麻豆无码版

One example of a company helped by consultants to think in a more sustainable way is health technology company Philips. The Dutch firm has pledged to generate a quarter of its revenue from 鈥渃ircular鈥� products, services and solutions by 2025, and to offer a trade-in on all professional medical equipment. Accenture helped devise a strategy to help it and its customers reduce their emissions by one million tons of carbon by 2025 鈥� equivalent to 2 percent of Switzerland鈥檚 total carbon emissions.

鈥濿e supported them in assessing the business case behind more ambitious climate actions. The leadership needs numbers and business rationale when committing to more ambitious actions and implicated investments,鈥� said Christian Meyer-Bretschneider, director for sustainability at Accenture Strategy.

Accenture also helped carmaker focus its ESG strategy on four major topics from an original 18, setting easily understandable ambitions and key performance indicators (KPIs) for each area including decarbonization, circular economy, human rights in business and workforce transformation.

鈥濶owadays, many companies want to go beyond compliance and actually improve competitive advantage,鈥� Meyer-Bretschneider said.

estimates that more than 1,500 businesses worldwide, representing over 10 trillion euros in revenue and 19.3 million employees 鈥� including in carbon-intensive sectors 鈥� have set themselves net zero targets. The number of companies disclosing their emissions footprint has grown to more than 50 percent of global market capitalization. However, Accenture has predicted that 93 percent of the major companies that have committed to net zero targets will fail to achieve their goals if they don鈥檛 at least double the pace of emissions reduction by 2030. Bolstering its pitch to help them do that, Accenture said companies require 鈥榗arbon intelligence鈥� capabilities to embed carbon and broader ESG strategies into their core businesses and across their value chains.

Sustainability vs the bottom line

But many companies are still resistant. While over three-quarters of investors think companies should make decisions that lead to sustainable, long-term value creation even at the expense of short-term earnings shortfalls, only around half of finance leaders are prepared to take this long-term stance, according to a recent survey published by EY.

It is perhaps not surprising that finance chiefs are focusing on protecting the bottom line rather than sustainability in the current tough economic times. However, Jordanova of Plan A said the bigger firms are still committed to reducing emissions. 鈥淟arger businesses are doubling down, smaller businesses are not as engaged.鈥� Whether they are reacting to the stick or the carrot, the fact that many companies are suddenly trying to at least seem to be green, means that demand for all kinds of consultancy services has exploded. While big players like EY can offer end-to-end solutions, many smaller start-ups are focusing on pieces of the puzzle, such as providing software to measure emissions.

鈥淭here is not much expert knowledge to go around鈥� everybody is needed,鈥� said Hannah Stringham, head of communications for Right, a Frankfurt-based firm which helps companies measure their carbon footprint. 鈥淭here is an increased awareness of financial risk, exposure to regulation, fear of reputational damage and the impacts of climate change.鈥� Given the shortage of skills, the big consulting firms are spending heavily on hiring more environmental experts, while also training existing staff, and buying up smaller players. The big consultancies have all bought up smaller rivals of late. EY鈥檚 Huber predicts there will eventually be a shakeout, especially in carbon auditing when regulators agree on more standardised measurements and reporting requirements. Then players like SAP and Microsoft are most likely to come out on top, he says.

Despite the consolidation in the sector, Verdantix analyst Taylor still sees a big opportunity for boutique providers. 鈥淕lobal players are yet to invest comprehensively in several key areas of climate consulting services, including carbon offset project development. Independent players will continue to thrive in the market, due to the highly business- and geography-specific demands for climate consulting services,鈥� Taylor said.

Shailendra Singh is the chief executive of SustainMantra, a consultancy advising small and medium-sized businesses in India. 鈥淲ithout smaller companies adapting, it doesn鈥檛 matter if the big multinationals get it right,鈥� he said, noting that the supply chains of major players are made up of smaller companies. 鈥淢ost owners of small companies don鈥檛 want to show that they don鈥檛 know what to do. We build comfort and trust, and tell them what they don鈥檛 know." While some consulting firms are buying in expertise through acquisitions, others are putting a focus on training existing staff. McKinsey, Bain & Company, and Deloitte have all announced ESG training programmes for employees in recent months. And major business schools are adjusting their offerings to include more climate modules.

