Corporate responsibility

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Sustainability applies not only to what we do, it must also apply to the way we do it.

At 3 Step IT corporate responsibility means developing our business to be as environmentally, financially and socially responsible as possible. We want to encourage open and honest dialogue with our customers, partners and employees regarding both:

the way in which we conduct ourselves as a business
the impact this has on the environment and the markets in which we operate.

We aim to be responsible and trustworthy in everything we do, everywhere we operate.

Hear our CEO Carmen Ene discuss how sustainability at the core of 3 Step IT

Read our reports to get more insight into our work:

Sustainability Report 2018

To learn how we make sustainability a reality at 3 Step IT, read our Sustainability Report 2018, produced together with EY.

Code of Conduct

Want to hear more about the way we work? Read our Code of Conduct, where we explain the standards we set for ourselves in our work.

1. How we as a company are responsible

Create new job opportunities and grow our business sustainability

Provide our employees with a safe, fair and open working environment

Offer employees job satisfaction, professional development and fair rewards

Provide affordable used equipment to educational institutions and markets where cost barriers prevent access to the latest technology

2. How our services are responsible

Extend the life of used IT equipment. Re-use saves valuable resources and reduces carbon emissions

Reduce the environmental impact of unavoidable IT equipment disposal.

Find out more about how our services help our customers become more sustainable!

Environmental responsibility

Our business model is built on circular economy principles, which we are continually developing:

Extending the life of IT equipment

Improving the quality of returned devices

Optimising the packing and transportation of devices

Responsible end-of-life treatment of used devices

Environmentally friendly practices in daily work

Reusing devices saves valuable resources and reduces carbon emissions:

In the case of laptops, most of the total life carbon footprint comes from manufacturing, while the use-phase accounts only for 10-30% of the total lifecycle CO2 emissions. Doubling the life of a laptop, substantially reduces total life CO2 emissions per year of use.

Social responsibility

Our employees are our most valuable asset

As a service business, we believe that when we put our people first, they help us deliver the best possible service for our customers. At 3 Step IT we want to be a great place to work for our employees by continually developing a working environment where employees can:

trust their manager
be proud of their work
have fun working together

We also provide our employees with:

professional development
learning opportunities
fair and appropriate benefits
a safe, equal and non-discriminating working environment

We regularly ask feedback about what our employees think about their work and how we can improve. In the yearly employee satisfaction survey of 2017, 98% of employees considered 3 Step IT as a great place to work. This is something we are extremely proud of and want to hold on to also in the future.

Affordable IT technology for everyone

For us, social responsibility also means helping society as a whole and fighting against inequality and polarization. We offer people, especially educational institutions, access to affordable, refurbished technology which:

Improves the quality of their everyday lives

Helps to provide them with better educational opportunities

This way we can help schools improve the education they provide, and make sure all students have access to technology despite their different backgrounds.

We also export refurbished IT equipment to countries with businesses in need for high value, lower cost solutions. While there is widespread demand, we restrict our sales to countries with effective electronic waste regulations.

Economic responsibility

Our economic responsibility is based on sustainable growth and improving our competitiveness without compromising our business ethics. It has its roots in the 3 Step IT attitude, which is about being honest, transparent and open in everything we do.

We have grown quickly, but at the same time steadily and sustainably over the years. This steady, sustainable growth has allowed us to continually create new job opportunities.

Our goal is to continue this growth and expand internationally. Long term robust and mutually beneficial relationships with customers and partners provides a foundation for our growth.

Reporting unethical behaviour

We set up an external Whistleblowing channel to provide an alternative and anonymous way to raise concerns when you think 3 Step IT’s behaviour falls short. By reporting your concerns, you can help us prevent and stop activity, which might harm individuals, our company or the environment. The channel is available to all 3 Step IT employees, business associates and other stakeholders. You can make a report in any language.

Report your concern

Learn more about whistleblowing at 3 Step IT