Climate Change
Addressing the monumental significance of a changing climate on our clients, people, and communities requires us to continue improving our ability and the ability of our communities to work together with purpose. Climate change has the potential to transform how we move forward as a global society—making us uniquely placed to support this transition with our people's expertise and new technology capabilities.
Our role as a trusted partner relies on demonstrating our high accountability standards, whether through our environmental efforts or how we engage with our communities. We strive to comply with all applicable environmental laws and regulations and incorporate leading practices such as greenhouse gas reduction measures, efficient use of resources, and minimizing waste generation in our operations whenever possible. We develop innovative and sustainable solutions for our clients to address global challenges while promoting responsible consumption of resources in operating our business. In our 2021 ESG Report, we announced our commitment to set firmwide emissions targets in line with climate science that will enable us to achieve net zero GHG emissions by 2050.
Using FY20 as a baseline, we are developing a climate action plan that aligns with the rigorous criteria established by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and with the Paris Agreement's recommended 1.5°C threshold. Under the governance of our ESG Committee, we are addressing our emissions in line with both our short-term Science-Based Targets and our long-term net zero commitment through a formalized, cross-functional Climate Impact Initiative.
The Climate Impact Initiative is organized around four key objectives:
- Reduce our Scope 1 and 2 Emissions
- Engage with our value chain to reduce our Scope 3 emissions
- Partner with business leaders to integrate climate considerations in our strategy, value proposition, and business solutions
- Empower employee groups and engage with the community to influence climate action
We have prioritized our efforts to expand our emissions data management and are building awareness across the firm about how to further embed climate change into our strategic decision making. As part of this effort we are working to integrate climate risks across our organizational strategy and Enterprise Risk Management processes. We are reviewing the expectations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) to guide us in finalizing our climate risk assessment. Developed using data from key financial and facility systems as well as data from external platforms such as Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), our climate risk assessment tool is expanding to include health and safety of our people, securing our business operations, impact of local regulations, and facility operations and maintenance.
Tech Drives Climate Change Solutions
Building technology solutions to tackle climate change is the ultimate mission for Prachi Sukhatankar.
"This is the decade in which we need to change things dramatically to combat the impacts of climate change," says the vice president in Booz Allen's climate and infrastructure business.
Read more about Prachi and Booz Allen's climate change missionsFY22 Greenhouse Gas Emissions*
Progress on Greenhouse Gas Emissions*
*Our emissions methodology and calculations have been independently verified by Apex Companies, LLC. Note that due to rounding, numbers presented in this graphic may not add up precisely to the totals provided. Scope 1 Emissions from Fleet Vehicles and Stationary Combustion are negligible and therefore not pictured.
Most of our carbon footprint falls within Scopes 2 and 3 (our Scope 1 emissions from Fleet Vehicles and Stationary Combustion are negligible and therefore not pictured). Our U.S. and international real estate holdings comprise approximately 2.6 million square feet of leased space. We do not own or manage any of the buildings our people occupy; however, we structure our space selection process, lease agreements, workspace design, and telework capabilities to minimize energy use and resulting GHG emissions.
Accordingly, reported Scope 3 emissions represent over half of our total emissions. Given that, we recognize the need to assess and proactively engage with our value chain to reduce our emissions. While down roughly 75% from FY20, we saw an increase in air travel in FY22 compared to FY21 with the return of travel related to client support.
In 2015, we set targets to reduce our Scope 2 emissions per square foot and Scope 2 emissions per employee by 15% using a 2014 baseline by 2026 and achieved both goals well ahead of schedule.
In assessing our year-over-year GHG emissions, Scope 1 emissions are still negligible and are not affecting our reduction goals. Our FY21 emissions were significantly influenced by COVID-19, making a comparison of FY22 to FY21 less insightful than assessing FY22 to FY20 in relation to GHG reduction progress. Through this lens, our most demonstrable reduction has been in Scope 3, in which we saw a 76% decrease against FY20. Specifically, the Scope 3 category of business travel yielded a 66% reduction since FY20; however, as we begin to travel more to support our clients, we expect to see a natural increase in business travel.