The Sri Lanka Association of Software Services Companies (SLASSCOM), as the catalyst for the IT/BPM industry in the country, has initiated a program to encourage member companies to adopt ESG as a part of their larger business strategy. This is in response to global trends where large enterprises are demanding that vendors showcase performance against ESG goals in order to pitch for business.

One such SLASSCOM member company that has pioneered ESG adoption in the Sri Lankan IT industry is Virtusa Corporation, that has successfully incorporated their ESG strategy with their global business strategy, to demonstrate their purposefulness about sustainability and strong ethical standards in operating responsibly, in all their activities. They follow the 10 UN Global Compact Principles and support UN Sustainable Development Goals through their ESG program.

Denver De Zylva, Senior Vice President at Virtusa Corporation said “We wanted to be ahead of the curve in the market. We believe in taking responsibility for our ESG impact and organizing ourselves around sound and ethical business practices that are guided by clear and sustainable purposes. As such, we accelerated our sustainability/ESG efforts and sharpened our focus on critical matters such as employee wellbeing, diversity and inclusivity, corporate governance, climate emergency response, sustainable product design and supply chain management. These we believe are integral to our company’s long-term success.”

Mr. De Zylva added that Virtusa has invested in equipping their teams with the education, training and resources to implement the company’s ESG program. Virtusa’s board and management demonstrate a strong preparedness to navigate geopolitical, economic, environmental, and societal complexities.

Virtusa assesses its ESG performance against international standards and industry best practices and continually improves. Accordingly, Virtusa has shown audited reductions in their GHG emissions per employee by 78% and reduced energy consumption by 46% over 7 year period. This approach has automatically led to industry recognition. For example, Virtusa received a “A-” (Leadership) score from the Carbon Disclosure Project in 2021 and was ranked in the top 25% of assessed companies with a Silver medal for EcoVadis ESG assessment in 2022.

Analyzing ESG factors has provided Virtusa a competitive advantage and ability to attract and retain top talent.  “We believe people’s distinctive backgrounds, experiences and ways of thinking help us deliver innovative products and solutions that are as diverse as the consumers and markets we serve, “said Denver.

A spokesperson at SLASSCOM stated “We are proud of Virtusa’s achievement, where they have applied their time, talent, and technology to make a meaningful impact in the markets they operation in, evolving the nature of their work over time to meet the most urgent needs of society. We feel that companies like Virtusa will help SLASSCOM in its plans to drive ESG to transform Sri Lankan as a green IT/BPM destination.”

Photo Caption: Denver De Zylva, Senior Vice President at Virtusa Corporation