Sustainable software development: our 3 contributions to a liveable digital world

Our world is increasingly confronted with the challenges of climate change and social responsibility. That is why we believe it is decisive for us at SPRYLAB, working in sustainable software development, and for every other company as well, to take progressive and sustainable initiatives. To that end we have formed a team that works on the questions around ESG (environment, social, governance) and continually examines new ways for us to improve further. As part of that team, I take a look in this article at our intention and give you insight into the concrete measures we have taken.

Why we work on sustainable software development and ESG

Sustainable and socially responsible action is a central value of our company culture. Our motivation for engaging with ESG goes back several years now. Our customers always expect a high-quality and fast delivery of (sustainable) software development projects, and we want to meet those expectations in an ESG context too. Because initiatives large and small can have positive and lasting effects on the environment.

That not only reflects the way we think at SPRYLAB, it also resonates strongly with our customers, not least with large companies that feel committed under the EU taxonomy. The taxonomy defines clear criteria for what counts as environmentally friendly and allows us to pursue sustainable practices in a targeted way. For us the EU taxonomy is more than just a regulation, it is a commitment to a greener, forward-looking world. Because as IT professionals we carry a responsibility for using innovative technologies sustainably, and as a company an environmental responsibility towards society.

We have already looked at the following three areas as a team and made adjustments. With the iterative mindset we bring from custom software development, we keep checking whether we can identify and improve further areas or topics.

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1 Environment and mobility

In sustainability we support the Stadtbäume für Berlin (city trees for Berlin) initiative every year. It is an initiative that is particularly close to our hearts, not only because it makes our own city more beautiful and above all more liveable, but also because our donations have already made it possible to plant numerous trees that help provide fresh air to breathe and filter particulate matter.

On green IT: beyond that, we use reusable hardware wherever possible. We also extend the service life of our work devices by assigning them to a device pool after use, from which we make them available to our staff free of charge for private use. Devices that no longer work are properly passed into the recycling stream. Our working processes have also been fully digital since well before COVID-19. In the context of the changes brought by the pandemic in particular, we are proud of our complete remote flexibility.

Mobility plays an important role for us in sustainability overall, whether private or business. SPRYLAB offers its staff the option of getting to work CO2-free with a BVG company ticket or an e-bike leasing flat rate. Incidentally, the whole SPRYLAB team comes together in the office once or twice a week on average.

Personal, trusting communication with customers is very important for our work. Even though nothing can replace direct customer contact, we aim to reduce our travel to a minimum. Our staff are free to choose how they travel. For domestic trips, though, we cover almost 90% of the distance by train, which on long-distance routes runs on 100 percent renewable electricity.

2 The wellbeing of our staff

To strengthen employee satisfaction and create an attractive workplace for everyone, we hold annual multi-day summer retreats, among other things, where all staff can take part in team building and training events. We also offer everyone based in Berlin a shared lunch day with plenty of vegetarian and vegan options. Ergonomic working with height-adjustable desks for everyone and a free choice of laptop according to preference goes without saying for us.

3 Quality management

To meet the changing needs of our staff while taking the principles of environment, social responsibility and responsible corporate governance into account, all staff are free to work remotely and flexibly from different locations. We are very proud of that.

One of our highest company values at SPRYLAB for responsible and sustainable software development is transparency. That is why once a month there is a breakfast with all colleagues at which everyone gets insight into the company's latest updates and figures. That way everyone stays equally up to date. We also place particular value on an open and appreciative 360-degree feedback culture. In our job postings we further commit to not discriminating against anyone on the basis of origin, gender, skin colour, religion, age, nationality, marital status, disability, sexual orientation or any other grounds.

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Conclusion

As a company we actively aim to minimise our ecological footprint through sustainable software development, in order to realise our vision of a liveable digital world for everyone. In doing so we place great value on strengthening the perception of sustainability and social corporate governance through our actions, both internally and externally.

Under the umbrella of ESG, which covers many further topics and initiatives, the three areas described here mark only the beginning of our ongoing journey. Further initiatives that matter personally to our staff are already in preparation. With the measures described, we are firmly determined to shape a sustainable future while creating value for our customers, our staff and society in general. With SPRYLAB you can count on a partner that actively engages with sustainability, employee satisfaction and transparency, and that is willing to learn fast on top of that.