- Reducing Emissions: Maplesoft will prioritize efforts to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions across our operations. Research will be conducted to identify opportunities to cut emissions in alignment with our 2050 target.
- Collaboration and Innovation: We recognize that achieving net zero requires collaboration and innovation. We will actively seek partnerships with like-minded organizations, share best practices, and explore new solutions to support the elimination of carbon emissions by 2050.
- Transparent Reporting and Accountability: We are committed to transparency and accountability in our journey towards net zero. We will regularly monitor and report on our progress, openly sharing our status towards our goal and lessons learned along the way.
This commitment to net zero by 2050 represents a significant milestone in Maplesoft’s sustainability journey. It underscores our unwavering dedication to responsible environmental stewardship and sets a positive example for our peers, partners, and the broader community.
Net Zero Update – January 2025
Maplesoft remains committed to our goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by the year 2050 in alignment with Canada’s national climate targets. Last year, we announced our intention to participate in the Government of Canada’s Net-Zero Challenge (NZC) with the objective of contributing to Canada’s net-zero commitment. Today, we are pleased to take the next step in this challenge by announcing our interim emissions target in addition to the actions Maplesoft will be implementing to reach this interim target.
Maplesoft is committed to achieving a total emissions reduction of 44% by the year 2035. This is an aggregate target which encompasses all relevant emissions under scope 1 and scope 2. Our target was determined using the ambition threshold parameters for the NZC (as defined by Environment and Climate Change Canada) and represents a straight-line path leading to net-zero emissions by the year 2050.
Maplesoft recognizes the ambition of this interim target as well as the challenges associated with attaining the proposed reduction to our emissions. We have carried out extensive scenario analysis to guide the identification of our interim target, the development of our Net-Zero Plan, and our trajectory towards net-zero emissions by 2050. Possible scenarios and their implications for our organization’s carbon emissions have been outlined in the below table:
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Scenario:
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Implications:
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Provincial grid decarbonization:
Grid decarbonization refers to the process of reducing or eliminating carbon emissions from the energy grid by transitioning from fossil fuel-based energy sources to cleaner, renewable sources with the goal of lowering the carbon footprint of electricity generation and helping address climate change at the source. Maplesoft anticipates a long-term push towards grid decarbonization within Ontario over the coming years.
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While grid decarbonization is expected to occur, Maplesoft anticipates a potential short-term increase in natural gas use for electricity generation. This would represent a minor increase in our total emissions in the near term without any changes in Maplesoft’s current operations.
This possibility has been factored into Maplesoft’s net-zero planning. Any short-term increases in our carbon emissions stemming from grid changes will be addressed through ad-hoc changes to our operations which will keep us on track towards achieving both our 2035 interim target and 2050 target of net-zero emissions.
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Reduction of Maplesoft’s office space: Maplesoft has explored the possibility of reducing our office space by 25% to reduce our organization’s carbon emissions.
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A reduction in Maplesoft’s physical office space would significantly reduce our organization’s carbon emissions. Based on our current natural gas and electricity usage, a 25% reduction to our office space would net a 26.3% reduction to our total carbon emissions. This would put us well on our way towards attaining both our interim and our longer-term goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.
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Moving Maplesoft’s operations to a non-emitting office space: Maplesoft has explored the possibility of moving our operations to an office space that is net-zero ready.
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Shifting Maplesoft’s operations to a net-zero ready office space would result in a substantial reduction in our carbon emissions. This would effectively eliminate all emissions stemming from natural gas usage (leaving only electricity-based emissions in our inventory), thereby reducing our total emissions by 68.4%. This reduction alone would be sufficient to meet our 2035 interim target while also leaving Maplesoft well-positioned to achieve our 2050 net-zero target.
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To achieve this ambitious interim target, Maplesoft has identified several specific actions and mitigation strategies which we will implement over the next decade to achieve our emissions targets. Maplesoft has incorporated these actions and strategies into our business planning for the coming years:
Moving/Changing our Office Space: As mentioned above, we have explored various options and scenarios relating to our office space to enact significant changes within our emissions inventory. It’s clear that our physical office space is the largest driver of carbon emissions within our organization. Consequently, it’s essential that we make significant changes on this front to reach our emissions targets. Our announced targets simply cannot be achieved without such changes.
The lease on Maplesoft’s current Ottawa office is set to expire in 2027. Maplesoft is actively looking at alternative options for offices beyond this timeframe, including:
- Moving into a smaller office: Based on our scenario analysis, we can reach a significant reduction in our carbon emissions by enacting even a 25% reduction in our office space, putting us well on track towards meeting our interim target.
- Moving into a net-zero ready office: As mentioned above, this would result in a more substantial reduction in carbon emissions. Key issues associated with this option include the local availability of net-zero ready office space within Ottawa as well as the financial cost of renting such a space.
Engaging Relevant Third Parties: Maplesoft has begun engaging with relevant stakeholders from third parties (including energy vendors and our commercial landlord) to identify ways in which we can reduce our carbon emissions in the short term. With these third parties, we are exploring various possibilities such as adjusting the utility timers in our office to have lights and heat switched off sooner, thereby reducing our overall emissions. Such strategies will be necessary for emissions reduction in the short-term as we explore our options regarding new office space.
This commitment represents a significant milestone in our company’s sustainability journey as we move forward towards a low carbon future. We understand the scale and scope of this ambitious target, but we also recognize the necessity underlying it. This path towards net-zero will ultimately change our company for the better while contributing to a more sustainable future.