BDO USA, LLP Announces Inaugural Sustainability Report

BDO USA, LLP, one of the nation’s leading accounting and advisory firms, has released its first sustainability report, reflecting progress made and initiatives undertaken in fiscal year 2022 (May 1, 2021 – April 30, 2022). This report highlights BDO’s commitment to sustainability and ESG and details the actions the firm is taking to continuously evolve its business to be more responsible and resilient. 

“At BDO, we have made sustainability and ESG one of the five strategic imperatives that drive our business strategy,” said Wayne Berson, CEO of BDO USA. “The publication of this report not only shares the foundational work we have done to date, but also details our efforts to define the kind of organization we want to be in the future. We are building a business that lasts – a business that fulfills our firm’s purpose of helping people thrive, every day.” 

BDO continues to evolve its efforts, integrating sustainable practices into the firm’s operations and strategies. In the near-term, BDO commits to: 

• Implementing multiple strategies to reduce the environmental impact of its business activities 
• Achieving net zero by or before 2050, halving emissions by 2030 and setting science-based emissions reduction targets to be validated through the Science Based Targets initiative 
• Developing a responsible sourcing program; putting systems in place to ensure that a significant portion of the firm’s suppliers share its environmental and social values and commitments 
• Educating BDO’s people through the continued development of a robust sustainability and ESG learning strategy to further their understanding of how ESG factors impact the firm’s business and that of its clients 
• Growing the significance of BDO’s community engagement efforts by bringing focus to its long-standing BDO Counts volunteerism program and formalizing a firmwide social impact strategy that aligns employee passions with BDO’s purpose 
• Focusing on candidate attraction, candidate selection, employee experience and success, and transparency — four enduring priorities — to shape the firm’s DEI efforts today and guide its forward journey 

“We believe the future of business is sustainable – and that the private sector plays an important role in helping achieve the milestones that are so critical for our society and our planet. By embracing this mindset today, BDO will benefit from increased opportunities for value creation, risk mitigation and greater overall resilience tomorrow,” said Christopher Tower, Managing Partner, Sustainability and ESG. “While our journey is still unfolding, I’m proud of the work reflected within this inaugural report and the impactful commitments we have made.” 

Across the firm’s more than 80 U.S. offices, BDO continues to deliver for its people and the planet. Recent examples include: 

• Signing the United Nations (U.N.) Global Compact 
• Joining the Net Zero Financial Service Providers Alliance 
• Reaffirming its commitment to BDO Flex, BDO’s long-standing dynamic workplace flexibility strategy 
• Hosting more than 200 inclusion activities and communication touchpoints with more than 10,500 participants 
• Feeding nearly 50,000 community members during BDO’s semiannual Weeks of Service across the U.S. 
• Empowering BDO professionals to serve in leadership roles for nearly 500 nonprofit organizations 

“Sustainability will continue to be at the top of BDO’s strategic agenda,” said Cara Mooses, Senior Director, Sustainability and ESG Corporate Strategy. “We’ve made significant commitments toward the advancement of our collective efforts and are setting measurable goals to both hold ourselves accountable and enable targeted and meaningful progress.” 

The report is issued in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) 2021 Universal Standards, the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) 2018 standard for the Professional & Commercial Services industry, and in alignment with the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

View the full report here.