Environmental Policy

Effective 19.12.2019. Updated 12.12.2024.

Runbox recognizes the impact digital technologies have on the environment through high energy consumption, electronic waste, and carbon emissions associated with data storage and processing. We realize our responsibility to mitigate our impact, and anchored in our core values is our commitment to acting in an environmentally conscious and sustainable manner on all levels of our company.

We are dedicated to minimizing our energy consumption and environmental footprint, both as an organization and as individuals, and to compensate for any environmental impact caused by our activities. We commit to supporting sustainable practices and contributing to global efforts in combating climate change.

Our Environmental Commitment

Runbox is dedicated to integrating sustainability into every aspect of our operations. We prioritize the following key principles:

Sustainable Hosting and Infrastructure

Runbox is committed to minimizing the environmental impact of our email service infrastructure. The Runbox email service runs entirely on renewable electricity and the data center hosting our servers is powered by certified 100% renewable energy. This ensures that our servers have a minimal environmental impact and supports Norway’s efforts to achieve a sustainable economy. 

Our data center partner StackInfra is ISO 14001 compliant, ensuring that they adhere to international standards for effective environmental management and sustainability practices. Read more about the data center on the StackInfra website.

Carbon Neutrality and Emission Reduction Strategies

We are committed to reducing the carbon emissions associated with our services and operations. This includes reducing the energy consumption in our data centers, and working to offset any emissions from our operations through renewable energy sources and carbon offset projects.

Although our email service is powered entirely by renewable energy, we take responsibility for the fact that some greenhouse gas emissions still arise from our operations. To address this, we double offset any emissions that we generate. We achieve this through our partnership with Trefadder, a Norwegian initiative focused on sustainable tree planting in collaboration with local farms. This commitment helps us achieve a carbon-negative impact.

Read more about our carbon offset project here: Sustainable Services and Practices

Sustainable Hardware Procurement & Recycling 

Runbox is committed to sourcing products and services that meet high environmental standards. We prioritize responsible procurement and resource-saving practices, and use ethical consumer resources for all purchasing decisions, including technology and office supplies.

Runbox is dedicated to the reuse, recycling and responsible disposal of electronic equipment to reduce the impact of electronic waste (e-waste) on the environment. We pledge to reuse, donate and recycle obsolete servers and other hardware. We strive to minimize our reliance on single-use technology products.

Sustainable Company Practices in a Circular Economy 

Runbox is committed to following Norway’s Circular Economy Action Plan. This plan includes policies to transition towards a circular economy, which focuses on reducing waste, reusing materials, resource efficiency, and extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws for products like electronics.

Runbox actively participates in these initiatives, and our waste is properly sorted and recycled according to Oslo’s recycling and waste management system. This includes separating waste into five categories: Food waste, paper, plastic, glass, and metal. This process enables us to minimize waste and support the recovery of materials for new products.

Runbox relies on renewable energy for our office space, and we are committed to reducing waste and adopting paperless communication wherever possible. We rely on remote work and flexible working practices to minimize commuting-related emissions. 

We support our employees in adopting sustainable practices at home, and provide our team members and consultants with coverage for electricity expenses when generated from renewable energy sources. 

Read about Norway’s circular economy action plan in Norwegian and English.

Read more about Oslo’s recycling program here: Oslo County Waste & Recycling Program and Waste Sorting Guide

Sustainability Efforts We support

At Runbox, we are committed to supporting initiatives that align with our core ethical values of sustainability, privacy, and responsibility. We support:

• Concerned Scientists Norway, an interdisciplinary, non-profit organization contributing to a more sustainable society.
• cChange Norway, a Norwegian organization focused on addressing climate change through research, education, and strategic initiatives. We also support Karen O’Brien, co-founder of cChange and a climate scientist and professor at the University of Oslo, known for her research on climate change, social resilience, and climate justice.
• The Spaceguard Centre, a UK-based observatory in Wales, focused on detecting and tracking near-Earth objects (NEOs), such as asteroids and comets, that could pose a threat to Earth.
• Ethical Consumer organization, an organization championing responsible and sustainable business practices. 
• Runbox is committed to supporting non-profit organizations that focus on environmental causes by offering complimentary email services to those with missions centered on sustainability and environmental protection. Contact Runbox Support to apply.

Promoting Environmental Awareness

Runbox strives to foster a culture of environmental responsibility. Our email services are optimized for efficiency, and we encourage customers to adopt sustainable practices and eco-friendly digital habits such as reducing email storage, avoiding printing on paper, managing digital clutter, and using energy-efficient devices. We aim to provide customers with an environmentally-conscious choice that align with their sustainability goals.

Monitoring and Reporting

We are committed to transparency and accountability in our environmental efforts. We will update this policy regularly to reflect our ongoing efforts and improvements in environmental performance.

Our Future Vision

As human beings and stewards of Earth we bear the responsibility for protecting its ecosystems and the well-being of the species we cohabit our planet with.

Our goal goes beyond sustainability and minimizing our negative impact – our vision is a planet with a healthy and balanced biosphere that fosters the flourishing of diverse species and ecosystems.

As a company, Runbox is committed to continue evolving and improving our environmental practices, and we will further increase our positive impact on the environment through:

• Enhanced energy efficiency across our operations.
• Increased use of renewable energy by all our employees and consultants, supporting a collective effort to reduce our environmental impact and promote sustainability throughout our business activities.
• Supporting global initiatives to combat climate change such as the European Green Deal and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
• Partnering with customers and other stakeholders to build a more sustainable future and ultimately a healthier biosphere.