IDP’s Sustainable Futures program aims to improve the lives of our customers and our teams across the world. Our annual Sustainable Futures action plans are informed by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to ensure our business is constantly working towards better environmental, social and governance outcomes in the communities where we operate. 

Two people making a real impact at IDP are Aman Tyagi, Manager, US Client Relations at IDP India and Thao Nguyen, People Experience and Administration Manager at IDP Vietnam. Both are passionate about sustainability and building a greener, fairer world. 

Aman’s focus has been on developing more sustainable processes for student applications and reflecting on ways to reduce emissions and waste across IDP. 

“Last year, I completed a course at NYU where I learned that sustainability can’t just be a once off practice, it needs to be completely entrenched in businesses, and I love helping IDP achieve that goal,” he said. 

“I’ve been working with IDP on projects to help reduce paper waste and emissions during the application process for Indian students wanting to study in the US. We’ve succeeded in moving 100 per cent of documents online and have transitioned counsellor certification to be fully digital as well.” 

For another project, Aman led IDP research to examine student’s sustainability mindsets and practices. The first survey aimed to understand the lifestyle and sustainable practices of almost 2,000 Indian students before they moved to the US to study.  

After the initial survey, IDP educated students on the importance of sustainability and, once they arrived in the US, they were exposed to more sustainable practices. 

“Three months later, we asked students the same questions to understand if their lifestyle and sustainable practices had changed since they arrived in the US,” Aman said. 

“The results were extraordinary. Students who were aware of sustainable living and best practices increased from 57.3 per cent while the students were living in India, to 94.3 per cent after three months in the US. 

“Even more pertinent was the significant increase in students participating in sustainability activities, from 26.7 per cent while they were in India to 51 per cent after three months in the US.

“These results suggest that the more education students receive around sustainability, the more important it becomes for them to maintain a sustainable lifestyle.”

Aman said the survey findings are supporting IDP to establish a Net Positive Impact (NPI) on the planet.

“At IDP, our focus has always been on creating and maintaining a positive environmental impact, in addition to achieving Net Zero” he said.

“By better understanding our customers through research like this, we can provide them with education and shape our operations to achieve this goal.”

In Ho Chi Minh, Thao has been leading several social sustainability initiatives with her team. Their major project was to establish the IDP Vietnam Foundation, which raises funds for local communities and supports disadvantaged children in Vietnam.

Thao says there has been a great response to the Foundation, and they’ve held several successful fundraising events.

“One of the most rewarding activities IDP Vietnam organised involved donating Christmas gifts to disadvantaged children, many of whom lived on the streets, in Vietnam,” she said.

“We even had a Santa Claus outfit to make the day more exciting for the kids, and employees’ children contributed their own toys – a lesson in the value of sharing something they love with others.

“Everyone was delighted to be involved in the day. It was a great opportunity for different teams to come together to connect and make a positive difference in our community.”

Aman and Thao are both excited to see their projects implemented in other regions around the world. For Thao, it’s about always looking for ways to integrate sustainability into her work practices and communities.

“We always ask ourselves ‘what can we do?’ We make sure every activity we work on has some link to sustainability and know that by starting small we can build something great,” she said.

To learn more about IDP’s Sustainable Futures initiative visit our website here.