BMC is committed to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices that create a more sustainable future. We are guided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and believe that our business success is intrinsically linked to the well-being of our planet and people.

We have a long-standing commitment to environmental sustainability, and we take concrete steps to reduce our environmental impact. We are also actively engaged with several organizations that promote environmental responsibility, including:

• EcoVadis: We are proud to participate in EcoVadis’ annual sustainability assessment, consistently achieving a gold rating.
• Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP): For the past three years, we have participated in the CDP’s annual climate change disclosures, demonstrating our transparency and commitment to measuring and reducing our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
• Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi): We submitted our 2023 GHG reduction goals for validation by SBTi, with the aim of exceeding their GHG reduction mandate of 50 percent by 2030.
• ISO 14001 certification: We maintain ISO 14001 certification, an internationally recognized standard for environmental management systems. This certification demonstrates our commitment to continuously improving our environmental performance and reducing our impact on the planet.

As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, we are actively working towards achieving certification in two additional ISO standards, ISO 45001 to manage occupation health and safety risks, and ISO 50001, which will ensure our current energy management system aligns with the ISO global standard for energy consumption, carbon footprint reduction, and overall energy efficiency.

BMC is on track to achieving our net-zero target by 2030 and continues to demonstrate that commitment through partnerships with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Reforest’Action, One Tree Planted, GreenThumb, Vashundara, Seabin Project, Ocean Conservancy Project, and TeamSeas.

You can read more about our commitments to ESG and environmental sustainability in the 2023 BMC Corporate Citizenship and ESG Impact Report.

The month of July is designated as Plastic Free July, which is a key initiative of the Plastic Free Foundation to see a world free of plastic waste. That means it’s a fantastic time to consciously focus on being an ally to the environment. But what does that mean exactly?

It takes different shapes and forms, from individual awareness and behavior change to major initiatives, technological interventions, organizational support, and community outreach. One action that’s close to my heart is how Seabin™ is working to positively reduce the impact of plastic waste in water, which is aligned to BMC’s sustainability practices based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

It Starts With Me

As a leader at BMC, and also as a member of my coastal community, I am an ally to the environment through my local volunteerism doing clean ups at my beloved beach in Portugal where I grew up, my personal practices, and my work as a sustainability advocate in the company. During my clean-up work, it’s always astounding to me how many pieces of litter and debris we collect. Even further, it’s alarming how much that amount has increased over time.

That’s why I have changed my behavior to be more conscientious about my personal contributions to plastic and other waste. For example, I avoid purchasing many individual-use products such as wipes and sandwich bags. Instead, I find ways to use materials that are reusable, such as cloths for cleaning or wax paper wraps for packing food.

Additionally, as much as possible, I limit my use of bottled water by consistently carrying a refillable water container so that I can stay hydrated without creating waste. I also watch how often I order take-away food from restaurants, and I bring my own shopping bags to the grocery store. Lastly, I choose to invest in the things I need and will use regularly, making every effort to not overconsume—from only buying the food I need to prevent waste and spoilage to wearing my clothes and accessories longer. I also practice a minimalist aesthetic in my home.

At BMC, the Customer Success Organization that I lead partners with Seabin, an organization dedicated to understanding the human impact on our oceans and waterways and providing education and critical impact data through its technology. You can read more about our partnership in our previous blogs here.

BMC has committed to continuing our partnership with Seabin for two more years, and is already contributing to clean up efforts in Sydney Harbour, Australia and Marina Del Rey, California through the sponsorship of Seabin units that remove litter and debris from the water. As you can see in these first impact reports for Q1 of this year, the results of our two bins are compelling.

Educating Through Data

In addition to capturing waste in marinas and ports, the data yielded from Seabin’s collections support research and behavior change. Seabin compiles an annual report on the impact its bins have had on Sydney Harbour and shares out that data to create awareness around the need to reduce single-use plastic and improve other marine related behaviors. From 2020 to 2022, the bins have filtered 15 billion liters of water and collected more than 100 tons of litter. Every day, 1,101 soft plastic items are captured in Sydney, at an approximate rate of one plastic item every six seconds.

