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 strives to meet that demand by helping people from around the world skill up to take advantage of the analytics economy. SAS makes it easy to build these highly coveted skills by targeting worldwide education initiatives in STEM and computer science to ensure that the next generation of innovators has the knowledge and abilities to succeed.
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 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.
SAS Donation Request Process
As an integral part of our culture, SAS strives to help our community through charitable donations and philanthropic activities. SAS’ corporate philanthropy supports strategic initiatives that: 1) increase interest in SAS, data and AI to create a diverse STEM workforce or 2) solve business and social issues in our priority industries that also showcase SAS technology. Please see our donation application page if you would like to submit a request for consideration.
Data for Good
Analytics helping humanity
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's 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. As a vital part of the Data Ethics Practice, the Data for Good team generates thought leadership and showcases the power of SAS® technology. These efforts put SAS' principles into practice, addressing pressing global issues through the lens of responsible innovation methodologies. The goal is to ensure the ethical application of artificial intelligence. From helping boost donations for conservation efforts and fighting hunger to powering better cancer research and investing in education and data literacy, 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.
Our interactive visual analytics dashboard gives you a closer look at how SAS is committed to strategic growth through innovative sustainability practices.
Employees & Culture
World-changing innovation starts with happy employees
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 workplace, 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 100 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 — 2022–2023 CSR Report
Throughout its history, SAS has helped customers solve challenges through innovative analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions. In recent years, those challenges were often ones of resilience and sustainability. How could we bounce back from unprecedented disruption, stronger than ever while improving the world?
As a leader in social responsibility, we strive to help our communities and customers with these challenges and their environmental, social and governance initiatives. We know that the power of trustworthy technology can help drive better decisions and create a more sustainable future.
Through decades of corporate social innovation projects, SAS has seen firsthand the impact our technology can have on protecting the environment, improving health outcomes, addressing bias and tackling other global priorities. As a creator of powerful data technologies, we have the opportunity and responsibility to confront society’s biggest challenges – from mental health and education access to conservation and climate change. We remain dedicated to applying our expertise and technology in support of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
In our industry, how the technology is used is becoming just as important as what it’s used for. Our Data Ethics Practice (DEP) continues to expand, increasing efforts to bring trustworthy AI to customers and pursuing new Data for Good initiatives. The DEP collaborates with groups like EqualAI and the Business Roundtable to help shape the responsible use of AI. To further support our customers in their own responsible innovation efforts, we have committed $1 billion over the next three years to continue infusing domain expertise into trustworthy AI-powered industry solutions.
Treating people like they matter has always been SAS’ philosophy. Our inclusive and supportive culture encourages our employees to be authentic, whether they are working remotely or on-site at our award-winning workspaces. Our culture and innovation are recognized annually by organizations such as Fast Company, Forbes, the American Association of People With Disabilities, and Disability:IN, just to name a few.
Caring for our employees is only part of our sustainability commitment. We continue to expand our sustainability and conservation efforts at SAS headquarters and global offices. Our climate strategy 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. We support our customers with our expertise and software as they develop smarter, efficient operations and green business strategies.
We also invest in the future. As an analytics leader with roots in academia, we continue to expand programs to build the next generation of data experts.
As a good corporate citizen, we have a responsibility to our employees and their communities. In 2022, we built on our legacy of service and innovation and made strides with our environmental, social and economic impacts. I believe that, with our technology and talent, we are in a unique position to improve the world through data and build a more resilient and promising future.
Sincerely,
Jim Goodnight
CEO of SAS