Audit, assurance and risk advisory consultancy Deloitte will invest in its sustainability and climate capabilities in terms of talent and its take-to-market solution offerings to support its clients along their environmental, social and governance (ESG) journeys and as part of its continued commitment to its purpose of making an impact that matters for its employees, clients and society, Deloitte Africa CEO Ruwayda Redfearn said on July 4.

The Africa strategy is part of the Deloitte global priority focus, which is assembling one of the largest global networks of sustainability experience, including an investment of $1-billion in client-related services, data-driven research and assets and capabilities.

This investment includes the development of the Deloitte Centre for Sustainable Progress (DCSP), which will be accessible by Deloitte professionals as they support organisations to transform at scale.

In collaboration with leading academic, policy, business and governmental organisations, the DCSP network will focus on holistic, results-oriented thought leadership, data-driven analysis and accountability reporting to guide organisations through their sustainability journeys.

Further, Deloitte will also build on its efforts of empowering individuals and engaging ecosystems as part of its internal WorldClimate strategy by offering a robust curriculum of sustainability training courses to all 345 000 professionals, along with its clients and suppliers.

The curriculum will be offered virtually and through the network of Deloitte Universities.

The Deloitte Sustainability and Climate practice will continue to support clients as they redefine their strategies, embed sustainability into their operations and help them accelerate transformation of their organisations, thereby enabling them to meet all ESG reporting requirements.

“Together, we can create a better future. This will, however, require relentless collaboration and innovation, along with radical and immediate changes to behaviour and attitude.

“It is about taking action, assisting transformation across the ecosystem, including suppliers, clients, customers, policymakers and alliance partners across industries and the societies in which we operate,” said Deloitte Africa's inaugural chief sustainability officer Ashleigh Theophanides.

Further, Deloitte Africa Sustainability and Climate Market offering leader Mark Victor will continue to lead Deloitte Africa’s client advisory and solutions offerings as the firm’s ESG lead, supported by a network of sustainability and ESG professionals across the continent, she said.

Victor and the team have done extensive research with clients, which has identified decarbonisation of their production processes as a top ESG priority. Victor notes that deep-dive conversations highlighted a range of issues and possible solutions across the industries and sectors.

“Issues [include] the management of waste and the long-term impact of the production and use of products across the telecoms, media and technology sectors. Additionally, the importance of digital transformation is being highlighted in the government and public sector.

“Building upon decades of sustainability work across Africa within the areas of sustainability and ESG, Deloitte Africa has developed an integrated, firm-wide Sustainability and Climate market offering that delivers an end-to-end set of solutions to our clients across the continent, leveraging the power of our strategy, climate advisory, social impact and reporting and assurance capabilities,” said Victor.

“Acting now is imperative, and it will take all of us to play our part in driving sustainable and measurable change. We as Deloitte Africa have the capabilities, talent and resources to make an impact that matters, and deliver on our commitment to accelerate progress on the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals and commitments of the Paris Agreement. Together, we can transform behaviour and shift mindsets,” said Theophanides.

Deloitte unveiled its WorldClimate strategy in 2021, in which it committed itself to science-based, net-zero with 2030 goals, and living by example.

Deloitte teams in South Africa have moved into environment-friendly buildings in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

The firm has also reduced business travel and is putting in place other solutions, such as the use of sustainable materials in its operations, thereby ensuring that all buildings have zero waste going to landfills through onsite recycling.

Further, as part of the firm's WorldClimate strategy, thousands of trees have recently been planted across countries by the Africa member firms as part of its Earth Month initiatives, Deloitte said.