Jacobs joins Atkins, ERM, Ramboll, WSP, Arcadis, Wood and Delta-Simons in working collaboratively to harness the environmental and sustainability consultancy sector’s potential to deliver sustainable change.
The group was established in 2019 to help the sector communicate its role and value to clients and stakeholders in addressing the existential challenges facing humanity from environmental degradation, climate change and biodiversity losses.
Although social unrest, digitalisation, commercial restraints and now COVID-19 have created immense challenges, it has also provided the opportunity to enact change. The Sustainability Delivery Group aims to position the environmental and sustainability consultancy sector to play a key role in shaping the recovery.
The objectives of the Sustainability Delivery Group are:
- To improve the value proposition of the environmental and sustainability consultancy industry
- To drive forward the industry's leadership role in providing innovative solutions to mitigate the climate and biodiversity crises
- To listen carefully to client sectors' needs and promote stakeholder dialogue with consultancy practice leaders
It also seeks to:
- Inspire the next generation of sustainability leaders
- Promote diversity, equity and inclusion
- Promote international business opportunities
- Represent the whole E&S consulting sector, large and small, specialist and multidisciplinary
A spokesperson for Jacobs said: "At Jacobs, we’re challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments and operational advancement, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good. From addressing environmental and sustainability challenges, to protecting communities and businesses from consequences of climate change and adverse social impacts, we’re creating forward-thinking, impactful environmental solutions that support the green recovery."
Jacobs fleshes out climate pledge to action
Coinciding with joining the Sustainability Delivery Group, Jacobs has outlined its campaign of action to address the climate emergency in line with its climate plan revealed in April, and building towards the rescheduled COP26 meeting next November.
The company said that in addition to setting its own SBTs (science based targets) to act on throughout 2021, it is going to support five key clients to undertake a climate risk assessment "to better understand the vulnerabilities their businesses face from climate change and aid decision making".
The pledge to action intends to show the impact that can be made to address the climate crisis immediately through collaboration over the next twelve months. "Tackling the climate crisis needs collective commitment to drive change – by taking action together, we will accomplish much more than we ever could alone," Jacobs said.
It is also empowering employees to make a collective positive impact through the ‘Collectively’ sustainability programme. Jacobs’ people are being encouraged to sign up to the challenge to complete practical activities each month that can significantly reduce their carbon pollution and help tackle climate change.