Target dimensions

In our mission to become a truly sustainable organization, we are guided by an established 3-pillar model:

1. Ecological sustainability
2. Social sustainability
3. Economic sustainability

We developed an action plan, choosing to focus on ecological sustainability first and social sustainability subsequently.

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.

Since the end of 2023, the iac Berlin has been considered carbon-neutral regarding scopes 1 and 2. We also intend to reduce our CO2 emissions in scope 3, especially with regard to our global network, and to mitigate their ecological impact.

Concrete measures

• Business trips: We have reduced our carbon footprint from around 46t in 2019 to around 32t in 2024. We consider this reduction of about 33 % to be realistic in terms of our economic sustainability and intend to maintain it.
• Green Office: Office materials are purchased and delivered in a sustainable and climate-neutral manner; green electricity is used; processes have been digitized where possible; 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.

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. We acknowledge that working with impact-oriented networks and organizations needs not only digital, but personal exchange as well. By quantifying the environmental costs of travel, we can better evaluate which—especially long-distance—trips are essential and identify opportunities to reduce unnecessary travel.

For trips that cannot be avoided, we aim to mitigate the environmental impact by supporting reforestation initiatives led by members of our network. Prioritizing these trusted, community-based projects over anonymous certified offsets reflects our belief in fostering sustainable and accountable practices within our established relationships.

These projects not only serve as a means of mitigation, but also provide full transparency into the use of funds and support the ecological engagement of our members:

2024: €1,000 each to

• BONAVADA Sustainable Futures: Tree Planting and Vocational Training Project
• Trees for Girls
• Agroecological improvements Salice Salentino led

2023: €1,500 each to

• Women in Uganda (WIGS): One Million Tree Project
• Ecovisio Tree Planting Initiative in Moldova

2022: € 3,000 to

• Ecovisio Tree Planting Initiative in Moldova

Social Sustainability

We consider social sustainability on three levels with respective objectives:

1. organizational level;
2. partner level;
3. network level.

Our goal is to make a positive contribution to long-term social development and to strengthen solidarity and cooperation at all three levels. Our standards are in line with the principles of the European Commission’s “European Pillar of Social Rights” and our structures and processes are regularly reviewed and developed with the whole team involved on an equal footing.

Organizational level

The iac Berlin strives to be an inclusive employer where everyone feels respected, safe, and comfortable and can contribute and develop their personalities, skills, and talents.

Measures include:

• All employees are committed to acting ethically and legally in accordance with a code of conduct—compliance is supported by internal teams and external ombudspersons.
• A “Policy to prevent violence and sexual harassment” is part of the employment contracts.
• Shared values and principles provide guidance for behavior and decision-making processes.
• Permanent and autonomous working groups include the Trust Team, the Wellbeing Team, and the Sustainability Team, as well as an external ombudsperson
• Support for balancing work and private life includes flexible working hours, home office infrastructure, continued payment of wages when caring for sick children
• Transparent salary structures and wages based on German public service pay scales
• Internal and external personnel development measures
• Encouragement and support of voluntary work
• Transparent communication of and participation in decision-making and internal development processes
• German and English as working language as well as support to learn German as a foreign language

Partner level

The values and measures established within our organization also shape our selection criteria for external service providers and our work with partner organizations.

Measures to apply these include:

• A detailed guideline is being created to check existing and future suppliers, caterers, and lessors of event locations for their social responsibility efforts.
• Due diligence checks for funders to align with our values and principles

Network level

To support the development of solidary and resilient communities, we design our network activities along jointly and continuously developed principles.

These principles include:

• Avoidance of institutional or personal dependencies
• Ensuring that we support change processes rather than trying to force them
• Prioritizing the reputation and well-being of our partners and employees: In highly polarized contexts, working with us can become a personal risk for network members as third parties may interpret this as e.g. taking sides. We proactively address such risks.

Exemplified by the Bosch Alumni Network, concrete measures based on these principle include:

• Support for socially relevant projects by network members through regular grants
• High degree of personal responsibility and involvement of members in juries, working groups, as facilitators, and in central network coordination roles
• Members-led Trust Team as first responders for conflicts in the network
• Clear communication of shared values and rules of conduct
• Efforts to reduce barriers, e.g. by using sign language interpretation, multilingualism, and plain language
• The Impact Field “Diversity and Inclusion” promotes thematic exchange on social sustainability and serves as a resource for advice.
• Project support on a basis of trust and without rigid timetables
• Support for intercultural exchange between members

Contact

Are you working on sustainability as well and want to get in touch?

Please contact:

Yana Oeser
yana.oeser@iac-berlin.org