The data also shows how regulatory changes can have a positive impact. In June 2022, a state law was passed in Sydney to ban businesses from giving out lightweight plastic bags. Since the ban, Seabin has measured a 70 percent reduction in plastic shopping bags collected by the 34 Seabin units installed around Sydney Harbour. With more data like this, Seabin can demonstrate the impact of community action.

Seabin also uses the data to determine how debris may have ended up in the water, i.e., from deliberate littering, being blown out of bins by the wind, or garbage falling out of overfilled receptacles, which helps educate the public on how their behavior can make a difference. This awareness can also be used to advise corporations on the merits of designing better, more sustainable, and even biodegradable packaging for consumer goods like candy bar and potato chip wrappers that make up a significant portion of waste captured by Seabin units.

As you can see, there are many ways to be an ally to the environment. I’m proud to work for an organization like BMC that is taking action to help the environment and giving me the opportunity to raise awareness and support Seabin’s mission for cleaner oceans and waterways.

If you’d like to learn more about Seabin, sign up to receive the monthly newsletter.

When I joined BMC, I was excited to learn about the partnership we have with Seabin™ because the ocean has been a consistent part of my life since I was very young. From growing up in Lisbon, Portugal, to moving around the globe, and currently residing in Boston, MA, I have lived within a few miles of the beach for most of my life. I love the water and its diverse ecosystem of plants, animals, and sea life that never cease to fill me with awe.

Sadly, I’ve also observed the significant changes to the many shorelines and waterways that I had previously enjoyed because of the encroaching volumes of trash and other pollutants reducing the water quality and impacting the beauty of those areas. As someone who has participated in ocean clean ups since childhood, including efforts to preserve the beach in Lisbon where I have a home, I’m thrilled to celebrate World Oceans Day by sharing how BMC’s partnership with Seabin is having a positive impact on ocean health.

Year one impact

As part of our Smart City Unit Sponsorship of two Seabins in Sydney Harbor, Australia, from March 2022 through February 2023, our sponsored Seabin units have generated the following impact statistics:

• 491 million liters of water filtered
• 1,685 kgs² estimated total marine litter captured
• 81,124 estimated number of plastic items captured (all plastic items including microplastics)
• 44,362 estimated number of microplastics captured (only microplastics)

These results concretely demonstrate our commitment to sustainability and our adherence to the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for building a better and more sustainable future. You can read more about all our activities to give back in our annual Corporate Social Responsibility Report.

From the start, BMC—especially our Professional Services group—wanted to find a tangible way to improve the health of our oceans and waterways. Our partnership with Seabin gives us the opportunity to directly help the environment through the organization’s technology, its Smart City programs, and the data reporting that displays the quantifiable evidence that we’re making a difference. Even further, the data shows that the Smart City program in Sydney has a Seabin capturing one plastic item per minute.

While it’s disappointing that the volume is so high, during the two years that the program has been active, every Seabin combined has filtered 13.57 billion liters of water, the equivalent of 5,429 Olympic swimming pools. All of the Seabins in the area have captured 100 tons of marine litter and an estimated 4,391,542 of plastic items. It’s very inspiring to be part of an impact that significant.

For our second year as a unit sponsor, we decided to broaden our reach.

Going global

As we received our quarterly impact reports and participated in last year’s World Oceans Day events with Seabin in Australia, we wanted to find a way to have more of a global impact. Through a presentation that Seabin did in July 2022 for our One Earth employee resource group (ERG), we learned that its next Smart City would debut in Los Angeles, CA, in October 2022. We met as a Customer Success leadership team last fall and decided we’d like to go global by expanding our partnership to Los Angeles to align to our reach as a company that serves 86 percent of the Forbes Global 50.

