United Nations 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

SSC establishes enterprise data centres in LEED Silver certified facilities, which may use less or no water for cooling and integrate other water conservation features (for example re-use of rain water for toilets).

This initiative contributes to:

Global target 6.4: By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity; and

Canadian Indicator Framework target “Promote the conservation and wise use of water to achieve a 30% reduction or increased efficiency in water use in various sectors by 2025”

SDG 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

Through data centre consolidation, SSC is replacing aging data centres with new state-of-the-art enterprise data centres (for example minimum LEED silver certified) that have built-in green technology and energy efficiency.

This initiative contributes to:

Global target 9.4: By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities

SDG 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

SSC and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) launched the plastic and Electronic waste recycling challenge under the Innovative Solutions Canada Program to find a solution that will enable recycling and repurposing of electronic waste (plastics and metals) in Canada while respecting domestic and international requirements and obligations.

This initiative contributes to:

Global target 9.5: Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per one million people and public and private research and development spending; and

Canadian Indicator Framework (CIF) ambition: “Canada fosters sustainable research and innovation”

SDG 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

SSC requires most workplace technology devices (for example computers) it procures to be registered under the EPEAT^{Footnote 1} eco-label, reducing environmental impacts and encouraging environmental stewardship.

This initiative contributes to:

Global target 12.6: Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle

SDG 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

SSC participates in the Computer for Schools Plus program, led by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), which refurbishes donated digital devices and distributes them to schools, libraries, not-for-profit organizations, Indigenous communities and eligible low income Canadians. Equipment that cannot be re-used is recycled with the Electronic Product Recycling Association (EPRA), which operates across nine provinces and ensures secure, efficient and ethical recycling of IT equipment.

This initiative contributes to:

Global target 12.5: By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse; and

to some extent, this initiative contributes to:

Canadian Indicator Framework (CIF) ambition: “Canadians consume in a sustainable manner”