We strive to minimize the environmental impact of our operations while supporting our clients’ sustainability initiatives. Currently, we are addressing the following key areas:
- Energy usage: When making new real-estate acquisitions, we take into consideration efficiency and sustainability certifications such, as LEED, as well as accessibility to mass transit. In existing facilities, we upgrade the infrastructure and actively monitor power consumption with advanced energy-saving measures such as high-efficiency lighting, cooling, heating, and smart-energy systems.
- Business travel: We promote smart, safe travel through our North America Travel program. The North America Travel team facilitates the reduction of business travel and commuting emissions, ensuring that the right tools are in place for every employee to make informed, sustainable decisions when it comes to travel. Advances in virtual collaboration technology have radically changed the way businesses operate, reducing the need for time-consuming and carbon-intensive business travel, and we work to ensure that our delivery teams are experts in not only the use of these tools but in effective virtual team practices and behaviors. We are also expanding our delivery centers of excellence around the region, further enabling effective delivery of leading-edge digital solutions from a remote location.
- Waste management: We provide recycling removal, and employ environmentally friendly disposal, and recycling of electronic equipment. We have implemented a swipe-to-print system in all North America sites to reduce paper waste, and all electronic equipment is recycled according to local legislation. In 2019, we replaced all single-use plastic products in our North America office kitchens and breakrooms with multi-use or biodegradable alternatives. Several of our largest sites now compost organic waste.
We have been commended for our approach to managing climate action this year, achieving a place on the CDP’s prestigious “A List” for climate change. CDP is a global non-profit group that studies environmental impact, and placing on its list recognizes our commitment to sustainability as part of our Architects of Positive Futures ambition.
Read our new report – The Sustainable Business Revolution – to find out why we believe businesses must pivot to an ecosystem approach to hit 2030 carbon targets, or find out more about our partnership with the World Climate Summit.
We are committed to cutting our carbon emissions and we are one of the first companies in our sector to have our carbon-reduction target validated by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi). This confirms that our goals are consistent with the global effort to keep average temperature increase well below the 2 degrees Celsius threshold agreed at the Cop21 climate conference in Paris.
Target: Reduce our carbon footprint per North America employee by 30% by 2030
- 4% reduction in emissions per North America employee since 2015
- 13% reduction in total North America business travel emissions since 2015
- 1% reduction in business travel emissions per North America employee since 2015
How will we reach our new ambition?
Our ambition to be net zero by 2030 is a significant step on our journey. As one of the first in our sector to set science-based targets, we are proud of our commitment to taking bold action on climate change, and earlier this year we achieved a place on the CDP’s prestigious A list in recognition for our approach and impact.