Background information

Socially responsible behavior has always been a part of the business culture of Croatian software company Infinum and is embedded in its values. In 2019, the company established the Infinum Foundation, which dedicates part of its profits to charitable purposes, with a special focus on the education of children and young people, improving their standard of living and encouraging interest in STEM and entrepreneurship. Also, since 2015, through Infinum Academy, the company has been providing free education to young people, preparing them for a career in the IT sector. The next natural step in company’s engagement was to take responsibility for its carbon footprint through Climate Neutral certification. The company started the process by calculating greenhouse gas emissions in all segments of its business, from energy consumption to transportation.

Content of measure

After measuring the emissions, the company set targets for their reduction, which is also the most important step, and compensated the rest by buying carbon credits. The company has continued to work on the development of innovative solutions that minimize the negative impact on the environment. Along with the effort to reduce its own ecological footprint, the company long-term goal is to encourage awareness of climate change within industry and among its partners, and to build a community that actively contributes to a greener future. The company got the Climate Neutrality Certificate awarded by the organization Climate Neutral, a leading independent non-profit organization dedicated to the fight against climate change, which encourages companies around the world to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with the motto 'avoid, reduce, compensate'. The organization Climate Neutral annually award certificates to companies that take responsibility for their own carbon footprint generated by the production and delivery of their products and services. The above-mentioned certificate recognizes an internationally recognized symbol, and Infinum is proud that its office in Zagreb, Croatia bears this mark.

Use of measure

Some of the Infinum’s clients asked for specific information about its carbon footprint through questionnaires and tenders. Therefore, Infinum can conclude that sustainability is an important factor when choosing a technology development partner, and having a certificate from an independent, impartial and objective third party, such as the Climate Neutral organization, instils confidence in clients. This certificate confirms that, as a technology partner, Infinum not only shares the same values, but also has no negative impact on the client's carbon footprint. For the calculation of initial carbon footprint, Infinum used the Brand Emissions Estimator (BEE), a simple software tool from the Climate Neutral organization. The determination of emissions was carried out in accordance with the Protocol on Greenhouse Gases (GHG Protocol). The tool offers several levels of carbon dioxide emission assessment, and Infinum has chosen a detailed assessment that includes all segments of its business: direct emissions from the organization's operations (scope 1), indirect emissions resulting from energy production outside the organization (scope 2), and indirect emissions from emissions caused by the company's activities, but which are not under the company's control (scope 3). To arrive at the final figure, it was necessary to enter a large amount of data. These data include energy consumption, car fuel, office maintenance and equipment costs, information on business trips, the amount of waste produced, and the like. Infinum identified the key drivers of carbon emissions within its supply chain, and then set timelines within which it would act to reduce them. The most significant share of its emissions was related to the procurement of products and services for offices and the transportation of employees to work.

Contents

• Other topics

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Does not apply to workers	Other businesses	Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
Company / Companies	Companies

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	No involvement as case not in social partner domain	No involvement as case not in social partner domain
Form	Not applicable	Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• No involvement
• Main level of involvement: Company level

Involvement

Due to the nature of the measure social partners were not involved. However, some lessons for others are quite obvious. The key drivers of carbon emissions within supply chain are often related to the procurement of products and services for offices and the transportation of employees to work. Thus, the first measure which should be taken is to reduce the use of single-use plastics and the creation of plastic waste, with a serious approach to recycling plastic bottles. The second measure should be to organize group transport of employees to and from work.

Views and reactions

Social partners in Croatia generally supports green transition and all related measures. This example can be a blue-print for other companies in Croatia.

Sources

• 05 January 2024: Obtained the Climate Neutrality Certificate (Dobiven Certifikat o klimatskoj neutralnosti) (green.hr)
• 30 July 2024: New testimony for Infinum (Nova potvrda za Infinum) (sindikatbiciklista.hr)