Meanwhile, BCG , recently announcing an internship program for up to 12 weeks. The 鈥渧isiting activists鈥� will immediately have the opportunity to advise companies on sustainability and environmental protection.

Richard Roberts, who works for UK climate consultancy Volans, is worried by that development. 鈥淭he place we most need climate activists now is in frontline politics, deciding the laws that govern the market economy, not advising businesses on environmental, social and governance issues,鈥� he wrote in a letter to the Financial Times. 鈥淲e鈥檙e never going to change that if all the climate activists become management consultants.鈥�

Many climate activists remain suspicious. They note that consultancies are often still paid to protect the status quo, focusing on maximising profits rather than the health of the planet. Consultants continue to advise carbon-heavy industries on ways to appear more sustainable, while helping them lobby against the legislation aimed at forcing them to clean up.

One consultant, who declined to be quoted, admitted his firm had helped a major energy company with a campaign that sought to make it look like it was more committed to reducing emissions than it really was, even though it had advised the client it would backfire. 鈥淲e tell clients we don鈥檛 believe you should do this but you will see for yourself after two years and then you have to reverse course. It is like letting a child put their hand on a hot stove and they learn themselves.鈥�

Greenwashing advice

BCG, a major provider of advice to the oil and gas industry, has faced allegations of greenwashing for its sponsorship of U.N. COP climate change summits, including the one planned next year in the United Arab Emirates.

鈥淭he UAE and other Middle Eastern countries need to present a much greener image to the world if they are going to get away with carrying on with oil and gas,鈥� said Pascoe Sabido of campaign group . BCG has been helping governments in the region promote the idea of developing more 鈥�, but Sabido sees that as a red herring: 鈥淯ltimately it is a big front for continued oil and gas consumption.鈥�

BCG has said it will continue to advise polluting industries as long as they commit to their own decarbonisation targets. CEO Christoph Schweizer told the FT that the group already earns more advising on sustainability than it does in the oil and gas sector, adding the one sector it refuses to work on is coal, unless it is asked to help decommission a mine.

EY鈥檚 Huber defends working with dirty sectors: 鈥淚f everyone tries to avoid the big emitters, the emissions will still be there. Yes, let鈥檚 work with them but be purposeful and don鈥檛 do greenwashing. What is bad about an oil company committing to real targets?鈥�

McKinsey employees demand real climate action

Last year, the reported that more than 1,100 employees of McKinsey had signed an open letter to the firm鈥檚 top partners, urging them to disclose how much carbon their clients emit. 鈥淭he climate crisis is the defining issue of our generation,鈥� nearly a dozen McKinsey consultants wrote in the letter. 鈥淥ur positive impact in other realms will mean nothing if we do not act as our clients alter the earth irrevocably.鈥�

Mike Forsythe, the journalist who wrote that article as well as a about a raft of scandals involving McKinsey, told 麻豆无码版 that the company鈥檚 efforts on sustainability were undermined by continuing to advise oil and coal firms. 鈥淐ompanies like McKinsey have done some very important work in the field, but it is totally undermined by their work for the big polluters, which our reporting found adds megatons of carbon into the atmosphere,鈥� he said.

has said it will continue to work with 鈥渉ard-to-abate鈥� industries like energy, shipping and agriculture: 鈥淪ociety cannot deliver necessary carbon reductions without engaging with the industries that need to transition the most,鈥� it said in a statement.

One former McKinsey consultant said the answer was not necessarily to stop consultancy firms from working with polluting industries, but to regulate the sector, for example by demanding that consulting firms account for the emissions of the companies they advise in disclosures, particularly as a requirement for winning public contracts, and creating frameworks for privately held institutions such as consulting firms, PR firms, or law firms that include the emissions impact of their advisory practices in carbon disclosures or ESG reports. 鈥淭hey need incentives and costs to move away from their fossil fuel portfolios or put real restrictions on the types of work they are able to do with such clients. At the moment, they shop their relationships with regulators as a reason to be hired by polluting clients, and with regulators use confidentiality to protect themselves from disclosing obvious conflicts of interest or potentially damaging client work鈥�

Sabido from Corporate Europe Observatory agrees. 鈥淐onsultancies are also lobbying. And they are also working for governments and using what they鈥檝e learned working for governments with private clients,鈥� Sabido said. 鈥淚f they are working with fossil fuel companies, they shouldn鈥檛 get public contracts.鈥