Accenture study says companies with strong ESG capabilities already consider sustainability as a significant value driver for their organizations.
The private sector should lead in promoting sustainability in society by using technology such as generative artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate their sustainable development and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) measurement goals.
Sustainability as a significant value driver
An Accenture study–which looked into ESG compliance and reporting as a competitive advantage in business reinvention strategies—said companies with strong ESG capabilities already consider sustainability as a significant value driver for their organizations.
“There is now an opportunity for organizations to gather comprehensive ESG data that can help transform how they do business—building accountability across the organization, achieving global sustainability goals and ultimately creating greater business value,” said Julie Sweet chair and CEO of Accenture.
Against this backdrop, the UN Global Compact, in collaboration with Accenture, has released a separate report—titled “Generative AI for the Global Goals: The Private Sector’s Guide to Accelerating Sustainable Development with Technology”— to guide business leaders on how to leverage generative AI as a transformative force for advancing the SDGs by 2030.
The report underscores how generative AI can enhance operational efficiency, boost productivity, foster innovation and streamline sustainability reporting in new ways that put meaningful progress toward the SDGs.
“The optimistic vision that generative AI makes the world more inclusive, sustainable, equitable and fair hinges on its responsible development and deployment,” added Stephanie Jamison, global resources industry practice lead and global sustainability services lead at Accenture. “In using generative AI to help advance the Global Goals, the private sector must lead from the front by building trust and transparency that balances the need to maximize value while minimizing potential risks as we move to a more equitable and sustainable future for all.”
Sustainability Hub
In response to the climate crisis, Accenture in the Philippines recently opened a Sustainability Hub that aims to showcase various initiatives that support its ESG commitment and help drive value for clients, people, and communities.
Amabel Gatmaitan, Accenture’s Corporate Services and Sustainability Lead in the Philippines told the press that these steps underscore the company’s commitment as a responsible client partner that embeds sustainability into every product and service offering and a responsible citizen that creates impact and provides solutions across all communities and environments the company operates in.
RELATED NEWS: Accenture Philippines receives BPM Company of the Year award
By embedding sustainability in everything it does and everyone it works with, Gatmaitan said Accenture is able to create both business value and sustainable impact, enabled by technology and human ingenuity.
“Accenture believes that, just as the digital revolution transformed how we worked and lived, so too, will sustainability. For us at Accenture, sustainability is one of our biggest responsibilities – not just because it’s the right thing to do, but also because we recognize it as one of the most powerful forces of change in our generation,” said Gatmaitan.
Gatmaitan said the process starts in building the fundamentals —securing clear direction from its Chair and CEO Julie Sweet and obtaining Accenture board and leadership commitment on our reporting strategy. “We also created a consistent, integrated message about how we deliver 360°,” the company said.
From 2020 onward, Accenture in the Philippines developed its workplace intelligent platform to help manage, monitor and track critical equipment and operations of facilities. With automated and harmonized data analytics, companies are enabled to make smarter decisions to support our sustainability goals.
Evolving ESG services
To meet the changing needs of their clients and support the imperative to act on ESG issues, she said Accenture in the Philippines continues to expand and evolve its Sustainability Services.
“We are meeting the demand by continuing to develop new offerings and collaborate with our ecosystem partners, embedding ESG capabilities into our offerings and engaging with our partners to innovate with us,” she said.
In its Procurement function, Gatmaitan uses the True Suppliers Marketplace platform which allows the company to collaborate with their service providers and request for information on the policies, procedures and progress in the areas of environment; human rights and social impact; supplier inclusion and diversity; and ethics and sustainability management.
“When we say sustainability is our responsibility, that encompasses environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, from transitioning to a zero-carbon economy, to inclusion and diversity to corporate citizenship —in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We are immensely proud of our sustainability journey and initiatives of our eco champions as well as our continuing collaboration with our ecosystem partners to develop innovative solutions to address pressing climate change and sustainability challenges, as highlighted in our very own Sustainability Hub in Manila,” she explained.
READ MORE TECH NEWS.
