Our Commitment to Sustainability
Motivation
The iac Berlin wishes to actively contribute to the development of a sustainable society, learn about sustainability with other organizations, and propagate this knowledge in the wider field of philanthropy. In our view, sustainability is to be established as a principle that goes beyond individual organizations.
The iac Berlin is well-positioned to do this, as all people and organizations in our network address societal challenges through their activities in the public good sector. Together, we can develop a holistic view of sustainability, implement ideas, and leverage results that contribute to a fairer and healthier world for future generations.
Target dimensions
In our mission to become a truly sustainable organization, we are guided by an established 3-pillar model:
- Ecological sustainability
- Social sustainability
- Economic sustainability
We are aware that the travel-intensive work of the iac Berlin can lead to a discrepancy between the goals of social and ecological sustainability. Where travel is unavoidable, we strive to compensate for the resulting ecological costs by supporting reforestation projects in our community.
We developed an action plan, choosing to focus on ecological sustainability first. Aspects of social and economic sustainability are already being considered in parallel.
Ecological sustainability
We look at greenhouse gas (CO2) emissions in all three scopes. Direct emissions (scope 1) occur directly within the organization. Indirect emissions (scope 2) include heat and energy-related causes. We also included emissions created through business travel in scope 2. Emissions caused by our activities, but not under our direct control, fall under scope 3. Goal: By the end of 2023, the iac Berlin will be carbon-neutral regarding scopes 1 and 2. We also intend to reduce and offset our CO2 emissions in scope 3, especially with regard to our global network.
Concrete steps to achieve this goal:
- Business trips: We have reduced our carbon footprint from around 46t in 2019 to around 30t in 2023. We consider this reduction of about 33 % to be realistic in terms of our economic sustainability and intend to maintain it. Travel guidelines are in place to keep emissions under this level.
- Green Office: Office materials are purchased and delivered exclusively in a sustainable and climate-neutral manner; green electricity is used in our offices; processes have been digitized where possible; purchases are checked for necessity and sustainability; food is ordered locally and in organic quality, and much more. These measures also apply to events in our Community Space.
- Handouts: To ensure the sustainable consumption of resources, guidelines have been created for colleagues and partners.
- External services: Orders are only placed after a successful check for sustainability and low emissions.
Unavoidable environmental impacts are identified, recorded, and offset by supporting appropriate reforestation projects in our community. These projects not only serve as a means of compensation, but also provide full transparency into the use of funds. In addition, they support the ecological engagement of our members. We recognize that these projects may not be certified. Therefore, we carefully evaluate their suitability to offset the CO2 we generate.
We have supported the following projects to offset our carbon footprint:
- 2022: € 3,000 to the Ecovisio Tree Planting Initiative in Moldova
- 2023: €1,500 each to
- Women in Uganda (WIGS): One Million Tree Project
- Ecovisio Tree Planting Initiative in Moldova
Contact
Are you working on sustainability as well and want to get in touch?
Please contact:
Eva Behringer
eva.behringer@iac-berlin.org
