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Climate Impact & Sustainability Data (2019, 2022)

Reporting Period: 2019

Environmental Metrics

Total Carbon Emissions:17,186 tCO2e/year (FY18)

Scope 1 Emissions:765 tCO2e/year (FY18)

Scope 2 Emissions:2,952 tCO2e/year (FY18)

Scope 3 Emissions:13,470 tCO2e/year (FY18)

Renewable Energy Share:Not disclosed

Total Energy Consumption:43,959,020 MJ/year (FY18)

Water Consumption:9,627 m3/year (partial data from 13 offices, FY18)

Waste Generated:43 tons of copy paper/year (FY18)

Carbon Intensity:2.970 tCO2e/FTE (FY18)

ESG Focus Areas

Business Ethics
Community Investment
Data Privacy & Information Security
Diversity & Inclusion
Employee Health & Well-being
Employee Training & Development
Environmental Sustainability
Responsible Procurement

Environmental Achievements

Decreased total carbon intensity (scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions) per full-time equivalent (FTE) by 28% since FY12
Reduced printing use by 28% in global offices, saving $500,000
Raised Chicago office waste diversion rate to 46% from 34% by recycling and organic composting
Purchased renewable energy credits that apply to scope 2 emissions for all operations in Europe, India, and the U.S.

Social Achievements

Launched Peakon employee engagement platform
Expanded suite of mental health and well-being support services
Established a global Diversity & Inclusion Council
Delivered diversity and inclusion training to more than 1,300 U.S. employees
Distributed a record $144,000 in community grants
Logged 24,850 hours of community engagement, equating to over $2.1 million in value
Women comprised 48% of local senior leadership positions globally in FY19 (51% in the U.S.)
Introduced breast milk shipping service for working mothers

Governance Achievements

Added a fourth Edelman value – The Commitment to Positively Impact Society
Introduced a responsible and sustainable procurement program including supplier diversity
Mandated diversity and inclusion training
Consolidated 10+ IT Security trainings to form one comprehensive module
62% of level 4+ employees received anti-corruption training in FY19

Climate Goals & Targets

Long-term Goals:

Realize a 15% reduction in scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions by 2025
Achieve 50% waste diversion in all Edelman offices by 2025

Medium-term Goals:

Realize a 10% reduction in scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 2022
Source 100% renewable electricity where available for all scope 2 emissions by 2022
Incorporate sustainability in selection criteria for business partners by 2022 (U.S.) and 2025 (worldwide)
Achieve 30% racial/ethnic workplace diversity in the U.S. by 2022

Short-term Goals:

Achieve 50% waste diversion in hub offices by 2020
Achieve 50% women in senior leadership positions globally by 2020
Deliver 50% of pro bono projects against five priority UN SDGs by 2021
Improve Peakon survey tool’s well-being engagement measure by 0.5 percentage points by 2020

Environmental Challenges

Reaching 50% women in senior leadership positions globally (though 48% was achieved in FY19)
Reaching 10% spend goal with diverse suppliers
C-score still short of objective (6.6 out of 10)
Increase in absolute scope 1, 2 and 3 global carbon emissions by 18% vs. FY17, driven by business air travel

Mitigation Strategies

Applying a bottom-up and top-down approach to building trust in citizenship
Empowering employees to lead local initiatives
Implementing a vendor management system
Developing a supplier diversity pilot program
Implementing measures to reduce emissions from business air travel (centralized travel booking system, “green” hotels, pilot program to reduce air travel)

Supply Chain Management

Supplier Audits: 53 suppliers participated in Phase 1 and 2 of supplier engagement program (FY19)

Responsible Procurement

Code of Ethics for Suppliers and Services Providers
Environmental Policy
Sustainable Procurement Policy
Supplier diversity program

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Physical Risks

Not disclosed

Transition Risks

Regulatory changes
Market shifts
Carbon tax implementation

Opportunities

Development of energy-efficient products and services

Reporting Standards

Frameworks Used: GRI Standards: Core option, UN Global Compact, TCFD

Certifications: Carbon Trust Standard, EcoVadis Gold rating

Third-party Assurance: Not disclosed

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being
Goal 4: Quality Education
Goal 5: Gender Equality
Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities
Goal 13: Climate Action

Edelman's initiatives contribute to these goals through pro bono work, community investment, diversity and inclusion programs, and environmental sustainability efforts.

Sustainable Products & Innovation

Not disclosed

Awards & Recognition

Working Mother Magazine’s Best Places to Work
AdAge’s Best Places to Work
Great Places to Work’s Best Workplaces in Canada and Best Workplace for Mental Wellness in Canada
Human Rights Campaign’s Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality
Gender Fair company
National Association for Female Executives Top Company for Executive Women
Kancil Award (Malaysia)

Reporting Period: 2022

Environmental Metrics

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

Most B2B companies are planning for an economic downturn in 2023, making it challenging to get the attention of decision-makers and pass the procurement process.
Products and services deemed non-critical will likely be the first to be cut during an economic downturn.
Stricter procurement processes require proving value to prospective customers.
Oversaturation of thought leadership content makes it difficult to capture customer attention.

Mitigation Strategies

High-quality thought leadership is identified as an effective tool to demonstrate value during tough economic times.
Thought leadership should offer a strong, data-backed point of view on how to succeed during a downturn.
Improving the quality and measurability of thought leadership is crucial.
Focusing on thought leadership that is finely tuned to economic realities and a customer's industry.