Road to net zero: how we walk the talk at EY

9 Dec 2021
Mikko Äijälä
By Mikko Äijälä

Country Managing Partner, Nordic Strategy and Transactions, EY Finland

Managing Partner at EY Finland. Mikko has an extensive experience of around 20 years on both domestic and foreign transaction advisory.

9 Dec 2021
Related topics Sustainability
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Climate change is an irrefutable scientific fact, and it will cause irreparable damage unless we take urgent action.

EY is at the forefront of sustainable business: in 2021, we achieved the carbon negative target we set as part of our carbon ambition, and we are now working hard to achieve net zero by the end of 2025.

Businesses that can do more will need to do more to meet the targets of the Paris Agreement. EY’s resources, technology and capabilities have enabled us to take immediate action and make a significant difference. It is not only the right thing to do but will also enable us to help others do the same.

Climate strategy defined by our carbon ambition

Organizations need to think about how they can decrease their carbon footprint and encourage their partners as well as suppliers to do the same. At EY, we are actively reducing our absolute emissions in line with the 1.5°C pathway validated by the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). To achieve our carbon ambition, we have set an aggressive target to significantly reduce our emissions by 40% through seven key actions by 2025. This represents one of the most ambitious decarbonization plans not only in professional services, but also across global industries.   

We continue to invest in our services and solutions to help our clients resolve sustainability-related challenges and take on new opportunities. Our greatest impact on the climate will be made by collaborating with others and helping our clients decarbonize and create value from sustainability.

To deliver is to measure

Delivering on these targets also means we must measure them. In the future, companies will be liable to provide completely transparent data and reporting. At EY, we strive to be pioneers in transparent reporting. We advocate sustainability reporting and support the call for a global baseline for ESG disclosures.

Since its creation in 2019, our global purpose-led NextWave strategy has been the catalyst to transform the way we do things. This year, we decided to advance the way we measure and report the value we create. This resulted in the country-specific sustainability reports in the Nordics, where we have expanded our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting to cover both the World Economic Forum’s International Business Council (WEF-IBC) Stakeholder Capitalism Metrics as well as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards. The reports also support the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) framework, making our reporting extensive and transparent.

While our journey toward net zero is well on its way, we cannot achieve our targets alone. EY’s initiatives are part of a network of innumerable global actions that should be taken across businesses, sectors and country borders. We want to cooperate with like-minded partners and help our clients and other organizations take the necessary steps toward more sustainable business. It’s time to walk the talk!

Nordic sustainability reports

Denmark| Finland | Norway | Sweden

Summary

Businesses that can do more will need to do more to meet the targets of the Paris Agreement. Organizations need to think about how they can decrease their carbon footprint and encourage their partners as well as suppliers to do the same. At EY, we decided to advance the way we measure and report the value we create, resulting in the country-specific sustainability reports in the Nordics.

About this article

Mikko Äijälä
By Mikko Äijälä

Country Managing Partner, Nordic Strategy and Transactions, EY Finland

Managing Partner at EY Finland. Mikko has an extensive experience of around 20 years on both domestic and foreign transaction advisory.

Related topics Sustainability
Upvote