Capgemini joins rush to have net zero targets confirmed

Capgemini has become the latest major consulting firm to announce it has received validation for its net zero targets by Science Based Targets initiative. The firm received a full evaluation of both its new long-term and short-term goals for its carbon reduction campaign.

“The climate crisis demands bold actions, such as the new targets we have set for the Group, leading to a 90% absolute carbon reduction covering our entire value chain,” said Aiman Ezzat, Chief Executive Officer of the Capgemini Group. “Transitioning to a low carbon economy will also require more innovation and collaboration with our partners, clients and suppliers.”

Ezzat added that the firm welcomed “the clarity and transparency” the new Science Based Targets initiative standard brings to businesses’ net zero targets. In the future, Capgemini will continue to partner with the organisations behind it, to accelerate its journey towards a sustainable future.

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) is an international global body enabling businesses, formed to evaluate the ambitious emissions reductions targets set by companies, to ensure they are in line with the latest climate science. As well as independently assessing and approving targets, it also offers guidance to reduce barriers to adoption.

Capgemini is the second global consulting firm in a month to declare it has been assessed by the SBTi. Earlier in September 2022, Kearney claimed it was ‘the first management consultancy in the world’ to have its targets approved by the group – in a move which seemed likely to push others to follow suit, and prove their own net zero credentials.

That is not to say that Capgemini is playing catch-up, though. As early as 2016, it was one of the first players in its sector to set science-based targets in terms of carbon emission reductions. Those targets were hit in January 2020, a decade ahead of schedules, and prior to the pandemic lockdowns of that year. In the period since, Capgemini has worked to roll out a further plan that will take it to net zero.

In the short-term, the firm’s new target is to half its scope 3 emissions – relating to non-direct emissions from supply chain, travel etc. – by 2030, along with an 80% reduction in scopes 1 and 2 from direct business actions. Targets for commuting and business travel have also been strengthened to a 55% reduction per employee from a 2019 baseline. In the long-term, meanwhile, Capgemini aims to reduce its carbon emissions across all scopes by 90%, by 2040 from the same 2019 baseline. Both sets of targets were validated by the SBTi.

As the importance of the drive to net zero intensifies, consulting firms are also bolstering their abilities to help clients meet SBTi standards. Earlier in the year, Accenture added London-headquartered Carbon Intelligence to its Sustainability service line, and earlier this year, the company bolted-on several sustainability consultancies across continental Europe. Meanwhile Boston Consulting Group acquired Quantis, and rival McKinsey & Company, last year closed three sustainability-focused acquisitions.