In pursuit of its Living Green program, KPMG cut its carbon footprint by 7 percent in 2008, according to its Living Green Annual Report 2009 (PDF).
The Living Green program was launched in 2008, and set baselines against 2007 numbers.
At the time, the audit, tax and consulting firm set a goal of reducing its member firms’ combined carbon footprint 25 percent by the year 2010 through emission reduction schemes and the use of renewable energy in member firms.
The average full-time employee of KPMG generated about 6 tons of carbon emissions in 2008, a figure that KPMG says it was able to reduce 11 percent from the year prior.
Electricity accounts for 36 percent of KPMG's carbon footprint - the company used just shy of 100 million kilowatt hours in its offices in 2008.
KPMG says it reduced its electricity consumption 3 percent in 2008 in part by requiring all new appliances to be Energy Star rated and switching to energy efficient bulbs and motion sensors in various locations.
In the area of water consumption, however, the firm saw a 1 percent increase in 2008. To reverse that pattern, the company is adding low-flow faucets, automatic sensor faucets and auto-flush toilets for new offices and renovations.
In 2008, KPMG increased firmwide recycling activity by 13 percent nationwide, as non-recycled waste has dropped 54 meaning. KPMG says its 90 offices around the U.S. now recycle more than they send to landfills.