Grant Thornton releases 2022 ESG Report; continues its commitment to transparency and progress

CHICAGO — Grant Thornton LLP released its 2022 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report, which highlights progress toward its sustainability and DE&I goals and commitments and other priority ESG areas. The 2022 ESG Report combines two formerly standalone annual reports — a Sustainability report and a DE&I report ― into a single report that more transparently conveys Grant Thornton’s efforts to support its people, clients, communities and the planet. 

“We work together every day to go beyond expectations — in how we serve our clients, how we develop our people and how we integrate environmental, social and governance goals and initiatives into our business strategies,” said Seth Siegel, CEO of Grant Thornton. “This year’s ESG Report is a testament to our team’s ability to gain insight from listening and leverage new knowledge into concrete achievements.”

Key highlights from Grant Thornton’s ESG report include: 

• The firm’s progress aligning its stated climate goals with the Science Based Targets initiative’s Net-Zero Standard. The report also provides information on the firm’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction strategies and emissions data. And it describes how Grant Thornton has improved its climate reporting and embedded sustainability in its offices, while also expanding employee engagement in its efforts.
• Grant Thornton’s steadfast commitment to DE&I, including progress against its five aspirational DE&I goals and continued work to embed DE&I into the firm’s culture and processes. Additionally, the report details Grant Thornton’s continued support of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, expanded recruiting efforts at Historically Black colleges and universities and Hispanic-serving Institutions and support of the Accounting+ Challenge, a campaign to encourage students from underrepresented minority groups to join the accounting profession.
• An overview of the firm’s governance practices, structure and commitments to doing business responsibly, including Grant Thornton’s focus on professional excellence, ethical conduct and quality, as well as strengthened cybersecurity and data privacy. The report also shares how Grant Thornton is helping clients advance their own ESG strategies through the firm’s ESG practice, which provides relevant audit, tax and advisory services.
• Grant Thornton’s numerous awards achieved throughout 2022, including a Gold Medal rating from EcoVadis, one of the world’s largest providers of business sustainability ratings, which placed the firm among the top 5 percent of all companies evaluated by EcoVadis.

Grant Thornton prepared the report with reference to established external ESG frameworks including the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards, Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) for the professional and commercial services industry and the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). The report also describes the alignment of the firm’s efforts with relevant United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

To learn more about Grant Thornton’s efforts and to download the 2022 ESG Report, visit here.