IDF Eurasia became the first carbon-neutral company in its sector
Today, one of the main negative factors that cause global climate change is “carbon footprint” — these are greenhouse gases released by humanity into the atmosphere, in particular, methane, nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide (CO2). As the concentration of these substances in the atmosphere increases, its properties change, which leads to an increase in the average temperature, various climatic disasters and disruption of the natural ecosystem. Climate change is a global threat that will affect the lives of all of us. Therefore, it is very important that everyone — people, businesses, organizations, and governments — work together in this direction.
As the flagship of financial and technological transformation, the IDF Eurasia Group was the first alternative lending service to offer 100% online services to its customers in the countries of its presence, Russia and Kazakhstan. A modern and advanced approach is part of the company’s DNA not only at the level of technology, this time, the leadership and responsibility of IDF Eurasia as a business is reflected in its contribution to countering the global problem of greenhouse gas emissions.
Thus, we have assessed the volume of harmful emissions generated as a result of the Group’s activities in the framework of our strategy for sustainable growth and social responsibility. The carbon audit was performed by Carbon Footprint Ltd. According to the analysis, 40% of the environmental impact generated in the course of operating activities accrue to air trips of employees, while the remaining 60% is generated as a result of the use of electricity by the Group’s offices in Moscow, Kazan and Almaty.
In order to compensate for the negative impact on the environment, IDF Eurasia has joined a number of projects implemented in various countries, proposed by Carbon Footprint Ltd. and aimed at sustainable development. In particular, the company has already started to finance the installation of solar panels, which allows the local people to use solar energy for everyday needs instead of fossil fuels, avoiding CO2 emissions.Participation in this project will allow us to fully compensate for the amount of carbon dioxide generated during operating activities (according to the results of analysis).
Along with this, IDF Eurasia will also work towards reducing carbon dioxide emissions through changes in its day-to-day operations. For example, video conferences have already been prioritized over face-to-face meetings, which will reduce the amount of emissions generated during the use of various vehicles. The company also abandoned disposable plastic tableware in the office, introduced separate waste collection on a permanent basis, and completely switched to an internal electronic document management system, which will minimize the use of paper media. In turn, we have performed awareness-raising work among staff, in particular, on the use of advanced methods of environmental protection. In addition, the Group plans to gradually switch to sustainable energy resources and technologies in the future.
Finally, IDF Eurasia became the first microfinance company on the territory of Russia and Kazakhstan that compensates for its “carbon footprint” and can call itself neutral in terms of CO2 emissions.