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Our Environmental
Responsibility

Since 2012, we have achieved a

27% REDUCTION

in greenhouse gas emissions.

BACKGROUND

PIONEERING
THINKING

OUR
FOOTPRINT

SUSTAINABILITY
GOVERNANCE

Sustainable Design for Our Largest U.S Office Locations

 
 
 
Our new two largest U.S offices, accommodating more than 800 staff, are built to LEED specifications. Take the tour to learn more.
Workstation furniture is made from 85% recycled content.Biophilic design is incorporated throughout, including use of more than 1,000 air filtering live plants.100% of workstations have daylight or direct views to the outdoors.
Compost, recycling, and trash receptacles are built into the café design.All café area wood flooring is Forest Stewardship Council Certified and zero VOC* emitting (*volatile organic compounds).
All lighting uses energy efficient LED bulbs, reducing energy consumption by up to 75% from traditional incandescent lighting.Carpeting is certified Carbon Neutral®, Green Label Plus® and made from 88% recycled content.100% of the wall paint is zero VOC emitting.
Photo Credit © Robert Benson
 
 
 
 

EXPERIENCE ABT

Recognizing that protecting natural resources is a vital element of achieving our mission, we apply our creativity, technical expertise and collective efforts to reduce our environmental footprint.

GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

COMMUTING AND AIR TRAVEL

WASTE AND PROCUREMENT

We have been tracking our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions since 2012, and publically report this data to The Climate Registry. Emission accounting for years 2012 through 2016 has achieved external verification.

In 2015, we committed to decarbonize by 2050, setting an initial reduction target of 25% by 2021 from the 2012 base year.

 

Four years ahead of schedule, we beat our target, achieving a 27% reduction.

 

EXAMPLES OF MITIGATION STRATEGIES

Supporting use of alternative transportation & virtual collaboration

Building lighting retrofits and use of energy efficient IT electronics, printers, and appliances

Driving employee behavior change

Connecting Abt's climate change and renewable energy research to our mitigation strategies

In 2015, we began offsetting our Massachusetts office electricity use with wind & hydro, which if included in the emission calculation, results in a 32% reduction in emissions from 2012.

In 2018 we relocated our two largest U.S. offices to newly designed spaces that will further reduce our GHG footprint. The offices are built to LEED specifications and feature motion sensor LED lights, advanced temperature control and a significantly smaller energy consumption footprint.

We work in more than 50 countries, making air travel a necessity. To increase efficiency, we are bundling meetings, regionalizing services, increasing use of virtual collaboration technology and enhancing connectivity.

Source: Centralized travel agency data systems.
Source: Annual employee commute survey, administered through a proprietary instrument developed by Abt experts.

Every year, our employees commute to work by public transit, car, bike or on foot, accounting for 20% of GHG emissions annually.

EXAMPLES OF ACTIVE COMMUTING STRATEGIES

Public transit subsidies, complimentary shuttles to public transit

Regular Commuter Expos for staff to be well informed of their choices

Carpooling incentives and matching services

Organizing events and activities to promote Abt's thriving biking community

Complimentary bike tune-ups

Generous annual bike maintenance subsidy

Lockers, showers, secure bike parking

Recognition

 

2018 Gold
2017 Pinnacle Award
2015-2016 Leadership Award

2016 EcoLeadership Award

2017 Gold

Our offices generate waste in the form of paper, cardboard, electronics, packaging, food waste and other materials.

Recycling rates for our Massachusetts (MA) and Maryland (MD) offices have been increasing steadily throughout the years, and we are working toward our goal of 80 percent landfill diversion.

In Massachusetts we have reduced landfill-bound waste by 43% since 2012.

2018 Office Relocations

Donated 945 pieces of furniture, 150 boxes of office supplies, and 45 boxes of books

Reached an 80 percent landfill diversion rate for waste and decommissioned assets

Recycled more than 12,000 pounds of electronic waste and 131 tons of metal

EXAMPLES OF PROCUREMENT STRATEGIES

Nearly 100 percent of our computers are Energy Start Certified and 75 percent are Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) rated gold

All office printing paper is made of 100% post-consumer recycled content

Office supplies are selected for environmentally friendly attributes, such as low-toxicity, refillable and high recycled content

Of all paper-based products purchased, 73 percent contain at least 30 percent post-consumer recycled content