It gives me great pleasure to share that our Seabin went in the water in Los Angeles this March and is already contributing to the new Smart City program location. It has yielded an incredible capture rate in its first few months—filtering 1.009 billion liters and capturing 2.185 tons of marine litter, which includes an estimated 3,396,734 plastic items. Leveraging its own technology and data capture measurements, Seabin has determined that every four seconds, a Seabin in Marina Del Rey collects one plastic item. The data is compelling, and the hope is that it will lead to more mindful human practices around protecting oceans and waterways, from making smarter decisions on the disposal of purchased items to reconsidering purchases based on their impact on the environment.

Seabin CEO and co-founder Pete Ceglinski was recently interviewed on the various aspects of improving ocean health and said that by listening, you can do your part in learning about the various aspects of improving marine environments. He also discussed how Seabin is taking a data-driven approach to helping transform the world’s relationship with consumer goods and preserving the world around us.

This World Oceans Day

This World Oceans Day—June 8, I will be taking time to pay back the water environments that bring so much joy and peace to my life. BMC will be participating in Seabin’s outreach activities, both in-person and leveraging our social platforms and employees, to share the message that we must care for our oceans and waterways not only today, but always. Additionally, our BMC Cares employee volunteer program encourages our global workforce to get involved in cleaning up not just around water, but in all areas, because litter on land often ends up in the water if it is not disposed of properly.

If you’d like to learn more about Seabin, sign up for the monthly newsletter.

BMC has ten employee resource groups (ERGs), each dedicated to a range of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) topics. In July, our One Earth ERG, which fosters environmental awareness and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals including protecting life under water, observed “Plastic-Free July” for the entire month to highlight the growing threat of plastics to the environment, humans, and animals.

The impact of plastics

According to The Ocean Conservancy, an estimated 11 million metric tons of plastics are entering our oceans every year, on top of the estimated 200 million metric tons that currently circulate marine environments—equivalent to “dumping one New York City garbage truck full of plastic into the ocean every minute of every day for an entire year.”

Those same plastics are also finding their way into the water we drink and the food we eat. Recent research by the Medical University of Vienna stated that, “Five grams of plastic particles on average enter the human gastrointestinal tract per person per week. This is roughly equivalent to the weight of a credit card.”

According to the researchers, experimental studies indicate that ingested plastics passing through the gastrointestinal tract can lead to changes in the composition of the gut microbiome, the development of metabolic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, or chronic liver disease, and activate inflammatory and immune responses. Nanoplastics in particular are associated with biochemical processes that are involved in carcinogenesis.

This is not good news for humans and it’s even more dire for animals. The Ocean Conservancy says, “Plastic has been found in more than 60 percent of all seabirds and in 100 percent of sea turtle species that mistake plastic for food…caus[ing] life-threatening problems, including reduced fitness, nutrient uptake, and feeding efficiency—all vital for survival.”

Increasing awareness

There’s much work to be done and the good news is there’s more than one way to have a direct impact. BMC Professional Services is sponsoring Seabin™ to increase awareness, reduce waste, and research the impact of plastics on our future.

We talked about our Seabin sponsorship in a previous blog. As a unit sponsor of Seabin™, our funding not only supports the Seabin technology and the collection of debris, but it also supports Seabin™ Foundation, which has a mission to assist with Education, Science, Research, and Community Engagement around ocean health. The Foundation’s research and data collection on ocean health supports policy and behavior change on land to protect our oceans and waterways.

They also initiate educational and STEM programs for students to raise awareness and inspire youth, with a focus on reducing the consumption of plastics, recycling, and data collection. Lessons generally include activities on how to design and build new technologies. Additionally, it provides an intensive hands-on program that demonstrates the issues concerning waste in our oceans and what can be done about it.

The Foundation researches the debris captured and presents quarterly reports on its findings to Seabin™ sponsors. Seabin™ is currently scaling up its data collection with the support of a global app to make it more efficient and deliver real-time data with cloud connectivity. The data is critical to detecting marine pollution issues, monitoring the health of our waterways, and predicting marine litter volumes based on weather patterns. All with the end goal of turning off the tap and creating policy and behavior change on land.

