accomplished So Far?
Our chargers are Making a Difference
Each charger represents the potential to save a metric ton of emissions. We are proud that our battery charging solutions are helping bring about global electrification and emission reduction. Consider what we’re currently doing:
As of April 2022, we have over 4 million chargers on the field, enabling the widespread electrification of industrial equipment.
Since our company’s start, our products have helped reduce over 4 million metric tons of carbon emissions.
In May 2022, we received a $300,000 grant from CleanBC Go Electric Advanced Research and Commercialization (ARC) in recognition of our innovative work reducing emissions in the transportation sector.
The Delta-Q Sustainability Team
Our commitment to sustainability goes beyond the lab and the manufacturing floor. Our company culture is steeped in an awareness of our planet’s energy challenges and a desire to be part of the solution. That’s why we created a dedicated team focused entirely on sustainability. This team comprises leaders from different departments coming together to implement sustainability-forward initiatives throughout our company.
Our top three goals focus on the following areas: social responsibility, reducing our carbon emissions, and creating programs and policies that reduce carbon emissions around us.
1. Social Responsibility
The main goal of our social responsibility focus is to show a positive impact in multiple areas of sustainable development throughout the world, starting locally. To start, our team is evaluating and transforming our home-office base because we know that the decisions we make in our office have ripple effects in our local community. Our sustainability team will work to ensure those effects are positive through several key initiatives, with a strong focus on social responsibility.
Social responsibility is something our employees take seriously. In the past, initiatives have included supporting active composting programs, which helped divert hundreds of gallons from landfills. Many employees choose to walk, bike, use public transportation, or drive electric vehicles to work. At our headquarters, we provide EV charging stations for our employees. Today we embrace the hybrid workweek, which leads to emission reduction thanks to less commuting.
For our first social responsibility initiative, we are doing a full sweep of all unused electronics at our facility, donating them to the Electronics Recycling Association (ERA). The ERA recycles electronics safely and refurbishes equipment whenever possible to donate to local charities.
Our team is also assessing our existing office supplies and furniture and looking for opportunities to donate to local schools and charities. These initiatives are a continuation of our ongoing sustainability efforts with a more acute focus on social responsibility, directly supporting the community in which Delta-Q has grown its business from the ground up.
2. Reducing our Carbon Emissions
Another important focus area is achieving a significant reduction in our carbon emissions – ideally, reducing our direct emissions to zero.
We are actively involved in the plans for our new headquarters, which will use electric heat pumps instead of natural gas for water and space heating instead of burning natural gas. Powered by low-carbon electricity from the local hydroelectric energy provider, BC Hydro, this will effectively reduce our direct emissions to near-zero. The new headquarters will also feature additional EV charge stations to support employees’ transition to EVs.
Above and beyond this, we are also working to reduce energy consumption through ultra-efficient LED lighting, smart building controls, better building insulation, and the use of bidirectional test equipment (for electricity re-use).
3. Reducing Carbon Emissions Around Us
Part of this goal includes our alignment with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Sustainable Goals. The UNDP has adopted sustainable development goals, also called the Global Goals, to protect our planet and move towards greater peace and prosperity for all.
UNDP’s 17 goals cover a lot of ground, including affordable and clean energy, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, climate action, and more.
Our sustainability team is aligning Delta-Q’s efforts to work in partnership with existing, established global goals. Watch this space for future news on initiatives Delta-Q is working on to reduce emissions around us. This may include influence over our supply chain, subcontractors, raw material sources, and business travel, to name a few.
What to Expect
As we move forward, our company will continue to focus on sustainability, increasing our direct involvement in this important area while tying our efforts directly back to our vision and mission as a company.
As Delta-Q Technologies continues to charge the future and drive the world’s transition to electric energy, we will keep doing our part to innovate battery charger technology and continue our focus on our sustainability goals.
Stay tuned for more information on our sustainability initiatives: soon we will have more to share about our move to the new headquarters!
