Empowering our individuals to make an impact through GikiZero
To empower our people to take action we partnered with GikiZero, a website and mobile app designed to help people learn about the environmental impact of their everyday actions. This facilitates purpose driven action leading to more environmentally conscious decisions and embedding sustainability into everyday routines.
Taking practical steps towards our WorldClimate commitments, empowering individuals to commit to reducing their carbon footprint
We can achieve great things when we all work together. This has never been more relevant than when addressing the climate crisis. In the last few months alone we’ve seen the devastating impacts of climate change - extreme heat, floods and wildfires, across the world. These will only continue and we will see rising sea levels, and many other environmental catastrophes if temperature rises by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.
GikiZero is a mobile app and website designed to help people play their part and take action. With the GikiZero app, individuals can opt for reduced carbon lifestyles by committing to simple steps in their daily routines. The app helps people to understand their carbon footprint. It has plenty of steps users can take to travel more sustainably, reduce their digital pollution, and save energy. The app suggests personalised steps for every lifestyle and budget.
“Empowering Individuals” is a core pillar of our WorldClimate strategy. As part of this, we rolled out GikiZero to our people across the island of Ireland. Deloitte’s partnership with GikiZero, helps to empower our people to understand and reduce their carbon footprint. Through GikiZero our people joined a community with lessons, leaderboards and collective achievements together with their colleagues.
The first North South Europe-wide (NSE) challenge launched in February 2023, using GikiZero to activate and engage our people in WorldClimate priorities. These included issues like sustainable delivery, sustainable food choices and nature. Deloitte Ireland was the leading member firm with 122 climate-action steps taken by our people. We came third overall in next NSE-wide “Earth Month” challenge during the month of April.
The most recent GikiZero challenge was “plastic free month.” According to GikiZero, global plastic use has quadrupled in the last 30 years with most of it made from crude oil or gas. It is damaging both to animals and the planet. Half of the 400 million tonnes of plastic produced annually is single use and takes hundreds of years to decompose. When this plastic finds its way into rivers and oceans, it can be fatal to animals and damaging to the environment.
The Plastic Detox Challenge was a five-day sustainability challenge with Deloitte Ireland placing first again across NSE Deloitte member firms. During this time, there was a 4% increase in GikiZero members across the NSE network.
In the Republic of Ireland, almost 200 members have signed up on GikiZero. This commitment equated to a reduction of 51,715 Kg in carbon emissions, 1,550,235 litres of water saved, 17,915 m2 less land needed and 6,459 items of single use plastic saved. Deloitte Ireland colleagues committed to 510 steps for greenhouse gas emission reductions.
It is important that we continue to find ways to engage our people and give them the tools to live environmentally responsible lives. Everyone has a role to play in the collective challenge of saving our planet. By providing individuals with an accessible, decision-making tool to assess their individual actions we can achieve a greater collective impact.
The Giki app has helped by making my choices more data driven and monitorable. By calculating my initial carbon footprint, I was able to visualise where I should concentrate my effort to make the biggest impact.
Deloitte Giki user, Matteo Baschieri
The Giki app has definitely helped, primarily in informing me of new ways in which I can incorporate sustainability into my life. For example, I had never before considered whether my bank or pension company invest money sustainably.
Deloitte Giki user, Ciara Fennessy
Key Contacts
Caitlin Flanagan
WorldClimate Sustainability Lead