Investing in Our World is Imperative to Your Business

For more than 30 years, Fred Rogers’ nurturing demeanor and profound influence on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood captivated the hearts of children and families around the world. I recall watching the treasured program with my son and daughter, chanting and singing Rogers’ infamous line, “Won’t you be my neighbor?” I certainly felt that I was his neighbor, as Rogers welcomed us into his home and shared his gentle and timeless wisdom.

Rogers’ impact, however, went well beyond what we saw and heard on our television screens. He was also a prominent advocate for publicly-funded educational programming, which led to his testimony before Congress in 1969.

He once said, “Often when you think you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.” Undoubtedly Rogers left a lasting legacy both on- and off-screen, striving to make the world a better place and inspiring others to do the same for generations to come. And, his quote reflects the current posture of businesses throughout the world.

Now, it’s our turn to ensure businesses leave their mark by investing in environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives, bringing sustainability to the top of corporate agendas.

Why invest?

ESG efforts are one way businesses can provide support for and take care of one another, our local communities and the world in which we live.

More than ever, clients and prospects increasingly want to place their trust and business with organizations that are working to achieve a more sustainable world. Similarly, your employees and those deciding whether to join want to know that your commitment to the environment is real and substantive.

Our work must go beyond the products and services we provide. It’s critical that we also ensure value-driven experiences and respond to the most pressing issues facing society today.

Unisys’ commitment and progress

Unisys is a member of the UN Global Compact (UNGC), which is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative. The UNGC encourages companies to advance societal goals within the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. Acting under the framework of the UNGC, we have established and refined programs to accelerate our commitment to leave things in a better state than when we found them. Here are just a few recent milestones:

• Unisys has participated in the Carbon Disclosure Project, a global initiative aimed at increasing transparency around carbon emissions. In 2006, we established a long-term goal to reduce our company’s Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 75% by 2026. Based on 2021 data, we have already exceeded the target, with an 80% reduction, and achieved our goal five years ahead of plan.
• In March 2022, MSCI, a leading provider of critical decision support tools and services for the global investment community, increased our rating from BB to A. MSCI ESG ratings measure a company’s resilience to long-term industry material ESG risks. Categories where we saw an increase include human capital development, environment and corporate governance.
• In April 2022, EcoVadis, a trusted provider of business sustainability ratings, raised our sustainability rating from Silver to Gold. EcoVadis is used by many of our global European customers to assess non-financial ESG performance in their supply chain.

In the case of protecting our environment and building sustainable local and global communities, we all have much more to do. I encourage each of you to welcome new opportunities to further accelerate ESG efforts, both within and outside your organization’s walls.

Don’t rest on your laurels. Rather, take note from Rogers and look to begin anew.