Happy Earth Day!
We are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Earth Day by announcing some big commitments with people and the planet in mind. In late 2019, our sustainability team decided to undergo a significant transformation and focus on organizational change. We had the tools and resources to accurately report customer emissions; however, we needed to have the same tools to accurately measure our own emissions. Further, we focused too much on the environment and not enough on social responsibility. This renewed focus on organizational change guides us as we embed environmental and social responsibility beyond our service segments and into our company culture.
Our First ESG Report
We were quite optimistic, entering 2020 with the completion of our first Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) report called FORWARDTM. The report outlines our governance, materiality matrix, the methods and technology used to measure our customer’s supply chain emissions, and the data behind our own emissions. Though complications from the coronavirus pandemic slowed our progress into making organizational change, we were still able to hold our first ESG governance committee virtually. This committee is in the beginning stages of developing ways to improve our most important 2020 initiatives: data collection, reporting standards, and employee engagement.
ESG Goals and Targets
With our 2020 initiatives in mind, we are designing a project plan that includes participation from all departments and regions. This includes representation from all 61 branches across 28 countries. It is important for us to find employees who are passionate about sustainability so they can communicate their office’s environmental and social needs and opportunities.
Tim Sether, Chief Financial Officer and ESG Executive Sponsor says, “We will continue our exploration into sustainable development, this time with a strategic commitment to aggressive climate-based goals. We hope that all employees will join us in making thoughtful decisions that positively impact the world we live in”.
To align our commitments with unified, global action, we looked to the UN-led Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We identified six goals that complemented our business for the greatest impact: gender equality, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, decent work and economic growth, reduced inequalities, and responsible consumption and production. We are in the UN’s Decade of Action (2020-2030), a time to take ambitious action. More governments, civil society, and businesses must mobilize to accelerate sustainable solutions to solve the world’s biggest challenges.