A sustainability and corporate social responsibility have become pillars for companies that want to align themselves with the demands of a changing market. In the technological scenario, these practices gain even more relevance, given the impact of digital solutions on a global scale.
In the business context, the sustainability concept is directly linked to the effects that the activities of organizations generate, precisely, in their stakeholders — employees, customers, investors, the environment and society.
In the group Softplan, for example, ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) practices are closely connected to the promotion of fundamental transformations in people's lives. This premise guides the company to integrate sustainability into its operations and solutions, generating a positive impact for its stakeholders.
In the Group, sustainability is based on methodologies that are widely recognized internationally, such as those developed by GRI (Global Reporting Initiative), SASB (Sustainability Accounting Standards Board) and by the specific standard of ABNT (Brazilian Association of Technical Standards) about sustainability.
These guidelines offer a consistent structure to identify the most relevant dimensions that permeate the Group's operations, allowing the mapping and prioritization of actions that generate positive impacts and minimize risks in all its activities.
The technology sector and sustainability
Speaking specifically about the technology sector, we can state that the environmental impact of the segment is strongly associated with the dependence on energy resources to support data centers, communication networks and development processes. According to International Energy Agency (IEA), these elements are responsible for approximately 1% of global energy consumption. In 2024, the Gartner consultancy positioned Sustainable Technology as one of the 10 strategic technological trends that should be taken into account in business and technology decisions over the next three years.
In view of this, the search for practices that reducing environmental impacts is a growing priority in the sector, especially at a time of expanding technology and increasing complexity of artificial intelligence systems.
Many companies have adopted solutions such as the use of renewable energy sources, the development of more energy-efficient technologies and investment in practices that reduce environmental consequences, such as transferring its infrastructure to the public cloud and parameter and architecture optimization that minimizes the energy consumption of your data structures.
kick off
The group Softplan developed his Materiality Matrix, which guides the ESG strategy based on three pillars:
Innovative solutions: seeks to develop and offer innovative solutions that expand the digitalization of institutions, bringing efficiency in processes and generating significant positive impacts for customers, society and the environment;
Transformative relationships: aims to encourage transformative relationships through a inclusive environment that values the well-being and development of employees, incorporating sustainability into the Group's culture Softplan. Initiatives such as Private Social Investment and knowledge sharing to increase positive impacts on the ecosystem are some examples;
Trusted operations: ensure reliable operations that prioritize customer and user safety, ensuring transparency, ethics and responsibility in all activities. This is reflected in corporate governance that integrates sustainability in all its dimensions.
Parties involved
As each company has its own specificities, the Group's main stakeholders Softplan were mapped considering the nature of their operations, relevance and impacts. This identification directs strategic actions and reinforces the Group's commitment to effective sustainability practices aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Among the stakeholders mapped, the following stand out: collaborators, which are the core of development and innovation activities; Clients, who seek technological solutions capable of driving efficiency and digital transformation; Public sector, which represents a significant part of the company's portfolio; and investors, which assess the Group's ability to generate sustainable value in the long term, aligned with good governance practices.
There is also a fourth stakeholder, the environment. Although intangible, it is extremely important for any company today, and requires measures to minimize impacts related to energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
ESG in practice in the Group Softplan
As part of its commitment to corporate responsibility, the adoption of a structured approach to integrating ESG goals has led the Group to Softplan take a significant step in 2024.
Among the initiatives developed, the following stand out:
Governance and policies
Creation of two new policies, including the Sustainability Policy, and review of five existing policies, such as information security and data privacy. Two committees were also structured: Sustainability and Private Social Investment, and we adhered to formal commitments related to ethics and integrity, such as ABES (Brazilian Association of Software Companies) and Brazil Pact for Business Integrity of the CGU (Office of the Comptroller General of the Union).
diversity and inclusion
Promoting greater visibility of the issue of diversity as a strategic part of sustainability. To this end, programs were launched to attract women to technology areas, seeking combat historic inequality and expand the participation of underrepresented groups.
Customer efficiency
Development of BI dashboards that cover solutions from all four business verticals, bringing more transparency to the results and impacts of solutions. This data now supports customer engagement plans, increasing efficiency levels.
to 2025
The period 2024 and 2025 was marked by intense work to structure the bases for a robust ESG strategy in the Group Softplan. The construction of this plan was based on the pillars of active listening to stakeholders, especially customers, and detailed mapping of sustainability priorities.
Through processes such as the materiality matrix and the analysis of customer expectations, it was possible to align corporate goals with the concrete demands of the market and society.
In addition to listening, the continuous engagement with clients was crucial in transforming these expectations into concrete actions. The level of detail in the work required a deep dive into the reality of the partners, allowing us not only to understand their needs, but also to propose customized solutions that would generate a positive impact.
All of this has become the foundation for the ambitious plans for 2025, such as the development of a series of goals aimed at increasing sustainability in the Group's operations and portfolio products. Softplan, connecting technological innovation with socio-environmental responsibility:
Expand the Indicator Center (CI): build BIs with efficiency data for 10 other products, covering 100% of the portfolio of 25 products;
Incorporate ESG indicators: support product teams in building or reviewing BI solutions to incorporate ESG indicators, including new features related to sustainability;
Customer engagement: support customer success and communication & marketing teams in carrying out engagement actions, such as at least 1 synchronous event and 1 e-book, to enhance customers' ESG results;
Adherence to global initiatives: formalize adherence to the UN Global Compact and the CGU Pro-Ethics Seal.;
Sustainability report: publish the first report based on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) methodology;
Greenhouse Gas Inventory: carry out the first complete inventory, establishing the basis for future goals;
ESG Trail Building: develop ESG trails within the context of each vertical and for specific solutions;
Set quantitative goals: establish sustainability goals for the 2026 to 2030 cycle, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda;
Stakeholder engagement: ensure that our actions meet the interests and concerns of customers, employees, investors, civil society and government;
Amplify awareness: use internal and external channels to raise awareness about the relevance of sustainability issues, aligned with our purpose of promoting fundamental transformations in people's lives.
Future of sustainability
Looking ahead, it is undeniable that emerging technology trends promise to be great allies in promoting corporate sustainability. Artificial Intelligence, for example, has been used to optimize energy consumption in data centers, while IoT facilitates real-time monitoring of resources such as water and energy.
According to the research “Green Tech 2025”, published by Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), 70% of companies Technological companies are incorporating sustainable solutions into their products, with the aim of reducing carbon emissions and promoting greater operational efficiency.
In the group Softplan, the objective is to establish macro indicators aligned with the goals of UN Agenda 2030, promoting concrete transformations across its entire network of stakeholders.
The premise that guides the actions is the idea that the adoption of sustainability practices It is no longer a choice to become something fundamental for companies that want to stand out in an increasingly demanding market. In the technology sector, where the capacity for innovation is directly linked to social and environmental impact, integrating ESG practices into all areas of the business is even more important.
Thus, the Group Softplan will continue in 2025 seeking align corporate strategies with global challenges, promoting value for customers, employees and society as a whole, with the commitment to maximizing positive impacts and mitigating negative ones, demonstrating that it is possible to build a more sustainable and responsible future.