Brand story · 2024
Playtech: a responsible company whose two Estonian offices have used 100% renewable energy since 2021
English translation of the original Estonian article. Original headline: Playtech: vastutustundlik ettevõte, mille mõlemad kontorid Eestis kasutavad alates 2021. aastast 100% taastuvenergiat
As a progressive organisation, Playtech is naturally committed to responsible business and sustainability, among other things. It is an integral part of the company's strategy and is reflected in all its activities.
What does Playtech do, and what are the company's priorities in responsible business and sustainability?
Playtech, founded in Tartu in 1999, is a leading technology company in the gambling industry, providing gambling software, services, content and platform solutions worldwide. Playtech is listed on the London Stock Exchange and has more than 7,700 employees in 19 countries.
The company currently has offices in both Tartu and Tallinn, employing a total of more than 700 specialists. Playtech is one of the largest software development companies in Estonia.
Responsible business is an important part of achieving Playtech's long-term goals. To make this happen, we have established a 2025 sustainability strategy with four priorities:
- Developing safer gambling solutions
- Promoting a respectful and inclusive culture
- Planning and implementing activities to achieve a positive environmental impact
- Partnership in supporting and solving social problems
We have created an action plan for each point and report on our progress every year.
Playtech's sustainability strategy is overseen at board level by the sustainability and public policy committee, which is responsible for setting the group's sustainability goals and monitoring results. This body works actively with external experts, leading academics and charities.
Which alternative energy sources do you mainly use in your company (offices)?
Playtech continues its strong transition to renewable electricity. As a result, 57.2% of the company's total energy consumption comes from renewable sources, combining solar, wind and other alternative resources.
What concrete actions have supported your plan to achieve carbon neutrality in the coming years?
To achieve this goal, we focus on the following steps:
- To reduce supply chain emissions, we are creating an action plan together with Playtech's suppliers and franchise companies. When drawing up the decarbonisation plan, we naturally also take the company's growth plans into account.
- We are establishing clear energy efficiency programmes in all our offices and, where possible, always favour the transition to renewable energy.
- We involve the company's suppliers in our plans and prioritise an action plan for reducing emissions.
- Using artificial intelligence among other things, we continue to move towards more energy-efficient operation of the company's technology, servers and other infrastructure components.
The results are already excellent
"The Playtech global group's initial environmental goal was to reduce its carbon footprint by 40% by 2025 compared with 2018. By 2022 we had almost reached the target, reducing our carbon footprint by 39%. We can also be proud that we launched our carbon neutrality plan, setting the goal of reducing emissions by 50.4% by 2032. In addition, we have a science-based target (SBTi) to become carbon neutral by 2040," says Ivo Lasn, director of Playtech Estonia.
Reducing waste is also an important part of Playtech's strategy. The company has introduced waste sorting systems in its offices and reduced the use of packaging.
Can you give concrete examples of waste reduction?
One recent environmental initiative was the "Global Tech Check". This three-week company-wide campaign was a serious effort to tackle the world's fastest-growing waste stream – electronic waste. Playtech employees around the world set out to reduce the amount of e-waste, including by donating devices to charities. Over four weeks, 581 devices were collected – 482 of which went to waste processing to keep them out of landfills, and 99 working devices went on to be reused.
As part of our partnership with Hubbub, we launched the programme "Let's cook together" to raise awareness of food waste and inspire office employees to waste less food.
As part of this campaign, we also invited colleagues to share their favourite recipes for a chance to contribute to a special recipe book for Playtech's 25th anniversary.
Why do you think it is important to invest in education?
At global level, our charitable and voluntary activities are guided by the principle of supporting partnership. Playtech's social impact activities focus on many topics, including mental health, digital wellbeing and safer gambling, as well as humanitarian aid.
In education, we invest in non-profit organisations and work with organisations that support education in many ways – at both national and community level.
Which educational institutions in Estonia does Playtech mainly work with?
One initiative we support every year is a scholarship programme supporting studies for the teaching profession. In 2023 we donated 2,500 euros to the Alustavat Õpetajat Toetav Kool (School Supporting Beginning Teachers). We have also long supported the nursing curriculum at Tartu Health Care College, contributing ten 500-euro scholarships every year. We have also supported Karolini School. For several years now, Playtech has awarded two scholarships to students studying at the Department of Software Science of TalTech's School of Information Technologies.
Besides funding educational initiatives, many of our colleagues also contribute their time and knowledge to universities and institutions providing IT education. This voluntary support includes serving on the boards of educational organisations, sharing their knowledge in teaching and programmes, and other advice.
What concrete examples of volunteering can you give?
We offer employees opportunities to take part in charitable and voluntary initiatives to support local communities. For this purpose, every Playtech employee gets one day off a year. Playtech also has a charity committee that supports employees in every way in this area.
In Estonia, we work with the initiative "Annetame aega" (Let's Donate Time), which facilitates and expands opportunities for charitable work. Employees can take part in volunteering weeks, which include working with the Tartu and Tallinn Food Banks, day centres for the elderly, a church soup kitchen and animal shelters.
Many of our colleagues have also contributed to nature for several years in a row – in 2023, for example, we restored meadows in Soomaa National Park.
In which areas do you see your company's most positive impact on society?
In Estonia, our priority is to contribute to organisations that provide minority groups with help on mental health issues. Over the years, we have given considerable financial support to organisations supporting mental wellbeing in Estonia. We also contribute every year to the Pardiralli (Duck Rally).
Which responsible business and sustainability project are you most proud of?
One important initiative we recently launched at Playtech is our own global charity fund, the "Global Benevolent Fund". Its purpose is to support our colleagues and their families who find themselves in very difficult circumstances due to unforeseen situations or accidents.
In conclusion, Playtech has already taken bold steps and wants to continue contributing significantly to sustainability in the future. We are committed to reducing our environmental impact and supporting local and global communities. Playtech's activities prove that by acting with social care and great enthusiasm for the environment, it is possible to create great success.