Green for go: Kennedys to slash carbon emissions after plans approved by leading climate and science experts

We are delighted to announce our commitment to drastically reducing carbon emissions after teaming up with a leading group of climate and science experts.

Ambitious plans to reduce emissions by 2030 have been approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi).

We have pledged to cut our scope one and two emissions – those generated directly by Kennedys or indirectly, such as through purchased energy – by 70%. We have also committed to reducing scope three emissions, including those produced through business travel and by our suppliers, by 28%.

The SBTi is a partnership between the Carbon Disclosure Project, United Nations Global Compact, World Resources Initiative and World Wide Fund for Nature, supporting companies to cut their carbon footprint in line with the Paris Agreement, an international treaty to tackle climate change.

We are among just 1,800 businesses globally to gain approval so far following a detailed application process which began in 2020.

We developed our targets – a significant step towards achieving net zero – with the help of leading sustainability consultants who will continue to monitor and track performance. We have already switched several of our UK offices to green energy tariffs, where providers will match energy used with renewable energy generation or contribute to an environmental scheme on Kennedys' behalf.

Ben Aram, global board sustainability sponsor for Kennedys, says: “This is a hugely important milestone on our journey to committing to a long-term science-based target, and we are grateful to the SBTi for their support and recognition. Looking ahead, Kennedys’ sights are firmly set on net zero. We are dedicated to industry best practice and minimising the environmental impact of the firm.”

We have also committed to remodelling workspaces with sustainability in mind as part of our ‘WorkWise’ programme. Later this year the London team will move into new offices in the city’s iconic Walkie-Talkie building, which has been rated excellent by BREEAM, the internationally recognised Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method.

The ‘WorkWise’ global transformation programme is ongoing and involves close consultation with colleagues about what they would like to see, with environmental and sustainable features emerging consistently as top priorities.