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Highlights

    Our Sustainability Commitments And Action

    In 2020, Oliver Wyman achieved certification as a CarbonNeutral® company and initiated an annual offset of emissions that could not be reduced in the prior year. This marked a critical first step for our organization, enabling us to analyze our emissions and set a plan to reduce them. Approximately 75% of our historical emissions (pre-pandemic) were attributed to air travel. As such, we set an accelerated target to reduce air travel emissions by 40% per FTE by 2025, using 2019 as the baseline. We also implemented an internal price on carbon, tied to partner compensation, which took effect starting in 2023. 

    As a business of Marsh McLennan, our actions support the goals announced in March 2022 to achieve net-zero carbon emissions across our global business operations by 2050, with an interim target of a 50% emissions reduction by 2030.

    We signed a commitment letter and have submitted targets for verification to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). We are currently working on a climate transition plan to achieve our targets. For more information about our progress towards net zero, our carbon offset portfolio, and year-over-year emissions, refer to Marsh McLennan’s  ESG report. At Oliver Wyman, we are deeply committed to achieving our net-zero goals. We have developed a climate strategy focused on three areas: actioning net zero, contributing to the environment and society, and engaging colleagues.

    Responding to the climate challenge is a transformational journey that is crucial to companies everywhere
    Nick Studer, CEO and President, Oliver Wyman

    Our latest Initiatives

    We are actively supporting four organizations that are developing and providing carbon removal solutions. Our focus is not just on financial support, but also on fostering employee education and engagement. Through a series of webinars, site visits, pro bono consulting engagements and ongoing educational initiatives, our program aims to not only support the scaling of these important solutions, but to transfer the knowledge to our clients and communities. 

    This is a tool that provides teams with a way to anticipate potential emissions from a client engagement or large event and offers ideas for decarbonization, such as identifying alternative train routes, and provides a way for clients to participate in travel decisions. 

    Our Climate Academy is a learning and training curriculum designed to give all consulting staff the tools they need to execute high-impact strategies for our clients through the climate transition. Our program expands upon the Climate Risks Online Academy, developed in 2019 with the European University Institute (EUI), and features a curriculum created in partnership with top-tier external providers and internal experts.

    GROW is a global community of colleagues who seek to make tangible impact by supporting Oliver Wyman’s commitment to sustainability, particularly at the local office level. Using our Actioning Net Zero online hub, featuring role-specific best practices and training, the GROW teams take the lead in engaging colleagues on our commitments and spreading the message that every job is a climate job. 

    Launched in December 2021, our GROWTrees reforestation program works with nonprofits such as One Tree Planted to give our colleagues the opportunity to have a voice in supporting reforestation projects. The focus is not just on planting, but also nurturing trees over time. Combined with in-person urban tree planting efforts, the program has supported the planting and growing of more than 100,000 trees and counting.

    Q&A WITH GLOBAL HEAD OF SUSTAINABILITY, LAUREN WYLIE

    Why is sustainability important at Oliver Wyman?

    As consultants who work with clients across myriad climate and sustainability-issues, it is important that we “walk the talk”. Oliver Wyman doesn’t have a huge carbon footprint since we don’t manufacture products, but we do have opportunities for improvement. For example, there is a lot we can do to reduce non-essential travel. We especially love working on this challenge with our clients who also have net-zero goals. It benefits us both to be thinking more about how to travel more purposefully, and we can have more impact if we team together.

    Do we report sustainability metrics externally?

    Yes. As a business of Marsh McLennan, we report our carbon emissions and other sustainability-related activities annually to CDP and via the Marsh McLennan ESG Report, which aligns with TCFD, GRI, and SASB frameworks. Oliver Wyman is proud to have become a CarbonNeutral® company in 2020, and in 2022 Marsh McLennan announced a commitment to be net zero across its operations by 2050, and to reduce its emissions by 50% by 2030. The commitment will include a science-based target through the Science Based Targets initiative.

    What was the inspiration behind GROWTrees?

    Our commitment to sustainability goes beyond our net zero commitment. For example, our Oliver Wyman for Society work through Social Impact consulting, volunteering, and fundraising includes “climate and sustainability” as a core focus area. When launching the philanthropic GROWTrees program, our aim was to offer our colleagues a chance to engage directly with, and learn about, the importance of reforestation. For example, colleagues can donate to support our GROWTrees forest directly and plant trees on behalf of others, and every Oliver Wyman new hire is welcomed with the gift of a tree.

    Who are the Green Champions?

    The implementation of sustainable best practices and the encouragement of behavior change requires on-the-ground action. Our Green Champions of Oliver Wyman (known as GROW) are volunteers who serve as the ambassadors of our commitment to each office and respond to whatever the local needs may be, from improving signage, to arranging speakers for education programs, or organizing community clean-up events. As we implement our plan to reduce emissions to achieve our net zero goals, GROW will be integral to success at the local level.

    Related Social Impact Work