by jbs080210 i3 — August 4, 2010—U.S. audit, tax and advisory firm KPMG announced July 21 it achieved a 26 percent reduction in its carbon footprint from 2007 through 2009, exceeding the firm’s stated three-year commitment of a 25 percent reduction in just two years.
In 2008, KPMG embarked on an ambitious environmental program in the United States called “Living Green” to support the firm’s commitment to reduce the amount of waste it generates, the volume of natural resources it consumes, and its carbon footprint. The program targeted a 25 percent reduction in the U.S. firm’s overall carbon footprint by 2010.
The firm’s 26 percent reduction from 2007 through 2009 is based on the results of a recent analysis by KPMG’s Climate Change and Sustainability Services group that shows KPMG reduced its carbon footprint by 20 percent between 2008 and 2009, and six percent between 2007 and 2008.
During the course of its Living Green program, the U.S. firm says it has reduced its electricity consumption by nine percent and reduced paper consumption by 33 percent, while having increased the percentage of recycled paper used by 85 percent.
KPMG’s green programs and initiatives include: forming Living Green teams in local offices worldwide; completing a KPMG data technology center that uses natural gas-powered micro-turbines; recycling every laptop, monitor and printer, for both reuse and disposal of toxic materials, while implementing server virtualization; and earning LEED certification for several of its offices.
