Sustainability at SWCA

In 2021, SWCA focused our efforts on developing a holistic sustainability framework and building the strategy and structure necessary to integrate that framework into our business. Our sustainability framework graphic illustrates the alignment of our People, Planet, and Partnerships programs with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, all in support of reaching our North Star.

EcoVadis is a well-known assessment and rating service that issues scorecards for business sustainability efforts. Since their founding in 2007, Ecovadis has rated over 90,000 companies including, recently, SWCA. The process was instructive, and we are pleased to announce that we scored in the 78th percentile and were awarded a Silver Medal.

Our score illustrates the robust sustainability foundation that has been developed over the past decade and most recently with the Environmental Sustainability Committee and Green Team Network, and we are eager to continue to improve our policies, actions, and reporting to bring home the gold!

As more companies work to decrease their carbon footprint, many are finding that reducing or eliminating single-use plastics can be an important part of an “all-of-the-above” approach to sustainability. SWCA decided to eliminate single-use plastic cups, plates, utensils, and disposable water bottles in all our offices nationwide, which was a key step in reducing our consumption of nonrenewable resources. If your company is navigating its own sustainability path, we’d like to share a few key takeaways, valuable lessons, and tips for success we learned through our own process of reducing single-use plastics.

SWCA’s Green Team Network connects employees who serve as champions of environmental sustainability at the office level. Working in conjunction with our Environmental Sustainability Committee, the Green Team promotes changes in each office through education, engagement, and implementation of corporate initiatives. 

Lauren Strong, an associate project biologist and the Green Team representative out of our San Diego, California office, allows her passion for the environment to shine through her work – in the field and representing the Green Team

SWCA is pleased to share that as of 2022, 100% of offices across the country are replacing disposable water bottles, plastic cups, plates, utensils, and other single-use plastic items for office use with environmentally friendly alternatives. This is an important step forward in SWCA’s sustainability goals and further reduces the company’s consumption of nonrenewable resources.

Collectively, the world is awakening to the need for sustainability and social justice, and SWCA Environmental Consultants is making significant strides in these arenas. As SWCA has experienced significant growth and geographic expansion in recent years, we have also expanded our commitment to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) best practices.

SWCA Denver employees participated in The Nature Conservancy in Colorado’s project to plant 10,000 Ponderosa Pine trees in strategically selected areas of the 2002 Hayman Fire burn scars on the Colorado Front Range and pack 3,330 more trees for later distribution. The Nature Conservancy focuses on conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. They offer opportunities for volunteers to connect with nature around the globe at nature.org.