Decreasing waste

The Seabin™ 6.0 is the latest Seabin model and has several key advancements. It uses 70 percent less steel than the v5, which makes it much lighter. It filters double the amount of water per hour, catches nearly two times as much debris per year, has a much more ergonomic design, and most importantly, has custom water sensors built in to monitor the physical health of the ocean.

As was shared in our previous blog, BMC’s v5 Seabins went in the water this spring. We received our first data report from Seabin™ and it’s amazing how fast we are having an impact. In just three months, our two bins captured an estimated 497 kgs (over 1,100 lbs) of debris and a total of 6,479 plastic items—30.8 percent microplastics (plastics < 5 mm), 13.2 percent soft plastic food wrappers, and 12.9 percent foam pieces. This demonstrates how far the plastic you handle can travel to negatively impact oceans and waterways. It’s up to us all to start paying attention to our use of plastic and prevent it from entering the water.

Researching the impact of plastics on our future

Lastly, Seabin™ just launched the world’s first microplastics lab in Sydney, Australia. The Seabin™ Foundation Ocean Health and Microplastics Laboratory is a 40-ft, self-sufficient, purpose-built upcycled shipping container. The laboratory will enable Seabin™-captured samples to be cold-stored, dried, counted, and sorted by all polymer types. This will complement the already-established data monitoring protocols and give the team new capabilities in the study of the types and toxicity of microplastics to better support litter prevention with communities and authorities and drive clearer and more efficient legislation and incentives.

Doing your part

As you can see, Plastic Free July and other practices to reduce the amount of plastic are critical to protect our planet. BMC has committed to reduce the use of consumables, recycle equipment and waste products, as well as avoid redundant items. Our families are doing our part year-round by avoiding as much single-use plastic as possible. We have reusable shopping bags that we use each week and shop at markets that do not use plastic packaging. We decline plastic straws at restaurants and our children have taken to carrying metal straws with them instead. We also limit fast food and take out ordering to reduce the amount of plastic that we use. And, whenever we do use plastic, we make sure we reuse or recycle it.

It is our hope by sharing this information on the many challenges plastic poses, as well as the many great efforts going on to reduce it, that you will start your own efforts to reduce plastic in your daily routine. If we all take steps toward reduction and recycling, we can make a difference together.

If you’d like to get regular updates on Seabin™, you can sign up for the newsletter.

Oceans have been a large part of my life since I was very young. From being a child going spear- and line-fishing with my father and grandfather off Mozambique and South Africa to surfing (especially while living in Sydney for 10 years), sailing, and scuba diving throughout my adulthood—the ocean is where I am most inspired and at peace. As the years have gone on, I’ve seen, personally, how waste entering waterways—and specifically the ocean—is now, a significant issue that should be a concern for us all. Oceans and waterways impact all of Earth’s inhabitants because they are shared resources that converge to create a continuous cycle of currents, weather, wildlife and sadly, now, debris.

In my role as Worldwide Vice President of Professional Services at BMC, I decided to do something about protecting oceans and waterways. I wanted it to not only align to technology, but also to be something that made a concrete and measurable difference in the quest to improve the environment and the quality of our oceans and waterways, something BMC has also been doing in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The result was becoming a corporate sponsor of Seabin™.

How Seabin technology is helping

Seabin™ was started in 2013 by Andrew Turton and Pete Ceglinski, two Australian boat-builders who had an idea “to create a rubbish bin for the ocean that would collect trash, oil, fuel, and detergents.” They christened their invention the “Seabin” and launched their parent company, Seabin Pty Ltd, in 2015.

Since then, Seabin™ has become a clean tech start-up, expanding its network of collection sites and improving on the Seabin design to increase its capabilities. At its most basic functionality, the technology takes water in from the surface of oceans and waterways and passes it through a catch bag inside the Seabin, which plugs directly into either a 110V or 220V outlet and has a submersible water pump that can displace 25,000 liters or water per hour (LPH). The cleaned water is then pumped back into the marina, leaving litter and debris trapped in the catch bag.

