KPMG: Our Impact Plan

The past year has been difficult for many of us. Personally and professionally, we’ve learnt many important lessons. One of the most important, in my opinion, is the recognition that building a sustainable future won’t just happen on its own. There are significant fault lines in society which, if left unchecked, will continue to impede our collective pursuit of a brighter future for all. These fault lines include some major challenges, such as climate change, growing inequity and systemic racism that we need to act on together.

The good news is that people, and businesses, are taking action. KPMG is no exception, which is why I am proud that this week we unveiled Our Impact Plan—the first time our organization has brought together all of its environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments under one umbrella.

Our plan contains our commitments and sets out how we will measure our performance and progress across four important categories: Planet, People, Prosperity and Governance. It is modelled, in part, on the metrics included in Measuring Stakeholder Capitalism, a report we helped create with the World Economic Forum and its International Business Council along with other Big Four accounting firms. In short, it’s a roadmap of our journey to become more sustainable and socially impactful.

In 2020 we took some important steps on this journey. We have pledged to become net-zero carbon by 2030. We also created a Collective Action Plan, drafted with input and participation from thousands of our colleagues, which will set goals for workplace diversity and equality, while also updating our global Code of Conduct and refreshing our Values.

I am committed to sharing our ESG journey—where we’re doing well and where we have work to do, in an open and transparent way. Our Impact Plan will make us more accountable to all our stakeholders, more responsible for our actions, and ultimately, an even better organization for our people and a better business for our clients. 

Measurement instills accountability, and by design, Our Impact Plan maps our trajectory. It includes our initial disclosures against the majority of the Measuring Stakeholder Capitalism metrics and forms a baseline from which we will work. We know we need to do more—and the data allows us to focus on how to do that. It will help accelerate the work we need to do to have a more positive impact on the world. We will work to make sure we live up to our mandates, providing updates along the way. That way you know where we are and where we need to go.

We are privileged as a firm. Working with clients large and small around the world, KPMG has a responsibility to not only be part of a solution to the difficult months that lie ahead, but also an opportunity to help build a more sustainable and equitable future for all, for generations to come.

I listened to Amanda Gorman, a young and talented poet, so eloquently speak at the inauguration of the new US President. Not only was I inspired, I was also struck by the frankness of her words when she recited “we know our inaction and inertia will be the inheritance of the next generation.” With the world where it is, Our Impact Plan is a modest contribution, but an important one for our organization which hopefully sets us on a path to help provide and support some solutions that can bring a positive, equitable and sustainable future.

Progress needs to start somewhere, and we look forward to strengthening our commitments and reporting our progress openly and transparently over the months and years to come, while helping others start their own journey. 

Together, we can and will change for better.