Sustainability is nonnegotiable—it is a debt we owe to future generations. While decision makers understand the urgency of this goal, they also often view sustainability as a compulsory obligation. Being green and achieving growth are not mutually exclusive. Pursuing both together opens new opportunities, from carbon-neutral industrial production to a comprehensive circular economy.
Playing offense now
“The net-zero transition: What it would cost, what it would bring,”
“Playing offense to create value in the net-zero transition,”
Transforming high-emission companies
Hard-to-abate sectors account for 81 percent of the global economy’s carbon footprint. We are working with these industries to accelerate the transition to net-zero emissions. Net-zero transitions for complex energy and industrial systems are extensive and require changes in all areas, from capital allocation and product design to land use. We help our clients accelerate green transformations while ensuring that the economy isn’t negatively impacted.
McKinsey Platform for Climate Technologies
$1 billion investment
Our own decarbonization efforts
McKinsey has committed to achieving a net-zero climate balance by 2030. As a key milestone in this process, we have set scientifically sound targets, which have been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative in line with a 1.5° degree pathway. A multipronged approach in all areas of our firm will enable us to fulfill these commitments and reduce our carbon footprint.
We are reducing Scope 1 and 2 absolute emissions from our vehicles and offices by 25 percent, primarily by electrifying our vehicle fleet, offering alternative mobility packages, switching to 100 percent renewable electricity, and designing our offices worldwide to be more sustainable.
For our Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions—indirect emissions from internal and client travel—we are working to achieve our validated, scientifically-based target for 2025 of reducing travel costs per employee by 30 percent. We seek to reach this goal through hybrid work models and sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). As a firm, we can and will go beyond our official target to fulfill our commitment to reach climate neutrality by 2030.
Since 2018, we have been carbon neutral by compensating for all emissions that we have not yet been able to eliminate.