As Earth Day draws near – an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection – people tend to reflect on the environmental impacts occurring around them and what they can do make a difference. Companies are no different.
Avnet's Director of ESG and Strategic Planning Stacy Mendez answers questions about the company's progress regarding environmental sustainability.
Q: Why is Avnet engaged in environmental stewardship?
A: At Avnet, we recognize that responsible management of our environmental footprint is fundamental to the long-term sustainability of our business. We are committed to minimizing the environmental impact of our operations and promoting positive environmental practices among our suppliers and customers.
Q: Does Avnet have a climate strategy? What is it?
A: Decreasing our energy consumption is a priority for Avnet and is intrinsically linked to our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint. We are doing several things to make this happen:
- Continued improvement in our data collection and analysis capabilities related to our energy use and related emissions.
- Certification to ISO14001 where practical and compliance with all relevant local and national legislation.
- Switching to renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar and hydropower (generated on-sit or purchased).
- Improving the energy efficiency of offices and facilities.
- Supporting the transition from traditional combustion engines to hybrid or fully electric vehicles (EVs) through on-site charging stations, updating corporate car policies and expanding low-emission corporate car options.
- Consolidating facilities, including our data centers, where possible.
- Engaging our employees through training, information and communication.
Q: What is Avnet’s progress against its environmental goals?
A: In 2021, we established our CY25 environmental goals, an ambitious set of targets for reducing our environmental footprint in the areas where we have an impact. Overall, we are proud of our progress toward our CY25 goals, especially given our continued growth.
- Increase to 30% of Scope 1 & Scope 2 energy from renewable resources by CY25 (% calculated from extrapolated data) – In 2022, 18% of our energy came from renewable resources.
- 50% reduction in Scope 1 & Scope 2 (market-based) GHG emissions by CY25 from FY19 (values calculated from extrapolated data) – In 2022, we reduced Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions approximately 41% from the baseline level.
- Maintain 20% reduction of Scope 3 business travel emissions by CY25 from CY19 – In 2022, our Scope 3 emissions tied to business travel (Scope 3, Category 6) were down from the CY19 baseline level by roughly 13%, more than halfway toward our goal of 20%.
- Divert 75% of waste from landfill by CY25 (% calculated from extrapolated data) – In 2022, we diverted 79% of our waste from landfill.
Q: What is Avnet doing with renewable energy?
A: We continually look for ways to expand generation and purchase of renewable energy and certificates of origin for renewable resources (wind, solar and hydropower). Solar power has been used for several years at our global headquarters and McKemy distribution center in Arizona. In addition, Avnet’s facilities in the U.K., Germany, Poland, Austria, Belgium, Romania and Switzerland use green electricity products, such as green tariffs supported by energy attribute certificates and invoices. In FY23, we extended 100% renewable electricity contracts to more locations, and we continue to look for opportunities to expand our use of renewable electricity.
Q: What else is Avnet doing to reduce its impact?
A: Across our operations, we continue to look for opportunities to update facility equipment with more energy-efficient systems, such as replacing lighting installations with LED solutions, intelligent lighting controls, efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, improved energy management systems, and more efficient building services. We engage with landlords to try to ensure that green technologies are considered when replacing infrastructure for leased facilities.
We are also supporting the transition from traditional combustion engines to EVs and hybrid vehicles through on-site charging stations, updating corporate car policies and expanding low-emission corporate car options. As of the end of FY23, across AMER and EMEA, we have 188 charging stations for EVs (up from 74 in FY23), with 129 more planned for coming years.
For more information on Avnet’s sustainability program visit our website or see our latest sustainability report.