Building a More Sustainable Technology Supply Chain

Our Regeneration Team helps customers and partners build transparency and sustainability into their technology supply chains.  

Origina cares deeply about sustainability in tech, and reduced e-waste generation is a natural byproduct of what we do for many customers. But effective environmental, social, and governance measures require action beyond the primary company’s walls. For a growing number of organizations, building a sustainable technology supply chain, comprised of providers that share similar ecological values and goals, has become an important part of the conversation surrounding environmentally responsible business.  

Enter Origina’s Regeneration Team.  

Created by our CEO and Founder Tomás O’Leary, this cross-functional internal group works to minimize Origina’s impact on the environment and provides an internal counterpart to our many externally focused environmental partnerships. Alongside its immediate and long-term ecological benefits, the Regeneration Team’s ongoing work will also enable Empower Partner Program members and our customers to build more transparency and accountability into their own technology supply chains.   

A more sustainable tech supply chain  

Technology comprises a large portion of the average business’s supply chain, and the need for better sustainability in software is always growing. Research from Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) indicates enterprise supply chains create 26 times more emissions “than direct operational emissions.”  

For all the capacity for environmental good business technology has demonstrated, it can be difficult to measure the overall environmental impact of tech and associated suppliers. With only 15% of companies “targeting their supply chain with emission-reduction initiatives,” it is time for the enterprise to embrace partnerships that contribute to a more sustainable supply chain via added transparency and direct action, according to the CDP. 

How does the Regeneration Team help?  

Definitions matter when working to reduce a business’s environmental impact, and that idea starts with the actual name Regeneration Team. By making regeneration the focus, Origina emphasizes the importance of renewing and improving the world we share, not just sustaining it in its present state.  

The team has implemented several notable improvements since its 2024 inception, including:  

• Developing a comprehensive Regeneration Policy, which outlines the team’s role and establishes a clear vision for Origina’s environmental goals, the metrics it observes, and the procedures it follows, such as responsible e-waste recycling practices that meet our cybersecurity requirements 

• Publishing a sustainability training e-learning module that introduces employees to core concepts from the Regeneration Policy 

• Developing a vendor questionnaire, given to all suppliers, that delineates environmental responsibilities vendors working with Origina are expected to observe and provides data the company needs to make more informed environmental decisions over time 

Based on the Regeneration Team’s research and findings, Origina is in the process of achieving environmental certification with notable programs like the United Nations Global Compact. These measures will take some time to complete but will result in demonstrable environmental improvements. Origina also aligns with the United Nations’ sustainable development goals to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 45% by 2030 from 2010 levels and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. 

As a global team with a large remote and hybrid contingent, carbon and greenhouse gas emissions created through travel remain Origina’s single largest opportunity for environmental improvement.  

The Regeneration Team has identified new ways to benchmark company carbon impact data and is actively considering means to offset the impact our employees have when they travel for work-related purposes. The process of identifying metrics and setting best practices will ultimately drive more environmentally friendly travel activity from the entire business.

Better supply chain transparency and accountability 

The Regeneration Team’s leading goal is reducing and reversing the ecological impact of Origina’s operations. Building a more environmentally responsible business is the right thing to do, regardless of any other benefits.  

However, that doesn’t mean our partners and customers can’t share in the positive impact. For customers and others seeking to build a more sustainable technology supply chain, Origina’s ongoing work offers or will soon make available:  

• Greater supply chain transparency. Stringent certifications and the Regeneration Team’s work identifying key environmental metrics will make it easier to demonstrate collaboration with environmentally friendly partners.  

• A more responsible extended supply chain. Origina’s commitment to working with environmentally responsible suppliers helps ensure environmental consistency further down the chain.  

• Environmental activity that goes beyond checkboxes. Externally, Origina also contributes to organizations on the cutting edge of environmental business, including This Spaceship Earth, Free ICT Europe, Free ICT USA, and iMasons Climate Accord.  

Extending the life of your existing software with independent software maintenance comes with inherent ecological benefits like e-waste reduction, but a growing number of businesses have come to realize that internal action is just the start.  

By reducing the ecological impact and increasing the sustainability of your tech supply chain, you can address a larger challenge than your own business’s output.  Working with partners that share your sense of responsibility is a smart next step to achieving that goal.  

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