As of 2022, each Seabin can catch an estimated 3.9 kilograms of floating debris per day, or 1.4 tons per year (depending on weather and debris volumes), including micro-plastics down to 2 mm in size. With the addition of custom oil pad technology, the Seabin can also skim surface oils and pollutants from the water.

In July 2020, Seabin™ announced a bold plan to tackle the problem of ocean plastics by cleaning up 100 cities by 2050, starting in Sydney, Australia, and using the five pillars of:

• Data
• Prevention
• Education
• Community
• Cleanup

After learning about Seabin™’s technology and 100-city goal, I knew I needed to help BMC become an active part of its ambitious initiative.

Doing our part

In March 2022, BMC Software sponsored two Seabins that are gathering debris in Sydney Harbor as part of Seabin™’s first Smart City. A team of BMC volunteers visited the site on World Oceans Day in June to see what’s been captured, learn about the analysis process and what more must be done to improve the health of our oceans and waterways. BMC’s sponsored bins are actively gathering data, and our first data report will be issued this month to demonstrate the direct impact of our sponsorship. Lastly, to show our professional services customers that their investment in BMC is paying it forward, we are dedicating our Seabins in their honor and commemorating their go-lives and project completions with an official Seabin™ thank you certificate.

Image of BMC’s sponsored Seabin in Sydney Harbor (Source: Seabin™)

Looking ahead

I’m excited for BMC’s support of Seabin™, especially because each quarter, our Seabin™ collection report will show the direct, positive impact we’re having on Sydney, which is a wonderful, water-focused part of the world. Additionally, this month is “Plastic-Free July” so I will be keen to share more about how much plastic and microplastic material is increasingly affecting our daily lives and how our Seabin is helping.

To learn more about Seabin™, visit seabinproject.com and to find out what BMC is doing in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in addition to our work with Seabin™, check out our comprehensive CSR Report here.

Among the many global changes brought about by the pandemic, the Great Resignation, or Great Reshuffle, found a record number of workers making choices about their futures and seeking new opportunities that enrich their whole lives. As a result, employers must step up their game to attract and retain talent.

BMC is committed to being an employer of choice, and we’re proud to again be recognized by Forbes on its list of 500 Best Midsize Employers in the U.S. for 2022. The recognition is a rich reward for our ongoing efforts to build a culture and workplace that attracts and retains an incredible workforce. We do so through our corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, which include diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), volunteering, and sustainability work, as well as other investments in our people.

DEI initiatives have gained growing importance around the world, and BMC has dedicated our efforts in this space in several ways. We’ve established ten internal employee resource groups (ERGs) that foster an equitable and inclusive workplace and invited speakers to share their insights as part of an ongoing Diversity Speaker Series. We’re proud that BMC scored 95 out of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2022 Corporate Equality Index based on our corporate policies, practices, and benefits for LGBTQ+ employees. Our employees are also using CulturePop, a self-paced, micro-learning app that encourages cross-cultural curiosity to help expand their cultural awareness. And we cover a variety of DEI topics in our DEI blog series.

Giving back is also part of BMC’s culture, and our internal BMC Cares organization encourages our employees to volunteer and contribute to their communities in meaningful ways that advance digital literacy, digital interventions, and technological equity. This year, we were honored to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day by harnessing the full power of our global workforce for good with our International Day of Service. BMC employees around the world collectively contributed over 50,000 hours of virtual and in-person community service, supporting over 430 charities across 38 countries in a single day.

Sustainability is another area where we are dedicating our resources, guided by the principles of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our environmental efforts include an ongoing partnership with Reforest’Action and One Tree Planted to help plant over 44,000 trees across 38 countries. We also collaborate with the Seabin Project, Ocean Conservancy, and #TeamSeas to remove trash and debris from the world’s waterways. Our recent sustainability initiatives are highlighted in the latest BMC Corporate Social Responsibility Report.

