Sustainability in Deloitte Ireland

WorldClimate is our transformation to become a sustainable firm, with science-led targets for reducing our carbon footprint. This requires holistic thought and action, so we’re making sustainability central to how we work. We’re inspiring and empowering our people to own the change, collaborating with external partners, and sharing the experience with our clients.

Our Sustainability Commitments

Our environmental management system has been certified to ISO14001 since 2011 and during the last decade we have delivered numerous projects that addressed important environmental challenges including climate change, water consumption, waste management, resource consumption and biodiversity.

The launch of our global sustainability strategy, WorldClimate, in 2020 aims to drive responsible climate choices within our organization and beyond and we have made the following sustainability commitments:
 

Net-zero with 2030 goals

Deloitte has committed to set long-term emissions reduction targets using the SBTi’s Net Zero Standard. Our 2030 goals have been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) as 1.5°C-aligned, science-based targets.

Our near-term goals are to:

• Reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 70% by 2030 from a 2019 base year.
• Reduce Scope 3 GHG emissions from business travel 50% per FTE by 2030 from a 2019 base year.
• Engage with our major suppliers with the goal of having 67% (by emissions) set science-based targets by 2025.
• Invest in meaningful market solutions for emissions we cannot eliminate.

Our additional 2030 goals to reduce emissions include:

• Sourcing 100% renewable energy for our buildings
• Converting 100% of our fleet to hybrid and electric vehicles

Deloitte’s 2030 goals were validated in advance of the issuance of the SBTi Net-Zero Standard. Deloitte’s next step will be to set long-term emissions reduction targets following the SBTi standard to continue playing our part in achieving a net-zero world.

Embed Sustainability

Deloitte recognizes we must align our climate policies, practices, and actions across our organization, by:

• Designated a senior leader to be responsible for climate in each geography;
• Prioritising discussion of climate change on executive agendas;
• Embedding climate-smart considerations into operational decisions; and
• Continuing to report the organization’s annual emissions externally for transparency and accountability.

We are working to achieve our ambition across areas such as real estate, energy and resource efficiency, business travel, procurement and biodiversity etc.

• Embracing technology and flexible working that allows us to reduce the environmental impact of business travel
• Managing our food waste by reducing the amount of catering being ordered for meetings and being mindful when organising catering for events
• Working towards a plastic free workplace – including removal of single use plastic items from our canteens and making Deloitte Keep Cups available to all employees
• Understanding our supply chain and identifying more sustainable products options

Empowering our people

By engaging and educating our employees on climate change impacts—decisions about what they consume, use, and buy—we are committed to enabling our people to make positive climate choices at home and at work, and inspire climate conscious decisions across their networks. You can read more about how we are activating WorldClimate for our people here.

Engage ecosystems

In response to the ever-changing landscape surrounding sustainability and ESG (environmental, social, governance), Deloitte Ireland supports our clients to identify, assess, understand and navigate their sustainability risks in order to combat climate change and create opportunities.

Business in the Community Ireland’s Low Carbon Pledge

Business in the Community Ireland is supporting Ireland’s business sector in the transition to a low carbon economy with the Low Carbon Pledge – the first dedicated pledge generated by Irish business to set industry standards on sustainability and reduce carbon usage.

Initially launched in 2018 the pledge was enhanced in 2021. Deloitte Ireland renewed its commitment to the enhanced Pledge which asks signatory  companies to commit to set science- based carbon emissions reduction targets by 2024, which must include their entire carbon footprint (Scope 1, 2 & 3)  and be in line with the Paris Agreement and the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) findings.