Sustainability
Our Sustainability Efforts
SCI believes in the responsible use of resources to reduce adverse impacts on the communities in which we live and operate. We acknowledge our shared responsibility to reduce the impact of climate change on the environment, and we continue to look for opportunities to improve our end-to-end supply chain processes.
Energy
Our sustainability efforts include monitoring and evaluating our use of natural resources and its potential impact on the environment. In order to accurately track and measure our energy usage, we began implementing a utility usage reporting solution in 2021 to capture consumption across our 1,900+ locations. This new system and process will assist us with building an energy management program and is focused on our natural gas and electricity usage.
Water
Water is an important natural resource that we understand can be difficult to manage and track. To aid in our environmental conservation efforts, we have implemented reporting methods to begin providing visibility into the water use across our locations. As guidance for nature-related risks grows, we plan to examine the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures on recommendations to manage and plan for water related opportunities.
Understanding Our Carbon Footprint
We continue to evaluate and measure our carbon footprint through the examination of processes within our business operations that include, but are not limited to, key drivers such as cremation, utilities and fleet. To better understand and meaningfully address our climate impact, we began gathering carbon emissions data. Our estimated Scope 1 and Scope II emissions have been calculated in line with the GHG Protocol, totaling approximately 285,028 metric tons for 2021 and 270,267 metric tons for 2022. As we begin to understand our greenhouse gas emissions output, we have identified multiple initiatives to aid in reduction of our carbon footprint.
Additionally, we believe in continuing to preserve local environments and to offer natural habitat areas at many of our cemeteries. We manage approximately 35,500 acres of land, most of which is green space within our cemeteries that provides families a natural and peaceful environment to grieve the loss of their loved ones. As our cemeteries often serve as community parks in certain urban areas, we believe these open green spaces make a valuable environmental contribution to help reduce concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Environmentally-Friendly Products and Services
We recognize the importance of integrating innovative solutions that are beneficial to the environment and offer families the opportunity to honor their loved ones with green, biodegradable products at many of our locations. Seven percent of our product sales of caskets and urns comes from eco-friendly or biodegradable products that families have selected. Furthermore, with the purchase of select caskets, families may request a tree to be planted in a national forest. SCI’s casket purchases contribute to approximately 25,000 tree plantings per year.
Partnering with Ethical Suppliers
Our Supplier Code of Conduct reflects our core values and conveys our expectation that our suppliers maintain safe working conditions and treat their associates fairly and with respect. We also encourage responsible and environmentally friendly production processes.
We are committed to creating a supply chain of local, diverse and qualified suppliers and continue to foster an inclusive procurement approach engaging businesses owned by minorities, females and veterans.