We take care of our people, too, with comprehensive benefits for their physical, emotional, and financial wellbeing and that of their families around the world. In the U.S., the American Heart Association recently awarded BMC Silver Level recognition for our “implementation of quality workplace health programs and culture of health best practices.” In addition to our benefits, we also offer the BMC Cares Fund, which provides short-term financial assistance to help employees impacted by a natural disaster, family emergency, or an unexpected event.

Building a better workforce also means helping our employees continue their personal and professional development. We’ve invested in LinkedIn Learning, which provides free, virtual, on-demand coursework to our employees to help them grow their skillset, and tuition reimbursement is part of our benefits package for employees who want to pursue undergraduate and graduate studies.

Prioritizing people and doing the right thing are two of our core values. With over 40 years of innovation behind us, BMC is constantly evolving. While we celebrate our progress in making BMC a great place to work for our current employees, we are committed to making it even better in the years to come for the next generation. We’d love to have you join us on that journey.

Alongside our customers, BMC is on a journey toward becoming an Autonomous Digital Enterprise (ADE) that includes everyone. To quote our CEO Ayman Sayed, “Every Autonomous Digital Enterprise has a social responsibility. And that responsibility is to reshape the business landscape to be more inclusive and play an active role in global issues and opportunities—from addressing climate change to implementing diverse and equitable practices and preparing all communities for their digital future.”

Reflecting on 2021, we have made significant progress building out a formal corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy that will allow us to make an even greater impact in our communities in 2022. Centered on three key pillars—our BMC Cares program; diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); and environmental stewardship. I’m incredibly proud of everything our team has accomplished during a very dynamic and unpredictable time in history.

A Defining Moment

I’m incredibly honored to share that BMC ranked fifth among 992 software and services companies as measured by the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Risk Rating, issued by Sustainalytics. We were in the top one percent of all 14,980 companies measured on their exposure to industry specific, material ESG risks and how well a company manages those risks across all sectors. With our commitment to investing in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives, this honor validates the investments and initiatives we’ve taken across BMC to prioritize this aspect of our business. We are passionate about delivering great technology and making the world a better place in the process.

Joining a Global Movement

As pleased as we are with our rating, we recognize that this is an area that requires well-defined goals, combined with continuous improvement and diligence. We’ve set a high bar for 2022 that includes addressing climate change, arguably one of the most significant issues of our time.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently reported that every half-degree of the global temperature makes a tremendous difference, which is why BMC has joined the Business Ambition for 1.5° C campaign established by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), a partnership between the Climate Disclosure Project (CDP), the UN Global Compact, World Resources Institute (WRI), and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

As part of our commitment, BMC is dedicated to achieving science-based, emission reduction targets across our business to reach net-zero value chain emissions no later than 2030, which aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

As part of endorsing the SBTi campaign, BMC has disclosed its emissions and net-zero carbon goals and current climate footprint. In addition, we’re committing to the CDP and SBTi targets that go beyond our company’s electricity consumption and emissions to include reporting the carbon footprint of the products we sell and buy.

BMC also supports the environment through other initiatives, including our ongoing partnership with Reforest’Action and One Tree Planted. In 2021, we helped plant over 20,000 trees across 38 countries, and we collaborated with the Seabin Project, Ocean Conservancy, and #TeamsSeas to remove trash and debris from the world’s waterways.

Never Done

Looking ahead to 2022, we see more opportunities to improve the world for our employees, customers, and partners. We continue to set aggressive milestones for ourselves in all three pillars of our CSR strategy, and we look forward to making even greater progress. As a recent op-ed in The Hill put it, businesses that “take advantage of this unique opportunity will find themselves at the vanguard of a movement that propels their company and the world at large into a new era of prosperity.” We embrace this opportunity to create a planet and Autonomous Digital Enterprise that includes everyone.

BMC is among the many companies striving to be better global citizens and employers, respecting and preserving our planet and natural resources to create a fair and equitable world for our people and communities—and we recognize the need to speak up and back up our words with actions.

