SUSTAINABILITY
We help our clients advance their environmental, social and governance goals by connecting sustainability to their transformations; operate our business with a strong commitment to the environment, ethics and human rights; and work to create value in communities around the world.
100%
renewable electricity across our offices, achieving our goal
82%
of our key suppliers* have disclosed emissions targets
4.3M
people equipped with skills toward employment or entrepreneurship
*Key suppliers are defined as vendors are represent a significant portion of our 2019 Scope 3 emissions.
All our people, including part-time employees and contractors, are required to complete Ethics & Compliance training each year. This is fundamental to promoting a shared understanding of ethical conduct across our organization.
of our people* completed Ethics & Compliance training, including our managing directors and Global Management Committee
*Excludes Avanade, a joint venture between Accenture and Microsoft, Accenture Federal Services and recent acquisitions
Our COBE and related anticorruption policies, which are both part of our global Ethics & Compliance program and human rights efforts, require our people, business partners and business intermediaries (and suppliers through our Supplier Standards of Conduct) to comply with anticorruption laws everywhere we do business.
We encourage and empower our people and third parties to speak up safely and confidently if they experience, see or become aware of any inappropriate behavior, including any form of disrespect, harassment, racism, discrimination or retaliation—or have any concerns about unethical, illegal behavior or breaches of human rights. And we have zero tolerance for retaliation.
We offer our people many ways to raise a concern—through our leaders, through any of our people in Human Resources or Legal, and anonymously through our Accenture Business Ethics Helpline—and once they do, we make it clear what to expect.
of concerns reported to HR, Legal or the Accenture Business Ethics Helpline are investigated and we seek to confirm the facts in a professional, methodical, thoughtful and balanced manner
The first fundamental behavior in our COBE is “Make Your Conduct Count.” It articulates five locally relevant yet globally applicable standards to guide how our people think and act across our unique and diverse culture. This framework creates a foundation for a positive, respectful and inclusive work environment.
Safeguarding data is one of our most important responsibilities in building and maintaining trust, not only with our people but also with our clients and other stakeholders. The Audit Committee of our Board continues to have oversight of our information technology risk exposures, including cybersecurity, data privacy and data security.
Beyond adhering to specific regional legal requirements, we apply strict data privacy and security standards to all information, everywhere. All our people have a personal responsibility to practice effective and responsible data management in accordance with our policies, including our Data Privacy Policy and procedures, our Binding Corporate Rules, as well as new and changing global regulations and jurisprudence.
While many of our people have returned to working in our office spaces, others continue to work in remote and hybrid work environments. This complex work model, partnered with potential business risks associated with ongoing geopolitical tensions, reinforces the need for a proactive, cyber-resilient approach to keep data safe across our business, our people and our clients.
Our core values shape our culture and define our character. We live our core values through individual behaviors that guide how we act and make decisions.
For any enterprise, Responsible AI means taking intentional actions to design, deploy and use AI to create value and build trust by protecting from the potential risks of AI. Responsible AI begins with a set of AI governing principles, which each enterprise adopts and then enforces.
Our Responsible AI Program is grounded in our Code of Business Ethics and core values, has CEO sponsorship and has been scaled to over 700,000 people worldwide.
To do this, we:
We are also helping clients implement their Responsible AI compliance programs.
Our approach to managing disruption is based on years of experience, preparation and adapting the way we manage and deliver services. Our business resilience strategy supports how we operate as a company, starting with our global client base, underpinned by internal functions and technology, and supported by the collaborations of our third-party ecosystem.
For more information, see our business continuity case study. As society continues moving to a digital-first reality, promoting human rights and setting industry standards are top of mind as we adapt our offerings to reflect this new collective consciousness.
We have a history of strong corporate governance and believe that good governance is critical to achieving long-term shareholder value. We are committed to governance practices and policies that serve the long-term interests of Accenture and our stakeholders.
We believe strong independent leadership is essential for the Board to effectively perform its functions and to help ensure independent oversight of management. Currently, our Board leadership structure consists of an independent Lead Director, a chair (who is also our chief executive officer) and strong independent committee chairs.
Board committees chaired by women
50%
of committees
Board committees chaired by racially and ethnically diverse directors*
75%
of committees
Significant board refreshment
4🠕
new directors over past 5 years
Age distribution
63
Average age of directors
Age range: 56-69
*Racial and ethnic diversity is based on self-reported EEO-1 categories.
Our corporate governance practices and policies include: