Corporate Social Responsibility and Innovation
Our commitment to people and the planet.
Education & Philanthropy
Meeting the challenges of tomorrow
Our children are growing up in extraordinary times – where the limitless creation and consumption of data is woven into every facet of their lives. They see it pouring out of their phones and laptops every second of every day. So much so that they run the risk of becoming more complacent, rather than curious.
The rise of new technologies demands a new generation of skills. For decades, SAS has supported education at all levels to shrink the analytics skills gap and prepare more students for college, work and success in the analytics economy.
SAS has deep roots in academia. Its founders were part of a consortium of eight universities to analyze vast amounts of agricultural data. These bold minds were pioneers in using data for the greater good. Decades later, education is still its primary philanthropic focus. From preschoolers to adult learners, SAS supports countless educational programs to help students from all backgrounds reach their full potential as future leaders and innovators.
As an essential part of its commitment to education and philanthropy, SAS contributes to charitable initiatives in the US and abroad to build stronger foundations for brighter futures. By driving efforts to improve education and society, SAS embraces its role in the greater global community.
Data for Good
Analytics helping humanity
There is widespread evidence that big data analytics helps achieve short- and long-term development goals around the world. As the global leader in analytics, SAS is passionate about applying its cutting-edge technology and expertise to help solve some of society’s biggest problems such as poverty, disease, hunger and illiteracy.
SAS has always been an organization motivated by challenges to use its technology to build a better world. As the UN Sustainable Development Goals work to reduce inequalities and ensure healthy living, SAS seeks out opportunities where it can help create a brighter future for all. SAS’ social innovation initiative works to find creative ways to accelerate global progress and move the world toward a more sustainable future. One of the ways that SAS supports this goal is through the Data for Good movement, which encourages using data in meaningful ways to solve humanitarian issues around poverty, health, human rights, education and the environment. From helping to boost healthy bee populations and combating deforestation to revealing racial disparities in homeownership and investing in patient wellness, SAS is contributing to building a better world for the people and the planet.
SAS’ social impact programs rely on the curiosity and expertise of SAS employees who are passionate about using their skills for social good. Thanks to these efforts as well as the company’s partnerships with customers, industry groups, nonprofits, governments and global organizations, SAS continues to discover new opportunities for analytics to serve the greater good.
Environmental Program
Strategic growth through innovative sustainability practices
A sustainable future requires developing solutions grounded in science and data to address climate change mitigation and adaptation. Reducing environmental impacts and ensuring continued availability of natural resources is a shared responsibility that starts with intentional and ambitious goals and actions.
To implement these green business strategies and develop smarter operational models, leading organizations have relied on SAS’ renowned analytic expertise and powerful software solutions. As an unwavering supporter of the Paris Climate Accord, SAS not only has a long-standing reputation advocating for clean energy but also uses its own analytics to support environmental initiatives across its operations. As a corporate sustainability leader and advocate, SAS works closely with employees, suppliers and customers to reduce its environmental footprint with programs focused on energy conservation, emissions management, pollution mitigation, water conservation, green building and other programs. From streaming data to improve operations through its smart campus project to powering office buildings with clean energy from its solar farms, the company uses SAS® Visual Analytics to collect, manage, calculate and report its environmental performance.
Employees & Culture
World-changing innovation starts with happy employees
With most people spending around half of their waking hours at work, successful organizations know the importance of investing in a whole employee experience to care for and retain top talent. By providing an innovative and creative workplace culture while prioritizing health and well-being, employees are inspired and motivated to make a difference.
As a proven workplace culture champion with numerous accolades and decades of recognition as a great place to work, SAS has been a leader in showing what it takes to keep employees happy.
SAS’ culture has always been an integral part of who it is as a company, connecting the curious nature that started SAS and the spirit of innovation that moves it forward. Originating at its North Carolina headquarters and spreading to more than 150 global offices, SAS cultivates an award-winning culture anchored by meaningful work, empowering leadership and a world-class work environment.
Fostering the integration of work and life makes great business sense. So in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goal of providing good health and well-being, SAS remains strongly committed to promoting a world-class environment that inspires innovation. Throughout more than 40 years of analytics innovation, SAS has invested heavily in its workplace culture to make employees feel inspired and included.
Governance & Management
Integrity, ethics and compliance
As a good corporate citizen, SAS knows its success depends on upholding high ethical standards in dealings with colleagues, customers, suppliers and competitors. This moral compass also steers SAS’ workplace culture, which attracts and retains like-minded employees who perpetuate these high standards.
Guided by its Code of Ethics, SAS is committed to maintaining its reputation as a company that conducts all aspects of the business with the utmost integrity. SAS compliance programs use training, policies, processes and audits to ensure compliance in areas such as anti-corruption, international trade and privacy. SAS expects its Business Partners to represent SAS with the same commitment to integrity, ethics and compliance and outlines those expectations in its Business Partner Code of Conduct.
These practices have earned SAS its exceptional reputation as an ethical and responsible employer and business partner. As a result, SAS is known as a great place to work, a great company to do business with and a valued community member. SAS' reputation is hard-earned and invaluable, so protecting it with constant diligence remains a top company priority.
By improving our world together through knowledge and technology, we can create a more sustainable future. Jim Goodnight CEO SAS
Letter from the CEO –2021 - 2022 CSR Report
While the world continues to face uncertainty and challenges, the connectedness and the power of community has been an inspiration for what we can accomplish together. Igniting curiosity and creativity to drive innovation and empower change has been the cornerstone of SAS since our beginning. And we have seen firsthand how the power of technology can transform lives and drive better decisions to help our environment and our community – moving our world forward.
Creating a brighter future is not only part of our vision for our customers through innovative solutions but also for SAS as a company, evidenced by our announcement of plans to be ready for an initial public offering (IPO) by 2024. As a leader in social responsibility who prioritizes sustainability in our business strategy, we know that environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives are integral to our continued success and simply the right thing to do. Reducing environmental impacts and safeguarding natural resources is a shared responsibility that starts with intentional and ambitious goals and actions.
Taking action and empowering others is part of SAS’ curious spirit that leads us to build award-winning solutions for more than just business problems. It drives our dedication to supporting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals by searching for new ways to use analytics and ethical artificial intelligence (AI) to address society’s biggest challenges – from mental health to education access to climate change. We recently launched the SAS Data Ethics Practice, a cross-functional team that guides a globally coordinated effort to help employees and customers deploy data-driven systems that promote human well-being, agency and equity. Our social innovation efforts give us the opportunity to do something meaningful while inspiring others to drive progress for the global community and the planet.
Our dedication to a green strategy can be seen through our own sustainable practices, including decades of environmental initiatives. We have consistently expanded our sustainability and conservation efforts at SAS headquarters and global offices. We also use our renowned analytic expertise and powerful software solutions to help customers develop smarter, efficient operations and green business strategies. In addition to a climate strategy that includes a 2050 net-zero carbon emissions goal and validated science-based emission reduction targets, our sustainable initiatives range from energy conservation and solar projects connected by our smart campus technology to green buildings, recycling and boosting bee populations.
Making a positive impact extends through our commitment to prioritizing our employees’ health and well-being. As a trailblazer in the employee-focused workplace culture, our supportive and inclusive reputation has been recognized for decades through numerous accolades and awards by publications like Forbes, Fast Company, Fortune and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. By embracing everyone’s distinct contributions and abilities, we remain an innovator who continues to create software that makes a difference in the world. This strong culture is the foundation of who we are, and we will continue to build on it. As we move ahead on our path toward IPO-readiness, our renowned culture will remain intact, distinguishing our legacy that began more than four decades ago.
We know innovation means investing in the future beyond just our community. For SAS, we are driven to accelerate human progress through education and data literacy. From our humble beginnings in academia, education has always been our primary philanthropic focus. As the founder of analytics, we are uniquely positioned to determine the future of analytics, equipping the next generation with the data literacy skills they need to succeed. The increased need for data literacy should open opportunities for all students through free resources in computer science and STEM which is why SAS launched Data Literacy Essentials and DataFly in 2021 to improve data literacy skills.
Sincerely,
Jim Goodnight
CEO of SAS