Responsible by design, not by press release
Environmental, Social and Governance responsibility shapes how we run Alternative: the vehicles we drive, the hardware we supply, the people we employ and the standards we certify against. Here is where we stand.
What is our approach to ESG?
Alternative Managed Services reduces its environmental footprint with electric vehicles, remote-first support and responsible recycling, invests in a 100% UK-based team, and governs the business against independently certified standards including ISO 27001, ISO 9001 and Cyber Essentials.
We are an independent London business, not a PLC with a sustainability department. So our ESG commitments are practical and verifiable: things we actually do, that our clients can see and that we can evidence, rather than distant pledges.
- EVElectric vehicles for client site visits
- 100%UK-based team, no offshore helpdesk
- ISO27001 & 9001 certified, independently audited
Environmental. Social. Governance.
What each one means at Alternative, in practice.
Environmental
Electric vehicles on the road, energy-efficient devices in the field, responsible recycling at end of life, and services designed to cut our clients’ waste as well as our own.
Social
A 100% UK-based team, long tenures, real careers rather than churn, and three decades of relationships with clients, suppliers and the communities we work in.
Governance
ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 certified, Cyber Essentials, GDPR-compliant data handling and documented policies that govern how we run the business day to day.
Lower-carbon operations, on the road and in your office
Electric vehicles
Our engineers attend client sites in electric vehicles, cutting the emissions of every visit. Combined with remote-first resolution, we only put a vehicle on the road when a job genuinely needs hands on hardware.
Remote-first support
Most issues are resolved remotely by our UK helpdesk, which means faster fixes for you and fewer journeys for us. Site visits are scheduled and routed efficiently rather than dispatched ad hoc.
Efficient hardware, smaller fleets
We consolidate sprawling print estates onto fewer, more energy-efficient Canon devices, with duplex and mono defaults and secure release printing that stops uncollected pages going straight in the bin.
Responsible recycling
End-of-life devices and consumables are recycled in line with the WEEE regulations, and data-bearing equipment is securely wiped or destroyed first. Toner cartridges are returned through manufacturer recycling programmes.
We help clients cut their footprint too
The biggest environmental impact an MSP has is through its clients. The same changes that make your technology run better, fewer devices, less waste, right-sized cloud, also cut your carbon, and we report on them so you can evidence it.
- Print fleet consolidation: less waste, fewer devices, deliberate printing
- Device-level reporting you can use in tenders and ESG returns
- Cloud migration that retires energy-hungry on-premise servers
- Secure disposal and recycling of your retired equipment
A responsible supply chain
We choose technology partners with strong, published environmental commitments:
- Canon, our principal hardware partner, has run a toner cartridge recycling programme since 1990 and publishes a roadmap to net zero by 2050
- Microsoft publishes annual sustainability reporting and carbon reduction targets across the cloud services we deploy
- Lenovo publishes ESG reporting covering packaging, recycled materials and product energy efficiency
Run properly, staffed properly
People, not churn
Our team is 100% UK-based, many with decades at the company. Clients deal with named people who know their environment, and our engineers, workshop and helpdesk are all our own staff.
Certified governance
ISO 27001 governs how we secure information, ISO 9001 governs service quality, and we hold Cyber Essentials. All are independently assessed rather than self-declared.
Data protection
We handle client data under GDPR with documented policies covering information security, acceptable use, retention and incident response, and we help clients meet the same obligations.
Honest reporting
We would rather make a modest claim we can evidence than a grand one we cannot. Where we quote figures or supplier commitments, they are real, dated and checkable.
ESG, your questions answered
What is ESG and why does it matter when choosing an IT or print provider?
ESG stands for Environmental, Social and Governance. It describes how responsibly a company operates: its environmental footprint, how it treats people, and how well the business is run. It matters in supplier selection because your provider’s footprint and practices form part of your own supply chain, and larger clients and public-sector buyers increasingly ask for this evidence in tenders and due diligence.
How does Alternative reduce its environmental impact?
We run electric vehicles for site visits, resolve issues remotely first so engineers only travel when needed, supply energy-efficient Canon devices, consolidate print fleets so clients run fewer machines, and recycle devices and consumables responsibly at end of life.
Do you recycle old IT equipment and printers?
Yes. End-of-life devices and consumables are recycled through WEEE-certified recycling partners, and data-bearing equipment is securely wiped or destroyed before disposal, with certification available on request.
Can Alternative help our business with its own ESG or sustainability reporting?
Yes. A managed print service gives you device-level data on volumes, duplex rates and energy use that you can put straight into tenders and ESG reports. Cloud migration and fleet consolidation also produce measurable reductions you can evidence over time.
Are your suppliers environmentally responsible?
We choose partners with strong public commitments. Canon, our principal hardware partner, has operated a toner cartridge recycling programme since 1990 and has a published roadmap towards net zero. Our technology partners, including Microsoft and Lenovo, publish their own environmental targets and reporting.
Is Alternative ISO certified?
Yes. We are certified to ISO 27001 for information security and ISO 9001 for quality management, and we hold Cyber Essentials. These certifications are independently assessed and cover how we govern data, security and service quality.
Ready to work smarter, act faster?
Book a free, no-obligation consultation. We’ll review your IT, security and print, and show you exactly where we can help.