AECOM has announced the next phase of Sustainable Legacies, and outlined some of the key progress made during the strategy's first 12 months of operation.

The firm's ESG strategy was launched one year ago to advance sustainability initiatives that deliver positive impact both at AECOM and in communities around the world. 

The strategy integrates four key pillars that will embed sustainable development and resilience across the company’s work, improve social outcomes for communities, achieve net-zero carbon emissions and enhance its governance. Included in the company’s updated strategy are more ambitious net zero targets that are among the first in the world to be approved by the Science Based Targets initiative.

The four key pillars of AECOM’s Sustainable Legacies Strategy are:

• Achieve net-zero carbon emissions: The company has committed to achieving science-based net zero by 2040.
• Embed sustainable development and resilience across our work: AECOM has committed to reducing carbon in its designs through its ScopeXTM platform, a first-of-its-kind initiative that considers embodied and operational carbon across the entire project life cycle. The company will further incorporate ESG action plans on major projects to reduce carbon impact by at least 50%. It will also embed net-zero, resilience and social value targets into its client account management program.
• Improve social outcomes: AECOM believes equity, diversity and inclusion enable better outcomes for clients, a deeper understanding of community challenges and more innovative solutions that propel the industry forward. As part of this pledge, the company continues to progress against its near-term target of women comprising at least 20% of senior leadership roles and at least 35% of the overall workforce. Additionally, the company is focused on delivering inclusive, accessible projects that proactively improve social value outcomes for individuals, communities and society.
• Enhance governance: In addition to regular reporting to the board of directors on ESG matters, the company intends to continue to track and report on its ESG performance targets externally in line with leading industry benchmarks.

Significant progress at the one year anniversary.

Following the one-year anniversary of the launch of its Sustainable Legacies strategy, AECOM has made accomplishments that reflect strong progress to-date on its ESG initiatives, including:

• Achieved operational net zero in its Scopes 1 and 2 emissions for fiscal 2021, including the use of 100% renewable electricity usage in North American offices, with plans to scale further.
• Implemented the Company’s Travel with Purpose program to maintain substantial business travel reduction.
• Initiated a robust supplier outreach program to gain insights into key partners’ ESG programs and evaluate opportunities to drive sustainability improvements throughout the Company’s value chain.
• Initiated work on the Company’s own in-house nature-based solution projects for carbon sequestration.
• Advanced ScopeXTM initiatives to accelerate the Company’s ESG offering for clients and to reduce embodied carbon in infrastructure design and construction.
• Published the Company’s global ESG Report in November 2021 that incorporated its initial disclosures aligned with the TCFD and SASB framework.
• Implemented ESG risk framework to ensure work aligns with the Company’s Sustainable Legacies strategy, which is being continuously updated to ensure full alignment with climate science, particularly following COP26 last year.
• Committed to providing financial support to the people of Ukraine through a global employee match donation campaign and employee-driven local humanitarian efforts.

“As a purpose-driven organization, I am proud of our teams’ progress to lead the industry as an ESG firm and how we continue to challenge ourselves with even more ambitious initiatives and targets included in our Sustainable Legacies strategy,” said Troy Rudd, AECOM’s chief executive officer. “Alongside our board of directors and executive leadership team, the advancements we have made in just a short time inspire all of us to strive for more through our commitment to making a positive impact on the communities we serve.”

“The passion our nearly 50,000 professionals bring to their work every day to deliver a better world is no better reflected than in our Sustainable Legacies strategy,” said Lara Poloni, AECOM’s president. “Following the meaningful accomplishments we have made over the past year, including the approval of our net zero targets by the Science Based Targets initiative, we are excited to continue the next phase of our ESG strategy, especially as we partner with our clients on their own increasingly complex, multi-decade sustainability initiatives.”

Click here for more information on AECOM’s Sustainable Legacies Strategy.