Establishing strong partnerships

One way we demonstrate leadership is through our participation in significant organizations that are playing a positive role in promoting corporate responsibility. Our engagement with these organizations and others provides opportunities for our people to share their thinking in a broader forum, and enables our firm to continue to have a voice in the public debate around important issues.

United Nations Global Compact

As a global network of firms, PwC has committed to upholding the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), which outlines “10 universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption.”

Specific to our US firm, we used the UNGC as a starting point for the Corporate Responsibility section of our Code of Conduct. We apply the UNGC framework to our purchasing practices and have embedded the 10 principles into our Supplier Code of Conduct. We are also an active participant in the US Network of the UNGC. Further, as a signatory of the UNGC, many of our people have the opportunity to engage in valuable dialogue and learning sessions by participating in specialized work streams and partnership projects that support the broader goals of the UNGC. PwC has also been looked to as a resource by clients and other companies considering becoming a signatory or looking to improve their integration of the UNGC’s 10 principles.

In addition, PwC is a signatory to the UNGC CEO Water Mandate, a public–private initiative that aims to assist companies in the development, implementation, and disclosure of sustainability policies and practices around water.

PwC was also one of about 50 companies invited to participate in a new program of the UNGC called LEAD. Participants in LEAD have a history of engagement with the UN Global Compact – locally and/or globally. They have committed to work towards implementing the Blueprint for Corporate Sustainability Leadership and share related outcomes and learnings with the broader universe of companies in the Global Compact by participating in global initiatives as well as in Global Compact Local Networks. LEAD participants have also committed to address Blueprint implementation in their Communications on Progress (COPs).

World Resources Institute

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol), a partnership between the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), provides the accounting framework for nearly every greenhouse gas (GHG) standard and program in the world. It allows government and business leaders to understand, quantify, and manage GHG emissions.

In 2008, the WRI and the WBCSD, which had been working on the GHG Protocol Initiative for a decade, requested that PwC assume the technical lead in developing the draft Scope 3 Standard. In anticipation of the need for credible and effective emissions accounting and reduction programs, the Protocol has focused on developing standards and metrics that can be used by organizations worldwide to measure and manage GHG emissions. The Initiative needed assistance with drafting and testing the Scope 3 Standard, often viewed as the most difficult category of emissions to define and measure.

PwC led the multi-stakeholder team of 40 companies, not-for-profits, governments, and academics providing input and guidance in the drafting of the Scope 3 Standard. PwC was able to leverage practical and relevant experience gained in developing several greenhouse gas inventories, (including the PwC US greenhouse gas inventory and that of the US Fish and Wildlife Agency) in helping to create practical guidance for organizations seeking to measure, report, and ultimately reduce their carbon footprints.

World Business Council for Sustainable Development

PwC is an active member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). The WBCSD is a CEO-led organization of forward-thinking companies that galvanizes the global business community to create a sustainable future for business, society, and the environment. Together with its members, the council applies its respected thought leadership and effective advocacy to generate constructive solutions and take shared action. In addition to the many efforts of the Global PwC Network to support the WBCSD and its 60+ national affiliates, the US firm participates actively in the WBCSD work programs and has supported key strategic initiatives. In 2011–2012, PwC US has been active in the work of the WBCSD’s Water team, providing a cross-sector, analytical perspective on the competition for resources between water, food, and energy. We also provided a full-time consultant on secondment to the Council, to coordinate WBCSD efforts related to “Rio+20,” an upcoming UN Conference on Sustainable Development (“Earth Summit”) to be held in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012.

Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP)

The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) works to collect and distribute high-quality information that motivates investors, corporations and governments to take action to prevent climate change. CDP’s annual questionnaire provides a disclosure channel for climate change and water data. CDP acts on behalf of more than 655 institutional investors with a volume of managed assets over US$78 trillion and provides the capital market with a metric of carbon and water disclosure and performance.

PwC has been the global sponsor of CDP since 2008. The sponsor role comprises:

• Providing advisory services regarding methodology
• Scoring all of the responses (approximately 1,000) from the Global 500, S&P 500, and FTSE 600 companies
• Developing the annual Global 500, S&P 500, and FTSE 350 reports on behalf of CDP
• Strengthening the link between business and CDP

Clinton Global Initiative

PwC is a strong supporter of the Clinton Global Initiative, sharing in its vision to inspire, connect, and empower the global leadership community to find solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. As a firm whose corporate responsibility commitment is rooted in advancing math and financial literacy education for youth and encouraging US competitiveness, we are working with CGI to address challenges in our school systems, prepare Americans to be competitive global citizens, and rethink current models that shape our economy and society.