Our ESG Impact
At the heart of our operations lies a dedication to the environment, society, and firm governance, shaping the way we do business for a sustainable and socially responsible future. Whether we call this ESG or Sustainability or Corporate Responsibility does not really matter – it’s an ethos and belief that underpins how we’ve worked historically without ever putting a name to it, and that in recent years we’ve articulated more proactively as an element at the core of our strategy to drive impact.
Making an impact at OC&C goes beyond business success—it reflects our dedication to creating enduring positive change for the world around us. As a Certified B Corporation™, we recognise the interconnectedness of our actions with the well-being of the environment, society, and our stakeholders. We strive to not only meet high ESG standards but work diligently toward exceeding them.
Our OC&C ESG Report 2023 highlights our progress and actions to date, from committing to set ambitious emission reduction targets across our 13 globally integrated offices, to helping our clients and pro-bono partners tackle complex problems with the very best strategic advice. We’re determined to make a tangible impact and are honest with ourselves – and the broader community – about what we can do to keep improving.
Access our Latest ESG Impact Report
Our APPROACH
We seize opportunities to champion ESG initiatives through three outlets: OC&C’s internal operations, pro bono work for community partners, and our quintessential commercial work for clients. Each of these spans environmental, social and governance-minded principles – and all have seen exciting growth.
OC&C’s initiatives aren’t propelled by a specific team or corporate headquarters. Virtually every member of our global team chooses to actively contribute, whether driving a non-profit’s mission forward via a pro bono project, amplifying the reach of our in-house diversity networks, structuring and prioritising opportunities for our clients to minimize their carbon footprint, and much more.
our planet
Environmental sustainability stands as a cornerstone in our corporate strategy, deeply embedded in the way we try to work every day.
Historically, we have taken action because it was the right thing to do – without us necessarily having a centrally guided ESG strategy. In recent years, we’ve adopted a more systematic approach, enabling us to set effective targets and meticulously track our progress. Whilst we measure our environmental impact quite broadly, our most important metric within this pillar is that of greenhouse gas emissions. In recent years, we’ve worked with carbon accountants Normative to put together a detailed understanding of our footprint, which you can find in our latest ESG Report.
Yet measurement is not enough. Moving forward, we’ve committed to reducing our carbon emissions both short and long-term, guided by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). We’ve set a goal for net-zero emissions in our value chain by no later than 2050, aligning with the Business Ambition for 1.5°C and UNFCCC Race to Zero campaign.
While carbon reduction is the primary ambition, we’re also taking responsibility for emissions that we’ll invariably have on our route to net zero. We’re consciously navigating the complex world of offsetting with a strategic carbon removal plan. Balancing permanent removals and community-benefiting offsets is key, and our partners Klimate and Gold Standard guide our portfolio selection for impact across diverse geographies. We believe that supporting permanent carbon removal is critical for the industry to scale and meet global needs. We could wait until there is a more proven and cost-effective way, but in waiting, we could also prevent the very progress we seek. So, we’re acting now by permanently removing all our Scopes 1 and 2.
To help us achieve our broader environmental goals, we’ve set a series of initiatives and processes in place, championed by our senior leadership. We also believe it’s important for each office to drive local projects led by individual ‘Green Teams’ with colleagues from all parts of the firm. It ensures not only are we taking local actions that relate to the interests and goals of our local colleagues but also that we are sharing education and excitement for our ESG mission throughout the firm.
Our work toward environmental sustainability extends beyond OC&C’s internal operations to pro bono partners like climate action NGO WRAP, and our commercial clients across sectors.
Our PEOPLE
As a service-led company, people are at the core of what we do. Our business is built upon the dedicated work of our employees, and ensuring their success is a fundamental part of our culture.
Flexible working schemes, voluntary unpaid leave and long-term international transfers are some of the opportunities available for staff, ensuring we offer maximum flexibility and a sustainable working culture.
