Accenture is committed to reducing its per capita carbon footprint 40 percent by the end of fiscal year (FY) 2012 from its 2007 baseline, according to the company's 2008-2009 Corporate Citizenship Report.
In fiscal 2009, Accenture achieved its initial target of a 25 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emitted per employee by implementing energy efficiency programs throughout its offices, reducing travel and boosting employee awareness. Measures included the increased use of interactive technologies and virtual conferences as well as using public transportation when possible.
As an example, by implementing a policy in France that encourages employees to travel by train for all trips up to three-and-one-third hours long has resulted in an 18 percent reduction in carbon emissions from business travel between September 2008 and February 2009 compared with the same period two years earlier.
The company is also focused on "green" buildings and data centers at all global offices. As an example, offices in Brazil source 100 percent of their energy from hydro power and use "flex-fuel" cars that can run on gasoline or ethanol.
Accenture also conducted a green data center study at many of its facilities across India, and has identified significant savings, which will help the company design more energy-efficient data centers. The company also has implemented virtualization and consolidation techniques in its data centers for higher efficiency.
Accenture also increased its supply chain sustainability efforts through the launch of its Supplier Standards of Conduct. The company reports its requests for proposals (RFPs) that included environmental questionnaires rose from 90 percent to 98 percent of all RFPs issued in fiscal 2009.
By partnering with Xcel Energy, Accenture plans to implement the world's first fully functional smart-grid city in Boulder, Colorado. According to the report, if this smart-grid effort results in Boulder customers reducing their electricity usage by just 2.5 percent, Xcel Energy can cut carbon emissions by more than 1 million tons annually.
