Watershed > Case Studies > TaskUs: Transforming Outsourcing with Climate Action

TaskUs: Transforming Outsourcing with Climate Action

Technology Category

Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms

Applicable Industries

Buildings
Cement

Use Cases

Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems
Time Sensitive Networking

About The Customer

TaskUs is a global provider of outsourced digital services and next-generation customer experience to some of the world's most innovative companies. The company aims to have a positive impact on the brands it works with, its people, and the global community. TaskUs is part of the Scope 3, or indirect, footprint of other companies, meaning its emissions reduction work has a compounding effect on corporate climate action. TaskUs's vendor engagement team works with many vendors around the globe, and the company is committed to driving down emissions and promoting sustainability.

The Challenge

TaskUs, a global provider of outsourced digital services and next-generation customer experience, faced a significant challenge when businesses began requiring their vendors to have a complete carbon footprint. TaskUs lacked a framework for carbon footprint measurement to organize and evaluate its in-house sustainability efforts. This lack of a structured approach to sustainability and carbon footprint measurement posed a threat to TaskUs's business relationships and its overall goal of having a positive impact on the brands it works with, its people, and the global community.

The Solution

TaskUs partnered with Watershed, a platform known for its climate expertise, to address this challenge. Rather than building an internal sustainability team, TaskUs leveraged Watershed's expertise to make the emissions measurement process more approachable and to channel their energy into concrete goals. Within four weeks, TaskUs completed its first measurement using Watershed’s platform. The platform's ability to provide detailed insights into specific areas gave TaskUs the confidence to discuss and prioritize specific investments. With a detailed view of its baseline emissions, TaskUs identified three high-impact areas for fast progress on emissions reductions: employee commuting, company suppliers, and electricity. The data-driven approach helped TaskUs to act based on evidence rather than assumptions.

Operational Impact

The partnership with Watershed and the focus on climate action has significantly elevated TaskUs's business standing. The company went from having very little in place to becoming a leader in a client's supplier portfolio. The speed and agility with which TaskUs was able to gather all of its footprint data and present it to its customers in an authentic form helped build a reputation of leadership in the area of sustainability. TaskUs's focus on climate action has also driven positive results for its business, becoming a differentiating factor for winning and retaining clients. The company is now well prepared to confidently report on its climate work, whether it's engaging with investors or complying with new regulatory requirements. TaskUs has also become an evangelist for other companies to take swift action on driving down emissions.

Quantitative Benefit

TaskUs completed its first carbon footprint measurement within four weeks of partnering with Watershed.
TaskUs identified that a dollar spent with its business would generate 20% less carbon than a dollar spent with the average competitor in its space.
TaskUs identified three high-impact areas for fast progress on emissions reductions: employee commuting, company suppliers, and electricity.