Clean Air Day: Environmental sustainability in the accountancy industry
Clean Air Day is all about promoting how we can improve our air quality and look after our own and others' health
In recognition of National Clean Air Day, Accountancy Age took a look at what the top accountancy firms are doing for the environment.
KPMG
The Big Four firm has pledged to be environmentally conscious in both its own internal operations and in the services it supplies to clients.
The firm’s environmental aims include reducing their energy consumption, avoiding unnecessary travel, minimising waste, reporting emissions transparently, and creating sustainable offices.
Specific initiatives include the introduction of compositing at the Canada Square office, teaching employees about DEFRA’s pollinator strategy, and a target to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020 (from a 2010 start).
EY
EY believes that environmental sustainability is vital to their business because it’s important to their people, resonates with clients, and also adds value to their supply chain.
Its main areas of focus when it comes to the environment is the business’s carbon footprint, its energy consumption, business travel, and waste management.
By 2020, the firm aims to reduce waste generated per head by 10%, from 2015. It also wants to totally eliminate landfill in any office where EY controls the building services and local waste recycling facilities. Water is also big on the agenda, with targets around managing water consumption in offices.
Deloitte
Deloitte recognises that, as a global company, its work has an impact on the environment, so it has promised to play its role in environmental stewardship.
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Its sustainability policy has two sides to it. There’s initiatives it has introduced across its worldwide network to reduce the environmental impact of Deloitte’s people as well as services Deloitte member firms deliver to clients in order to advance sustainability practices.
The top firm has some strong examples of where it has worked to improve the environment. Completed in 2014, The Edge, Deloitte’s Amsterdam building, was hailed as the world’s greenest office building.
PwC
PwC have shown their commitment to environmental stewardship, focusing on their own footprint as well as working with clients and advocating for change.
This year PwC’s Network Environmental Statement is focused on reducing energy usage from their offices and air travel, which are its greatest source of emissions.
It also supports its clients in their environmental efforts. For example it helped PUMA become the world’s first company to produce an environmental profit and loss account.
