WorldClimate

We’ve set a net zero commitment. We’re transforming our business. And we’re empowering our people to help create a better future.

This is our plan.

Our workplace

The buildings we work in, the products we use. It all adds up. We’re changing the way we run things to reduce our carbon footprint and operate more sustainably.

Real estate

Refurbishments

Our real estate teams embed sustainability and wellbeing considerations in all office refurbishments. The fit-outs of our new Zurich headquarters, Prime 2, have been certified LEED Gold, and our two main regional offices (Geneva and Basel) are located in buildings constructed according to the MINERGIE standards.

Locations

We’re optimising the size and location of our workspaces to better support our hybrid operating model.

Operations

We have reduced our utilities use, improving our energy and water efficiency through operational enhancements and investment. We also make sure this happens in parallel with our work to optimise the environmental conditions in our workspaces, as it’s key they remain healthy and productive for our colleagues.

Renewable electricity

Since 2020, we have procured 100% renewable electricity across our estate and will continue to do so. Looking forward, we’ll support the creation of new renewables capacity at NSE level by establishing a long-term renewables power purchase agreement.

Waste reduction

We continue to reduce the amount of waste we produce and minimise the creation of plastic, food and single-use waste through our operations and hosted events.

Resource efficiency

We’ll increase our recycling rates to over 75% and send zero waste to landfill. We’ll also support the circular economy by prioritising suppliers that use less virgin materials in their products and have designed them to be repurposed or recycled at end-of-life. We also have selected a responsible catering company for our headquarters that uses seasonal and local produces in their lunch offer and we have implemented programmes to further reduce food waste. In 2021, we also introduced 100 per cent recycled paper.

Our supply chain

Emissions within our supply chain account for around 70% of our carbon footprint. Working with our suppliers to positively affect change is one of the most impactful ways we can make a difference.

Suppliers

At least 67% of our global supply chain will have set 1.5^oC aligned, science-based carbon reduction targets by 2025. To deliver on this commitment we will encourage our key suppliers to accurately measure and publicly report their carbon emissions, and prioritise those that have set an approved science-based target and can demonstrate progress.

Products & services

Our sustainability impacts go beyond carbon. We’re mapping environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks across our supply chain so we can incentivise responsible practices when we purchase products and services.

We also appreciate the critical importance of nature and will quantify our biodiversity impacts to inform how we can become nature positive.

Our way of working

Reimagining the way we deliver our services – from the technology we use to how we get from A to B – is an essential part of our transformation.

Sustainable delivery

We want working sustainably to be the default way of doing business with Deloitte.

That’s why we’re introducing a Sustainable Delivery Clause, our commitment to work hand in hand with clients to find more sustainable ways of working. From prioritising virtual collaboration, to choosing the most sustainable ways to travel when meeting in person for the moments that really matter.

We believe that collectively we can drive positive change. That’s why we’re changing how we do business.

Business travel

We’ll reduce our travel emissions by 50% per person by using our sustainable delivery framework to optimise how we deliver international projects. Our new travel policy is also helping achieve our goal by placing sustainability on the same level as employee experience and cost. We have also invested further in tools that will enable seamless, virtual collaboration with our clients and colleagues.

IT

We’ll minimise our digital footprint by placing sustainability requirements into major IT contracts that reduce the impact of a product’s manufacture, use or disposal. We minimise our digital pollution through use of collaboration tools and, in Switzerland, we use eco-responsible data centre providers who operate carbon-neutral data centres and sources 100% of renewable energy. When our electrical devices have reached the end of their lifetime, we donate or sell them to a certified supplier to give them a new life. What can’t be used is shipped to a licensed handler for eWaste recycling.

Personal travel

We provide incentives for employees to use public transport, encourage the use of low-carbon mobility options and offer Deloitte bikes in the Zurich, Geneva and Basel offices.

Net zero is our long-term objective. This will require us to reduce our emissions as fast as we can, in line with the SBTI Corporate Net-Zero Standard.

While we decarbonise our business, we will support ‘beyond value chain mitigation’ through a selection of programmes ranging from the purchase of carbon credits generated by projects aligned with our Purpose agenda to enabling or investing in activities that accelerate societal decarbonisation.

Our people

Our people care about climate change and want to be part of the solution. That’s why we’re empowering each and every one of them to do exactly that.

Leadership

We understand that meaningful change takes dedicated leadership and accountability. Our strategy considers the climate-related risks and opportunities facing our business, the programme is sponsored by our Board and Executive, and our Chief Sustainability Officer and the WorldClimate Team are responsible for its success. In Switzerland, we have also introduced sustainability-related performance objectives for all our partners.

Advocacy

Our firm is full of people who are passionate about protecting the planet. To harness this energy we are creating a network of climate champions, giving them more support to advocate the importance of climate action, adopt new ways of working and hold us to account.

Training

We’re raising our colleagues’ awareness of the impacts of climate change and how the net zero transition will benefit the global economy, such as via our mandatory global WorldClimate learning, and multiple dedicated sustainability & climate learning programmes. We’re also sharing regular sustainability-related insights across our communications channels, so our stakeholders better understand how to take action.

Recognition & reward

Every aspect of our employee journey will reinforce the importance of climate action, from updating roles and responsibilities to include ESG metrics, to recognising colleagues for their contribution to our sustainability agenda and linking performance to ESG.

Ecosystems

No person or organisation can solve the climate crisis alone. We are using our networks and our skills to develop cross-sector alliances through which we can accelerate the global transition to a low-carbon future.

Seed innovation

Innovation will be key to solving the climate crisis. We will help identify and support game-changing environmental innovations, such as through our role as a Global Alliance Member of The Earthshot Prize, the most prestigious environmental prize in history.

Scale solutions

We will develop partnerships that allow us to accelerate the trial and uptake of new climate solutions. One example is our work around food systems. Food, agriculture and land use activities generate 24% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, so we are supporting the roll-out of pilot food waste initiatives across Europe and the Middle East.

Build skills

To transition to a sustainable, regenerative economy, every sector will need to develop new technical skills. We are developing alliances to enable us help identify these gaps and create long-term strategies to fill them.