L.E.K. is dedicated to environmental sustainability and strives to be a leader when it comes to broad environmental policy, from the reduction of carbon and other greenhouse gases to waste, pollution and more. We were the first major consulting firm to achieve carbon-neutral status — in 2008 — and we continue to be a forerunner today.
We have also pledged to be carbon net zero in our operations by 2030 through a combination of business model changes and carbon reduction initiatives as well as carbon-capture projects and offsets. Not only have we embarked on a program to both significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that result from our operations and invest in initiatives that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but we have also developed a sustainability strategy anchored by five pillars: tracking emissions, offsetting emissions, changing employee behavior, moving to green energy in L.E.K. offices that don’t already use it, and continually innovating and engaging in the sustainability and net zero imperative.
Currently, a significant portion of our office energy is derived from green power sources, and we expect to convert our remaining offices that aren’t already powered by renewable energy to sustainable sources in as short a time frame as possible. Our business model of working primarily in our offices instead of at client sites already means that we produce fewer carbon emissions than our competitors, on both an absolute and a per-person basis. To reach our goal, we will discourage our employees from taking flights if travel can be done within the same time frame and cost by train, encourage increased use of videoconferencing and hybrid work arrangements whenever appropriate, and make carbon emissions a criterion in the selection of all L.E.K. events and venues.
We also have an active network of “green” committees in each office, which offer employees a way to participate in the firm’s sustainability efforts. These local committees play a critical role in our efforts and organize a variety of initiatives and events to both make L.E.K. a better environmental steward and ensure we give back to local environmental organizations. In the meantime, Sustainable L.E.K., a global environmental sustainability committee established in 2020, will continue to monitor and refine the firm’s sustainability efforts going forward. Those efforts include a new partnership with Tree-Nation, which will see a tree planted for every existing L.E.K. employee around the globe and for each new person who joins the firm in the future.
At L.E.K., we are committed to reducing our own footprint; we are also committed to helping our clients improve their sustainability strategies. To that end, in the spring of 2021, we launched the L.E.K. Sustainability Centre of Excellence. By drawing together our collective experience and perspective, the Centre acts as both an internal and external resource for the firm and our clients, respectively, providing leadership, best practices and support. Its members conduct research on key issues related to sustainable practices to further L.E.K.’s capabilities so that we can best assist clients with addressing their sustainability challenges.