Operational Efficiency

In the U.S., we welcome one person every 13 seconds into our country (taking birth, mortality and migration figures into account)¹. We act to help preserve the earth’s resources to support that growth through impactful initiatives, greening our supply chain, minimizing our operational impact, and raising environmental awareness among our 6,000 employees.

In 2017, we completed a third-party verification of our 2016 environmental performance data. As a result of this review, we changed the GHG emissions tool we use to calculate and convert figures to the EPA Simplified GHG Emissions Calculator (SGEC) version 4. As such, we recalculated 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 and our benchmark year 2007 data under Scope 2 GHG emissions to ensure consistency in formulas and reporting. We also expanded the scope and accuracy of our reporting in this report to include fleet miles under Scope 1 and our calculated/non-metered¹ electricity use from field office locations in our total electricity consumption under Scope 2.

In 2017, as part of our strategy to measure and manage the environmental impacts of our business operations, we became carbon-neutral for scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Operating at the level termed carbon-neutral means that an institution has net-zero emissions from greenhouse gases. For 2019, we purchased renewable energy certificates (download PDF) (RECs) for indirect emissions equal to 120 percent of our electricity use (scope 2), as well as offsets to compensate for unavoidable direct emissions from natural gas, steam and fleet car use (scope 1). Additionally, since 2007, through real estate portfolio management and energy-efficiency programs, we have reduced our scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 56 percent.