Proctorio Blog

Proctorio has worked to limit its environmental impact since the beginning. The company reached carbon neutrality in 2018, five years after its founding, through a mix of emissions reductions and offset projects. But the work didn't stop there.

In 2021, Proctorio began to tie sustainability efforts more directly to how its core systems are built and powered. That included installing solar panels at its U.S. offices to supply daytime energy, and storing that power to run essential systems at night. These systems support the platform itself, which means efficiency improvements translate directly into product-level impact.

Now, Proctorio is working toward a new goal: becoming carbon negative by the end of 2025. That means going beyond balancing emissions, it means removing more carbon from the atmosphere than the company produces.

Why Carbon Negative Matters

Becoming carbon neutral means offsetting as much carbon as you emit. Going carbon negative requires more: a combination of continued reductions, targeted offsets, and investment in long-term carbon removal.

This approach is about reducing environmental impact in a way that can be tracked and verified over time. It's not a one-time target, but an ongoing shift in how systems are powered, how teams work, and how decisions are made.

Progress in 2023

In 2023, Proctorio reduced its emissions by over 115,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide compared to the year before, an 18.5% decrease. The biggest areas of reduction came from employee travel and commuting.

Business travel emissions dropped by more than 40%, with teams making greater use of virtual collaboration. Commuting emissions fell by nearly half, thanks to flexible work policies and expanded public transit support. These changes reflect a practical approach: review where emissions are coming from, and make adjustments that reduce them without creating unnecessary friction.

Global Projects

While reducing emissions at the source is the main focus, Proctorio also supports reforestation to offset the emissions that remain. In partnership with Evertreen, the company planted more than 1,000 trees in Kenya and Madagascar in 2023. Each tree is part of a verified, monitored project designed to capture carbon, restore ecosystems, and support local communities. These efforts are expected to offset more than 600 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide over time, and have already contributed over 130 hours of paid work for local workers involved in planting and maintenance.

Another example is the work Proctorio does with Matebe Hydroelectric Plant in the Virunga region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. This clean energy project provides electricity to local communities and helps protect Africa's oldest national park, home to endangered species including the mountain gorilla. The plant offsets around 50,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year by reducing the need for fossil fuel-based power in the region.

Proctorio's Sustainability Initiatives

Proctorio targets five key areas: funding global environmental efforts, reducing office resource use, supporting low-impact commuting, participating in local cleanups, and using real-time data to guide actions.

Energy and Resource Use

• Automated heating, cooling, and lighting
• Water-saving devices and real-time monitoring
• Expanded composting and recycling
• Company-wide paperless systems
• Meatless Mondays

Commuting

• Public transit subsidies
• EV charging at all U.S. offices
• Bike-to-work program

Local Projects

• Sponsor six highway cleanup zones
• Support employee-led environmental efforts

Tracking Progress
In 2023, Proctorio launched internal tools to track energy and water use in real time, helping cut waste and improve planning.

What's Next
Looking ahead to 2025, the focus is on refining these systems and expanding what works. That includes:

• Rolling out real-time dashboards in all offices to monitor energy and water use live.
• Reducing overall energy consumption by at least 10%, through HVAC improvements and smarter use of solar power.
• Increasing investment in verified carbon removal projects, not just offsets.
• Expanding opportunities for employee participation in sustainability efforts, from composting access to local cleanups and green commuting incentives.

A Measured Path Forward

Becoming carbon negative is not about perfection. It's about steady progress, informed by data and driven by clear goals. For Proctorio, that means continuing to reduce emissions where possible, offset what remains, and invest in strategies that remove carbon from the atmosphere over the long term.

It's not a campaign or a checklist. It's part of how the company was founded, builds its systems, runs its offices, and makes decisions, with the goal of doing less harm and more good over time.