Environmental Programs

Environmental Governance

The SAS Executive Sustainability Council, formed in 2008, reviews metrics of SAS’ sustainable performance and provides guidance on ways to conduct global operations in a sustainable manner. This group includes representation from senior-level executives, including co-founders and company owners Jim Goodnight, CEO, and John Sall, Executive Vice President.

The Executive Sustainability Council – and the steering committee that reports to it – is chartered to act on an environmental policy statement and mandates.

Environmental Policy

SAS is an active and committed partner in the communities where we live, work and conduct business. At SAS, we recognize that environmental sustainability is a continuous effort that requires prudent use and preservation of our natural resources. We encourage our business operations in offices around the world to take steps to minimize environmental impacts by complying with and exceeding all environmental regulations. To accomplish this, all employees are asked to integrate environmentally responsible practices and seek innovative solutions to optimize operational efficiencies.

Environmental Mandates

• Corporate priority – Establish policies, programs and practices for conducting operations in an environmentally sound manner, as one of the highest corporate priorities.
• Integrated management – Fully integrate environmental policies, programs and practices into all functions, business units and global offices.
• Continual improvement – Continue to raise the bar on environmental performance in alignment with technological developments, scientific understanding and stakeholder expectations.
• Employee education – Educate, train and motivate employees to conduct their activities in an environmentally responsible manner.
• Prior assessment – Conduct impact assessments before starting a new activity or project and before decommissioning a facility or leaving a site.
• Products and services – Develop and provide products or services that have no undue environmental impact throughout the product life cycle – from development to delivery, use and disposal.
• Customer support – Advise and educate customers, distributors and the public in the safe and environmentally responsible use, transportation, storage and disposal of SAS^® products.
• Facilities and operations – Develop, design and operate facilities and conduct activities with constant consideration for minimizing resource consumption, adverse environmental impact and waste.
• Research – Conduct or support research on the environmental impacts of SAS activities and how to minimize adverse impacts.
• Contractors and suppliers – Promote the adoption of these principles by SAS contractors and suppliers, encouraging and (where appropriate) requiring improvements in their practices.

Implementation of environmental strategies is largely the domain of the SAS Corporate Services Division Environmental Management Program. The Environmental Program facilitates green efforts at company headquarters in the US, collects and reports key environmental indicators for global operations, and provides guidance and support to offices worldwide. Outside the US, each country office has responsibility for managing green initiatives and sharing best practices among SAS operations.

Naturally, SAS uses its own analytics technology to measure and analyze the performance of its sustainability initiatives. SAS for Sustainability Management is used to calculate our global carbon footprint and measure the impacts of business processes and mitigation initiatives. SAS for Sustainability Management supports the application of global standards such as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and the Global Reporting Initiative. Adherence to global standards provides for measurement and reporting in 105 countries in which SAS operates.

Solar Initiatives

• The SAS Solar Farms are a combined 2.2 megawatts in capacity and are located on 12 acres at world headquarters in Cary, North Carolina.
  
  
• Solar Farm I began producing power in December 2008 and is 1 megawatt in capacity, 5 acres and 5,040 panels in size, and generates 1.7 million kilowatt hours of clean renewable energy each year.
  
  
• Solar Farm II was activated in August 2010 and is 1.2 megawatts in capacity, 7 acres and 5,236 panels in size, and generates 1.9 million kilowatt hours of clean renewable energy each year.

The photovoltaic (PV) solar arrays generates 3.6 million kilowatt hours of clean renewable energy each year, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by more than 3,500 tons annually – equivalent to the emissions produced by consuming more than 367,000 gallons of gasoline.

SAS has a 74 kW sized solar PV system on the Building C rooftop at world headquarters in Cary, North Carolina. It produces about 100,000 kilowatt hours of renewably sourced electricity that is used in the building annually – reducing carbon dioxide emission by about 95 tons each year.

Solar hot water – At world headquarters in Cary, Buildings T, G and C have solar hot water systems, which reduce demand for natural gas used for water heating.

• Building T – Twenty-four roof-mounted 4’x10’ solar water heating panels produces hot water that is used for one of our on-site cafeterias. The system output is equivalent to about 15 typical residential solar water heating systems.
• Building G – Forty-two roof-mounted 4’x10’ solar water heating panels mounted on the campus gymnasium . The system produces hot water for showers and laundry services. The system is output is equivalent to about 25 typical residential solar water heating systems.
• Building C – Eight roof-mounted 5’x6’ evacuated tube type solar water heating panels produce hot water that is used for one of our on-site cafeterias. The system works in concert with a building HVAC chilled water system, which makes use of additional heat extracted from water-to-water heat pumps. The system's output is equivalent to about 10 typical residential solar water heating systems.

Green Buildings

Globally, SAS uses the best design, engineering, materials and technology available to minimize environmental impact when building or remodeling business facilities.

SAS Canada’s office building is the first LEED-certified new office building in Canada. With rainwater harvesting and energy conservation measures resulting in savings of more than 6 million kWh of energy per year (equivalent to 4,000 tons of avoided CO² emissions), the SAS building has served as an example for many other new buildings in Toronto.

In March 2011, SAS opened Building C, which comprises the Executive Briefing Center, cafe and an office tower for employees. The Executive Briefing Center uses cutting-edge technologies to help customers learn about SAS software. In keeping with SAS' commitment to protecting the environment, Building C achieved LEED for New Construction Platinum certification for water and energy conservation. Some of these specifications include reducing water use by 50 percent, reducing energy consumption by at least 40 percent, incorporating renewable energy sources and planting a nearly one-acre green roof covered with sedum, which will filter and slow the rate of stormwater runoff, and will also help insulate the building.

In October 2010, SAS opened its Cloud Computing Facility – Building D – at SAS world headquarters. The 38,660-square-foot facility includes two server farms and provides the additional data-handling capacity needed to expand SAS’ OnDemand offerings, hosted solutions and continued growth of R&D requirements. In keeping with SAS’ commitment to protecting the environment, the facility was constructed to LEED standards for water and energy conservation. The goal was to design and build the most efficient and green facility, allowing SAS to continue providing the high level of IT support customers expect and deserve. Environmental technology designed into the building included the implementation of a reclaimed water system and selection of mechanical and electrical systems emphasizing efficiency of operation.

SAS is also embracing U.S. Green Building Council LEED guidelines for remodeling and retrofit of existing buildings. Since LEED design is only recognized only in the US and Canada, SAS offices in other countries is are working to incorporate country specific best practices and pursue equivalent certifications for new construction projects and maintenance of existing buildings.

Biodiversity and Habitats

SAS is very careful to minimize impact on biodiversity and the surrounding habitats as the company continues to grow and expand its operational footprint at the two company-owned locations in the US.

Of approximately 900 acres at SAS headquarters, about 80 acres have been used for buildings, roads and other impervious surfaces. The remaining 820 acres have been retained as old growth woodland, lakes and streams, farmland, natural areas and approximately 60 acres of maintained grassy lawns, primarily used for employee recreation and landscaping.

The company applies LEED best practice guidelines for campus landscaping, such as:

• Reducing heat island effect by providing large-caliper shade trees and garden roof areas.
• Providing more trees than required by town regulations.
• Planting drought-resistant and native plants that require only minimal irrigation.
• Collecting rainwater in retention ponds and cisterns to minimize storm water runoff and provide water for landscape irrigation.

The SAS Austin, Texas, office is located on 94 acres of mostly undisturbed land where deer and other wildlife freely roam. Only about three acres are used for facilities and access roads. The property has intentionally been left wild and features a long, winding driveway and natural walking trails surrounding the more landscaped areas around the building.

The Austin property is home to several types of endangered birds and spiders, which are protected by landscaping and conservation guidelines, such as the Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan (BCCP). The BCCP is a joint venture of the City of Austin and Travis County that protects habitats for several locally occurring species protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. SAS works closely with BCCP managers in a joint effort to maintain the natural integrity of these important habitats.

Environmental Programs

Water Conservation

• SAS’ 900-acre headquarters campus in Cary and 13 owned offices globally use water for office cooling towers, cafés, gymnasium operations, landscape irrigation and general employee consumption. Conservation of water is of the utmost importance to SAS because many of our facilities operate in communities that have experienced significant water shortfalls and are subject to water use restrictions. At SAS headquarters, a combination of water-saving technologies and practices, coupled with increased employee awareness about water usage, has resulted in significant savings. The primary needs are for office cooling towers, cafés, gymnasium operations, landscape irrigation and employee consumption. Such efforts include:
  • Installation of low-flow toilets, shower heads and faucet aerators in all buildings at Cary headquarters.
  • Replacing building cooling towers with higher-efficiency systems that can be operated with utility reclaimed water.
  • Replacing potable water consumption with wastewater options such as reclaimed and gray water.
  • Reducing and customizing irrigation schedules to optimize requirements for various plant types.
  • Collecting rainwater in retention ponds and cisterns to minimize storm water runoff and provide water for landscape irrigation.
  • Planting native and drought-resistant plants and warm-season grasses that require less frequent irrigation.
• View water consumption in the 2010 CSR Report.

Energy and Emissions Management

• The Environmental Management Program at SAS assigns top priority to energy conservation. Energy management is a multifaceted program that includes energy conservation, energy generation, policy compliance, and employee education and engagement.
• SAS for Sustainability Management is used to help improve processes for collecting, understanding and managing energy requirements for facilities worldwide. As this understanding grows, the ability to report and proactively influence consumption trends increases.
• Key energy and emissions initiatives include calculating and reporting SAS global carbon footprint, building to LEED guidelines, investing in solar energy, pursuing leading-edge energy efficiency technologies for operating buildings and data centers, and proactively maintaining facilities to the highest efficiency standards.
• View energy efficiency in the 2010 CSR Report.

Waste Management

• The SAS Waste Management Program at world headquarters has established processes to more effectively measure and monitor the operational waste stream. With more than 11,000 employees worldwide, SAS realizes that significant environmental benefits can be generated from efforts at an individual or local level.
  • On-site recycling options are available for aluminum, batteries, cardboard, electronics, glass, magazines, newspaper, pallets, paper, plastic bottles, printer cartridges, scrap metal and more.
  • SAS has initiated a number of grassroots programs to reduce waste and encourage recycling at its facilities.
  • SAS annually strives for 100 percent e-waste recycling.
  • Reduction of paper consumption (globally) is aided by available online resources
  • Use of biodegradable and recyclable materials is strongly encouraged
• View the waste section in the 2010 CSR Report.

Eco-Education

• In addition to employing various sustainability measures at world headquarters and global operations, SAS takes pride in environmental education and awareness efforts. We regularly engage employees and the communities where we operate with educational campaigns and communication through speaking engagements, visits to the SAS solar farms, companywide Earth Day activities, featured articles posted on the internal green website, published white papers and webcasts. By engaging with customers, employees, industry leaders and world leaders, SAS seeks to extend the reach of our sustainability initiatives.
• SAS is working with leading international organizations to apply technology to the global issues of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as other environmental and social concerns. Customers use SAS software to facilitate the efficient generation of power, promote better utilization of critical resources to minimize waste, assist environmental protection agencies, and improve the production and delivery of goods.
• View SAS Sustainability Management.

Supply Chain

• SAS recognizes that the environmental impact of business activities extends beyond the campus and employee workspaces and actually spans the entire supply chain, from suppliers to distribution channels to product use. SAS continually researches options for incorporating corporate social responsibility elements into procurement processes, and seeks to reduce the environmental impact of supply chain processes.
• SAS annually completes the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) Supply Chain questionnaire related to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory and related climate change management.
• For sourcing, SAS strongly encourages our employees to give consideration and preference to environmentally friendly suppliers when ordering goods and services.
• SAS makes extensive use of green products, such as environmentally friendly cleaning supplies and low-emissions paints and products for campus buildings. The SAS Strategic Sourcing and Procurement department routinely assists stakeholders and technical partners with finding the most efficient and earth-friendly options.
• Globally, SAS makes every effort to maximize investments for equipment, furniture and supplies by looking for opportunities to eliminate unnecessary purchases, extending the life of assets by repurposing for other business functions, selling outdated equipment to employees, and donating materials to educational institutions. Only then are materials processed for responsible recycling.
• As a software company, SAS does not have the same risks and concerns as a traditional manufacturing organization in regard to raw materials, hazardous wastes and supplier practices. Because the primary input to SAS products is intellectual property rather than physical materials, SAS does not currently collect data on GHG emissions and climate change strategy from suppliers.