Environmental Policy

Commitment

Software has a physical footprint. It sits in the energy our systems consume, the hardware we buy and eventually retire, the small quantities of hazardous material our applied R&D lab handles, and the travel we choose to do or not do. Epcotec manages that footprint deliberately. We maintain an Environmental Management System aligned with ISO 14001, and we apply it to how we build, run and retire systems for our clients.

Environmental objectives

Our objectives are to prevent environment-related incidents and pollution, minimise our environmental impacts, identify and manage climate-related risks, meet all relevant environmental legislation and regulations in Australia and Canada, and take a sustainable life-cycle approach to the systems we build and run. In practice, we commit to:

• Energy-efficient cloud and hosting choices. We prefer cloud regions and hosting providers powered by renewable energy, right-size the compute and storage we provision, and scale down or switch off resources we are not using.
• A responsible hardware life cycle. We buy devices for longevity, repair and redeploy before we replace, and recycle end-of-life hardware through certified e-waste channels in Australia and Canada.
• Responsible lab operations. Our applied R&D practice (optics, laser and plasma experiments) runs under controlled procedures that prevent pollution, manage hazardous materials safely, and dispose of waste in line with local requirements.
• Minimal travel. We are remote-first. We meet over video by default and travel only when being in the room materially improves the outcome.
• Pollution and waste prevention. We reduce, reuse and recycle across our offices and home workspaces, and design avoidable waste out of how we work.
• Legal compliance. We meet all relevant environmental legislation and regulations wherever we operate.
• A sustainable life-cycle approach to systems. We consider energy use, data storage and end-of-life disposal from design through to decommissioning.

These objectives are set, maintained and reviewed through our objectives framework and our risk management process.

Culture and awareness

We build a culture of sustainability and responsible development by educating our people, raising awareness, and encouraging environmentally sound practices wherever we work: at home, in our offices and in the lab.

Stakeholder engagement

Through our systems, communication and training, we keep our people, clients, suppliers and partners informed of this policy, our environmental position and our environmental management system, and we consult them where our decisions affect them.

Governance

This policy is established, implemented and maintained by senior management, who confirm that it fits the purpose and context of Epcotec, supports our strategic direction, and drives continual improvement of our environmental performance and management of our risk profile. It is grounded in our value of Care: for our people, our clients, our communities and the environment.

See also our Sustainability Policy and Carbon Footprint Report.

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Approved: Eugene Pivnev, Founder & Managing Director, Epcotec

Version 1.2, 2 October 2026