We also have a strong focus on diversity and inclusivity. A people-oriented business like ours thrives on a diverse workforce, and this is only possible if inclusivity makes everyone feel welcome. We have programmes to embed this, such as inclusivity training and reverse mentoring, as well as initiatives within our recruitment processes so that we start with the fairest recruitment possible.
To ensure inclusivity is really brought to life on a daily basis, we have a Diversity & Inclusion Council that sets the agenda and oversees a series of employee-run networks focused on all elements of diversity within the firm. Highlights include the successful launch of a social diversity team within our Ethnic, Cultural and Social Diversity (ECS) Network, as well as gaining widespread recognition for the work done by our LGBTQ+ Network which led to us ranking in Stonewall’s Top 100 LGBTQ+ inclusive employers.
Our communities
Our responsibility to have a positive social effect extends to the wider communities in which we operate. Our pro bono projects help to advance important causes and drive real impact outside of our own organisation, and much of these serve to uplift the people in our local communities.
We’ve delivered numerous successful projects in our pro-bono work across the globe and dedicate 1.5% of our revenue to this cause. These partnerships have had tangible benefits for the likes of the NSPCC (Leading child protection charity in the UK) and the Robin Hood Foundation (New York’s largest poverty fighting organisation).
In addition, whilst our commercial client work is not often directly addressing social impact, our clients often work in industries which touch on the livelihoods of individuals and communities. To that end, we are conscious of the impact we have through our clients and our responsibility to consider all stakeholders. This ranges from projects considering agriculture and its impact on workers and the communities, to those advising testing and inspection companies overseeing critical health and safety.
People really are at the heart of our business, and whether looking internal at our own impact or through the lens of our clients, we are keen to drive positive influence wherever we can, aligned with the B Corp mantra that business can be a force for good™.
OUR GOVERNANCE
Many people associate “ESG” with environmental impact or social causes, but critical processes around governance structures, ethical practices, and protecting data and information security are important pillars too, especially for a business like ours.
We believe that ESG is so critical to our business and the way we work that we have embedded it within our governance and management structures, creating a Head of ESG role to be part of the firm’s Executive Committee. We have also built it into our legal founding documents, so that the need to care for all stakeholders (including the environment) is a principle upon which the firm is founded and governed. This commitment ensures ESG isn’t an afterthought but is at the heart of how we run our firm.
We are committed to ensuring our business practices are ethical and responsible, and we’ve set in place policies and processes to achieve this, which are brought to life both by ongoing training and our everyday culture. This includes our Code of Conduct, which enshrines our values and expected behaviours that guide us in how we work with our clients, our broader stakeholders, and each other. We have detailed policies that guide our ways of working and on which all our staff receive training. These are supported by a clear whistleblowing policy.
We take seriously the obligation to protect the personal information and the rights and freedoms of individuals. It’s an essential element to maintaining the trust and confidence of our clients as we engage their customers and employees, and it’s equally important for our prospective, current, and former employees. Our approach is primarily built reflecting the requirements of the European General Data Protection Regulation (one of the most stringent requirements across jurisdictions where we have integrated offices) and complies with the regulations in all the countries and legal jurisdictions where we operate.
As our business expands and develops, we will continue to update these policies to ensure they remain relevant guidelines for everything we do.
A NOTE TO OUR CLIENTS
To us, ESG is more than a mere promise; it is a requirement for the future. We believe in building for the long term, and this includes ensuring the sustainability of our own business and our clients’ businesses as well.
From that perspective, ESG should not be a side topic but part and parcel of a good strategy. Strategy is our heartland, so we often help clients navigate the complexities of embedding ESG in their businesses, making sure they drive impact alongside long-term success and profitability.
We take pride in tackling significant ESG issues across various sectors, such as improving planning in the fashion industry to reduce wastage and advising on emission reduction strategies in the food manufacturing supply chain. We also offer strategic support to companies squarely focused on the sustainability economy, including those in waste management, environmental consulting services, plant-based food manufacturing, and much more.
You can read more about our recent ESG related projects in our ESG Report and on our Insights page, or please reach out to us to discuss your needs.