According to PwC’s 2021 Consumer Intelligence Series survey on environmental, social, and governmental (ESG) issues, 91 percent of business leaders believe their company has a responsibility to act on ESG issues and 86 percent of employees prefer to support or work for companies that care about the same issues they do. In fact, the Deloitte Global 2021 Millennial and Gen Z Survey found that nearly half of those surveyed will choose their career and employers based on how they align with their personal ethics.

At BMC, we have intertwined our diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and ESG initiatives with our BMC Cares program and corporate social responsibility efforts. Everything we do in this space is guided by the principles of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and our recent work is highlighted in the latest BMC Corporate Social Responsibility Report.

UN Sustainable Development Goals

The 17 goals and 169 actions of the UN SDGs were established in 2017 as part of The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to provide “a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. [The goals] recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth—all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.”

BMC Cares has evolved to align its activities with what BMC does as a business, leveraging industry strength and heritage to focus on technology as we transition our philanthropic work to support global digital literacy, accessibility, and intervention.

As this relates to our DEI efforts, we’re also changing how we hire to increase representation and diversity among our employees and invest in a diverse workforce of the future. We have extensive formal partnerships with organizations that champion diverse, underserved communities and use technology for equitable science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) enrichment programming to break the cycle of generational poverty. We also leverage these programs as talent pipelines for recruiting. And we work with VetsInTech and BreakLine to support the upskilling and hiring of US veterans, women, and people of color.

BMC Cares: Fostering Digital Literacy, Accessibility, and Intervention

Every DEI, BMC Cares, and sustainability event that we host and participate in ties back to the UN SDGs. Our recurring Diversity Speaker Series promotes peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provides access to justice for all, and helps build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels.

Here are a few causes where we have extended our reach to help advance digital literacy, accessibility, and intervention, and we welcome you to join us in supporting these organizations.

	Audacity Labs: In an effort led by BMC CTO Ram Chakravarti and the office of the CTO, BMC Cares has established a relationship with Audacity Labs, a co-working incubator for high school students interested in exploring social entrepreneurship that promotes STEM programming where it’s needed most. Over 90 percent of student members attend a public high school or identify as BIPOC (black, indigenous, and other people of color).
	Smile Foundation’s STeP program and Bhumi’s Ignite program: As part of World Youth Skill Day, BMC Cares volunteers helped underprivileged youth boost their employability quotient by teaching them how to enhance their digital profiles on various employment-generation platforms and register for e-learning upskilling opportunities.
	UNICEF—Reimagine Education. Participants in the BMC Executive Council virtual roundtable of global industry leaders, who met to discuss the workforce of the future and business and technology strategy, made a donation to this UNICEF effort focused on bridging the global digital gap in education for underserved children.
	Seabin Project: Seabin Project technology collects data on marine health and removes plastic pollution from waterways before it reaches the ocean, across more than 1,100 sites globally. In honor of World Oceans Day, the BMC Customer Success organization, in partnership with BMC Cares, made a commitment towards deploying Seabins over the next year.
	Houston Community College Foundation: BMC extended support for the foundation’s mission to attract and educate students—including many non-traditional students and those facing barriers to higher education—in our headquarter city of Houston by donating audio/visual equipment to enhance the student experience and support distance learning, virtual collaborations, online gaming/e-sports, wayfinding, and other activities.
	Southwest Center for Entrepreneurship Fund: Our contribution helps provide students with a personalized pathway to build skills and grow their career through entrepreneurial workshops, training, and programs in collaboration with the Houston Community College Centers of Excellence of Digital Information Technology and Advanced Manufacturing.

Existing, ongoing efforts that we’ve covered in previous blogs include planting trees around the globe with Reforest’Action and providing volunteer translators to work with the Tarjimly translation app.

Looking ahead

At BMC, we believe that the Autonomous Digital Enterprise includes everyone and our commitment to align our BMC Cares, DEI, and ESG initiatives with each other and the UN SDGs is vitally important to our people, our company, and the larger world. We’re determined to build a better future for our current workforce and the next generation that follows.

Read more about our DEI and ESG work in the BMC Corporate Social Responsibility Report, and check out our DEI blog series here.