Dive Brief:

• UK-based technology distributor Westcon-Comstor updated its climate pledge last week to cut Scope 1 and 2 emissions — such as direct emissions from company spaces and vehicles — in half by 2030. The company’s ongoing sustainability efforts include transitioning purchased electricity from fossil fuels to renewables.
• Since fiscal year 2022, Westcon-Comstor has increased its renewable energy usage and reduced its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 42%, according to the company. Renewables now account for 54% of Westcon-Comstor’s global electricity consumption, up from 50% last year.
• To address its Scope 3 emissions, which occur during the manufacturing, distribution and use of products, the company is looking to its channel partners and vendors. “We’re trying to keep the conversation open and drive towards the same standards,” Laura Mozden, global head of ESG at Westcon-Comstor, told Channel Dive. “We don’t all have to take the same approach. We just want to be able to have conversations to say, can we help you?”

Dive Insight:

The tech sector is responsible for 2% to 4% of all greenhouse gas emissions, according to Ben Caddy, senior analyst at Omdia, a Channel Dive sister company. Emissions are only rising as companies invest in AI and electricity consumption skyrockets with the rapid buildout of data centers.

Amid the tech boom, some partners are prioritizing sustainability. Westcon-Comstor has made significant progress in reducing emissions within its control, Caddy said.

The harder task is one that many of its competitors share: cutting emissions across its value chain. Westcon-Comstor said its business has grown along with its carbon footprint. In FY 2026, the company’s Scope 3 emissions increased by 6%. 

“Although it's certainly not a situation unique to Westcon-Comstor, an overwhelming majority of its emissions sit in Scope 3, specifically the ‘purchased goods and services’ and ‘use of sold products’ categories,” Caddy said. “The only way to handle those emissions outside of its direct control is through close and ongoing collaboration with its vendors and partners in the value chain.”

To help tackle Scope 3 emissions, Westcon-Comstor is setting high expectations with its suppliers, vendors and partners. The goal is to do business with companies that also take sustainability seriously, even if it’s just by having conversations, Mozden said.

Among Westcon-Comstor’s suppliers, 80% have set their own greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. The company also surveys current and potential vendors on their ESG strategies and goals.

“We’re really trying to set the tone,” Mozden said. “To say this is one thing we do care about. We do take it seriously. As part of the onboarding process, you have to look at and sign up to our environmental policies.”

Mozden added that partners that are unsure about how to tackle sustainability can start by making their emissions data transparent and thinking more about their company’s future in a changing world.

“Most of Europe has just dealt with a horrendous heat wave over the last few months,” she said. “This is happening now. It doesn't matter how big your organization is. It is going to impact your employees, and that is going to impact how you can potentially operate and do business. So just small changes, thinking about things, just trying to be as transparent as you possibly can to both help the value chain but also help yourself.”

Along with Westcon-Comstor, IT firms like CDW, Bechtle, Computacenter, NTT, Softcat and Telefonica have also made progress in cutting their carbon emissions, according to Caddy.

“Distributors have a particularly important role as the connective tissue in the IT ecosystem when it comes to helping their partners get on board with sustainability and making changes, both big and small, that drive wider decarbonization,” he said.