BlackBerry Limited, a technology company, reaffirms its commitment to the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs) with fresh investments that would allow access to clean water for the communities that it serves.
BlackBerry agrees “clean water is a vital enabler of access to education, in particular for girls, and a strategy for economic growth and reducing poverty.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic has put a further spotlight on the criticality of access to clean water, with handwashing being one of the key means to adequately prevent and contain disease,” the company said.
BlackBerry is aiming to become carbon neutral by 2021 in order to achieve its objectives. The company said climate change, driven primarily by carbon emissions, is restricting water availability and quality, and is expected to have significant further impact. BlackBerry has been cutting its carbon emissions by 88 per cent since 2013.
“BlackBerry’s purpose and responsibility to our stakeholders include taking meaningful action to ensure our business practices and our platform enables a more sustainable and equitable world,” said Neelam Sandhu, Vice President of Business Operations and Strategic Accounts, Office of the CEO at BlackBerry. “We are pleased to expand our commitment to the UNGC SDGs, by investing in initiatives that enable access to clean water and the opportunities and benefits that are tied to that, for Canadian citizens and the global community we are all a part of.”
Investing in wastewater treatment technology in Canada will eliminate the environmental impact of raw wastewater discharging into watercourses and the sea and consume less energy than traditional systems.
In Rwanda, where people only have access to unsafe water, BlackBerry is looking into rehabilitating and sustaining water wells in the country. The economic benefits of improving water quality in the region would make Rwanda’s Smart Cities Blueprint, a project aimed at speeding up the implementation of ICT-driven initiatives in cities across Africa.
The organization also tackles the use of single-use plastic by completely reducing its use by 2021, which is ahead of the Canadian Government’s strategy. The plan will help mitigate emissions from microplastics, as well as reduce the pressure on oceans and streams where plastic waste ends and affects marine life.
“The Sustainable Development Goals provide businesses with guidance to translate the world’s needs and ambitions into business solutions. It is not possible to have a strong, functioning business in a world of increasing inequality, poverty, and climate change,” said Ayman Chowdhury, Secretariat Head at UN Global Compact Network Canada. “In this Decade of Action for the SDGs, the spotlight will be on companies who champion sustainability and are mobilizing their resources to be a force for good. BlackBerry’s SDGs Action Plan clearly demonstrates its forward-thinking leadership for sustainable growth.”
