This Friday, the big names in retail are offering eye-watering discounts. The annual Black Friday sales event generates an exceptional volume of trade, which would not exist without intense commercial pressure. Infomaniak says that the overconsumption encouraged by this exercise belongs to a liberalism from another age. That’s why Infomaniak has committed never to participate in campaigns such as Black Friday – a commitment that will now be included in our environmental charter.
Symbol of contempt for the climate emergency
Everyone loves a bargain. But do events like Black Friday really deliver that good a deal? Here at Infomaniak, we doubt it. We believe that a good deal stems from reasoned and responsible consumption – one that benefits everyone. That means consuming in line with our times.
By contrast, Black Friday symbolises the apogee of blind consumerism. To feed this infernal system, we’re literally squeezing the planet and much of the life on it, and reinforcing inequalities in the process. At a time of disappearing ecosystems, every opportunity is being seized to produce more wealth, with total disregard for the consequences. However, we all know today that our planet is incapable of providing so many resources.
Boris Siegenthaler, CEO of Infomaniak, has long been aware of environmental issues:
“Too few people know that the real issue is not so much global warming per se, but what it triggers: runaway global warming. The climate is no longer the social issue of 15 years ago: it is now an existential emergency for humanity.”
The hysterical consumption behaviour promoted by Black Friday is devastating for the environment, but of course it also has a human cost. Slashed prices threaten jobs and strangle manufacturers, brands and retail outlets. This delusional consumerism generates monstrous overproduction, causing ultra high CO2 emissions and destructive deforestation of the planet. All this increases the frequency and violence of climate disruption phenomena, leading to population displacements and ever-increasing human misery.
We’re honing our environmental charter
As a trendsetter when it comes to taking an ecological approach to the web, Infomaniak places environmental protection at the heart of all that it does. Infomaniak has been keeping to its own environmental charter – one of the most stringent in the industry – since 2007. The charter is now evolving with this new point:
4.4 Commitment to shun international promotional events
The company undertakes not to support commercial activities designed to encourage overconsumption or compulsive consumption. Specifically, Infomaniak will never participate in Black Friday or similar campaigns.
Runaway climate warming is progressing at a faster pace than countries’ decision-making processes, which means that it’s no longer possible to wait for the world to agree on the requisite solutions while humanity runs lemming-like over the cliff.
Boris Siegenthaler explains: “We want a legal framework, with enforceable constraints, that obliges companies to limit their CO2 emissions and environmental impacts as much as possible. In the real world, companies adapt much more quickly than governments when it comes to responding to evolving trends or consumption patterns. In other words, we must exploit the amazing agility of companies and consider them as a key lever in the ecological transition.” He continues: “Infomaniak and its ecological charter show that rules, even ones that are binding, do not hinder companies – particularly if they apply equally across the board.”
A global approach that has long been part of our DNA
Owned by its founders and employees, Infomaniak fosters deep ecological and responsible commitment at all levels. To be a leader in ecological cloud services, Infomaniak develops its own technologies and adopts the flattest organisational structure possible.
From suppliers to employees, everyone is involved in safeguarding the environment and human rights. The employees subscribe to an ethical pension fund that shuns sectors such as defence as well as authoritarian regimes. Every employee receives a substantial annual bonus to help him/her transition to low-impact mobility. In other words, the company bears the cost of getting to/from work using public transport or cycling.
Infomaniak is also developing a leading-edge ecological hardware and software infrastructure featuring the most environmentally benign data centres in Switzerland: they are not air-conditioned, and operate exclusively on certified renewable energies.
To maintain complete control of its environmental footprint, Infomaniak offsets 200% of its residual CO2 emissions. That means it’s impossible for these emissions not to be proactively reduced, or largely offset, as a last resort.
A renewed commitment at all times
Without a doubt, Infomaniak’s environmental charter is very restrictive, but we consider it an essential springboard towards a sustainable economy. It’s an opportunity for employees and customers to prioritise and protect the environment.
In the coming months and years, Infomaniak will continue to take positive action through innovation to offer ever more efficient and environmentally benign cloud services.
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