CASE STUDY
Looking Externally: Why RedCloud Partnered with RyeStrategy to Fulfill Microsoft Climate Disclosure Requirements
Strategic outsourcing decision offered peace of mind and clear focus on client engagements
RedCloud Consulting, headquartered in Bellevue, WA, is a business management and technology consulting firm providing services to large technology corporations across the United States. With two decades of experience and 180 employees, RedCloud operates with most consultants working remotely.
As a long-time vendor to Microsoft, the company found itself facing a challenge when Microsoft implemented a sustainability program in 2021, requiring select suppliers to align with their environmental commitments by collecting and reporting their annual carbon emissions data.
Tonia Steed, Account Director overseeing the Microsoft account recalls, “When I reviewed Microsoft’s supplier sustainability
request, I could tell this was going to be a very time-consuming project for us. We hadn’t yet been tracking our emissions data and didn’t have established carbon accounting procedures. We were basically starting from scratch with a tight timeline and our relationship with a key client on the line. We were under a lot of pressure to get this right.”
The RedCloud team met to discuss two paths forward: assign an existing employee to this internal project or outsource the project to a carbon accounting partner specialized in climate disclosure requests.
“Based on their small business expertise, I felt confident the RyeStrategy team could efficiently guide us through our first GHG inventory to get what we needed to fulfill Microsoft’s request.”
Tonia Steed, Account Director, RedCloud Consulting
Navigating a Supplier Climate Disclosure Request
As a small professional services firm, it was clear that navigating and fulfilling Microsoft’s supplier sustainability request would be a time intensive project, especially because it would require them to learn intricate details of the greenhouse gas protocol in order to collect and calculate their carbon footprint. Assigning an employee to this project would also pull that person away from delivering specialized services for client projects. Ultimately, the leadership team decided that the most efficient, reliable and cost effective solution was to partner with a reputable carbon management firm. RedCloud began looking for a partner specialized in working with small businesses and with experience fulfilling supplier climate disclosure requests from enterprise organizations.
After speaking with a number of large firms who work primarily with enterprise organizations, RedCloud found RyeStrategy. RyeStrategy’s SMB carbon accounting solutions aligned with their budget and their
streamlined data collection and calculations fit within their tight timeline.
“Talking with the RyeStrategy team was a breath of fresh air,” explained Tonia. “Cooper asked thorough questions and understood the requirements of the Microsoft supplier climate disclosure request. Based on their small business expertise, I felt confident the RyeStrategy team could efficiently guide us through our first GHG inventory to get what we needed to fulfill Microsoft’s request.”
Partnering with RyeStrategy not only provided a solution to the daunting task but also provided peace of mind because they specialized in supporting small businesses and understood the challenges faced by a company of RedCloud's size.
GHG Data Collection Process
To begin the data collection process, Hannah Moskowitz, Sustainability Director at RyeStrategy, kicked off the project with the RedCloud team to educate employees on carbon emissions basics, the GHG inventory process, and what to expect. A data collection guide was distributed to contacts identified as data owners to prepare them for their part in gathering activity data from the previous calendar year that would be required for calculating their carbon footprint.
Hannah worked with a member of the RedCloud finance team to collect employee flight data, in-person event details, purchased supplies, and building utilities statements. After the data collection, the RyeStrategy team performed the emissions calculations based on the Greenhouse Gas Protocol framework and with this process complete, RyeStrategy helped the RedCloud team submit all of the required supplier data through the Microsoft Supplier Emissions Portal.
“Employees were excited about the climate initiatives and came together to work on ideas to continue reducing our carbon emissions.”
Tonia Steed, RedCloud Consulting
Although RedCloud employees were already making environmentally-friendly choices in the workplace prior to engaging with RyeStrategy, like stocking reusable or recyclable kitchen supplies, switching to LED lighting, and recycling, leaders noticed an increased level of employee interest as the project progressed.
As part of the engagement, RyeStrategy provided RedCloud with a comprehensive 12-month report, outlining carbon emissions across a variety of categories within scope 1, 2, and 3. Equipped with this baseline data, the RedCloud team was excited to explore additional ways to reduce emissions and committed to reduce carbon emissions 55% by 2030. Hannah provided a customized list of mitigation strategies based on their emissions hotspots and available resources and coached the team through implementation.
Employee Interest in Mitigation Strategies
RedCloud's experience with RyeStrategy exceeded expectations. “I would highly recommend partnering with RyeStrategy on carbon accounting initiatives, especially for small companies who don’t have the staff or bandwidth to commit to fully learning the GHG protocol,” described Tonia.
The team at RedCloud appreciated the continuous support, human touch, and flexibility RyeStrategy provided. Handling such a comprehensive sustainability initiative internally was not feasible given the level of detail Microsoft required.
Exceeded Expectations
“The RyeStrategy team didn’t just give us a worksheet to complete on our own. They guided us through the process, addressing our concerns and continuously going the extra mile to ensure we had the support we needed,” Tonia stated.
RedCloud’s partnership with RyeStrategy not only enabled RedCloud to meet Microsoft's sustainability requirements but also fostered a renewed internal focus on the importance of environmental responsibility.
“I would highly recommend partnering with RyeStrategy on carbon accounting initiatives, especially for small companies who don’t have the staff or bandwidth to commit to fully learning the GHG protocol.”
Tonia Steed, RedCloud Consulting
Learn more about RedCloud’s commitment to sustainability.
Learn about our affordable carbon accounting solutions for small and medium-sized businesses
Talk with a RyeStrategy sustainability manager to learn more.