Minimising the harmful effects of operations should be a leading priority for any global company, and we're committed to reducing emissions by 21% by 2023. We were the first accountancy firm in the world to set science-based targets to reduce our environmental impact, and our commitment is to reach real net-zero by 2050 without relying on offsetting.
We also set ambitious environmental impact targets, and operational and behavioural changes that benefit our planet are an ongoing focus.
Our team of environmental champions across the UK help to educate, drive change and encourage positive behaviours, which all help us to meet our targets.
Right now, our main areas for impact reduction are waste and recycling, business travel, energy and paper. Offices around the country are driving change through a variety of initiatives. Our teams identify ways in which we can all reduce our consumption and make small changes to make a big difference.
Coffee grounds and paper cups
In Northampton, we work with The Hope Centre to repurpose used coffee grounds as fertiliser. The charity's gardens are thriving thanks to our team’s commitment to caffeine.
Since 2018, we’ve been eliminating the use of paper cups in our offices by replacing them with mugs and glasses.
Switch off and save
Leaving devices like monitors or laptops plugged in on standby still uses a significant amount of electricity. A PC monitor left on overnight uses the same energy as printing 800 pages of A4 paper. Turning your computer off at the end of the day is a tiny behavioural change, but when everyone does it, every day, the impact is massive. We encourage all our people to say goodbye to stand by.
Crunch time for climate
Britain loves crisps, but crisp packets can last for over 30 years in the sea. Offices around the UK have joined the TerraCycle recycling scheme to reduce this kind of waste.
Tech for good
As a firm, we have shifted to new ways of working, have reviewed our need to travel and focused on low impact methods when essential. By using the tools we have available, we have also reduced paper consumption per person by over 30% in the past two years.
We have virtualised our company cloud and are working with experts to capture our digital carbon footprint.
Suppliers
Our supply chain has a broad reach, and we are fortunate to work with many great companies who provide their goods and services. Our cleaners in London have eliminated almost all chemicals from use. Instead, they are using a system that provides water charged with electricity to clean.
Engaging our people
Our strong network of Environmental Champions stretches all around our firm, meeting regularly and successfully running initiatives at a local level. We have held events to engage all team members such as screenings of Our Planet: Our Business.
We have set science-based targets, verified and published by the Science Based Targets initiative, and have already made significant progress in reducing our emissions.
Search engines powering change
All our people have the choice to change their default search engine to Ecosia – a search engine with benefits.
Ecosia shows how business can be a force for good. They have used the revenue generated from ads to plant over 105 million native and biodiverse trees in countries where they are needed most - so using Ecosia as our main search engine benefits people, environments and economies.
Ecosia is also a privacy-focused search engine. They anonymise and encrypt your searches, don't use third-party tracking tools, and don't sell your data to advertisers. This simple, firm-wide change takes a behaviour with no or negative impact and uses it for good.
We're planting trees while we search the web
Shifting the refugee narrative from challenge to opportunity
Profit should not be the sole measure of a successful business
