Environmental
Environmental
Being committed to ensuring a better home for all means working to reduce our impact on the environment as we conduct our business. We strive to balance the quality of our services and optimize how we use natural resources.
Stewart continues to focus on digitizing the real estate transaction, reducing paper use and fossil fuel consumption, and reducing, reusing and recycling the materials used throughout our business process. We were able to recycle or reuse substantially all disposed information technology assets in conjunction with our R2 certified vendor.
Spotlight on Technology: NotaryCam
NotaryCam®, a pioneering digital notarization platform owned by Stewart, connects all parties and documents in a virtual closing room while maintaining the process integrity and compliance that instills confidence.
"Through the expansion of our platform, enhancements to client support and unwavering commitment to innovation, we’re empowering lenders, title companies and borrowers to fully embrace the digital transformation of real estate and mortgage closings."
- Brian Webster, President of NotaryCam
NotaryCam closed more than 154,000 transactions online in 2024.
Managing our Impact on The Environment
Being committed to ensuring a better home for all means working to reduce our impact on the environment as we conduct our business. We strive to balance the quality of our services and optimize how we use natural resources.
Being committed to ensuring a better home for all means working to reduce our impact on the environment as we conduct our business. We strive to balance the quality of our services and optimize how we use natural resources. Stewart continues to focus on digitizing the real estate transaction, reducing paper use and fossil fuel consumption, and reducing, reusing and recycling the materials used throughout our business processes.
Impacted the environment positively through digital document signings and paper recycling, resulting in over 1.3 million pounds of CO2 reduction[1]
[1] CO2 reduction based off date provided by our vendors DocuSign and Iron Mountain.
Managing Environmental Risks
We manage our company’s material risks, including environmental risk, through our Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) program. For our offices in areas with significant environmental risk, we have programs in place to ensure business continuity and minimal disruption for our employees. Our ERM program also emphasizes our responsibility as stewards of the environment.
We use our internal ERM process to determine our environmental risks. As an external reference, we have looked to the Sustainable Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Materiality Map® standards map which, corroborates that, as a company within the mortgage finance sector of the financial industry, Stewart’s environmental risks are not material.
Setting Leadership-Level Expectations
Stewart manages its environmental impact through the Environmental Management Committee that establishes expectations for the company in conjunction with leadership.
The committee meets regularly throughout the year and is responsible for:
- Monitoring world-wide climate disclosure requirements so we may effectively adhere to regulations in all our operational areas
- Providing a comprehensive assessment of all owned and leased spaces with a goal of reporting on all spaces with available environmental information
- Evaluating the environmental impacts of new offices before entering into leases
- Offering recommendations for reducing the company’s environmental impact
Working Toward a Positive Impact
We conduct our business in an environmentally responsible manner and have made progress in this area over the past several years. Being environmentally responsible is good for the planet, our customers and company. Our building and lease management and procurement teams make every effort to partner with companies and building owners committed to minimizing environmental impact. Here are examples of our efforts relating to energy efficiency and waste management across our offices:
- Prioritizing buildings that use environmentally efficient lighting and/or are LEED-certified when renewing leases
- Partnering with an R2 certified vendor to recycle and repurpose our IT equipment
- Contracting with a third-party partner who is committed to shredding and recycling in an environmentally responsible manner. We scan and digitize documents and retain them electronically when possible
- Prioritizing purchasing new hardware for our data center that is ENERGY STAR® compliant
- Offering environmentally friendly office supply alternatives through our national vendor
- Offering employees, through Stewart’s Commuter Expense Reimbursement Accounts, pretax contributions to pay for eligible public transportation and vanpooling expenses, promoting the reduction of emissions tied to daily commuting.
Our Houston home office building is LEED Gold rated, was energy certified in 2022 and is powered by 100% renewable energy. We have specific environmental standards in place, including:
- Energy, efficient lighting and motion sensors that turn off lights if they detect no movement
- Electric car charging stations in our parking garage
- Filtered water dispensers and recycled paper cups to reduce waste in our breakrooms
- Video conferencing and advanced AV technology to allow for greater use by remote workers and customers
Tracking Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Sustainably focused business practices help mitigate the impact of climate change. We comply with enacted legislation and monitor proposed regulations so that we are prepared to accumulate, validate and report on required climate disclosures in our domestic and international operations. Analyzing the results of compliance with these GHG emissions regulations will help us better understand Stewart’s full emissions footprint, inform vendor partners interactions and set future priorities.