This decade has begun with an unprecedented shock, calling our attention to the fragility and interdependence of the planet and human life. It’s time for a reset. It’s time to act.

ERM has published our 2020 Sustainability Report with the theme of The Decade of Action. Issued into an environment none of us could have imagined at the beginning of 2020, the next 10 years mark the period of time when the world must make significant progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the climate targets set in the Paris Agreement.

In the introduction to the report, CEO Keryn James writes:

“It is important to think about this particular shock within a broader context; it is a foretaste of the kind of disruption and devastation the world will experience if we do not address climate change, biodiversity and nature loss, and inequality. The key themes of this report speak to the urgency of both these immediate and longer-term shocks and their potential impacts as we transition to a lower-carbon economy.

“In the report we demonstrate how ERM is helping our clients to be more resilient, to understand and manage their environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks and for investors to account for these ESG risks, and for all to act more decisively, with speed, to shape a more sustainable future.

“As we commence the "decade of action" towards the important 2030 milestone for the Sustainable Development Goals, we are drawing on our 50 years of experience to support our clients as they navigate the immediate challenges they are facing and begin to build greater resilience as they plan for the future.

“Post-pandemic life has to bring with it a new world socially, economically and environmentally. For ERM this is an opportunity to materially change where, and how we work, to improve the health and well-being of staff, reduce our carbon footprint and deliver better financial outcomes.

“In parallel with advising clients on sustainability matters, we are also managing our own response. This includes our public commitments approved by the Science Based Targets initiative and a strong program to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals.

“Every year as we produce this report, it never fails to remind me of the trust our clients place in ERM to allow us to support them in building sustainable businesses. Our people continue to astound me in their varying and every developing capabilities, and more recent months in particular, their resilience in adapting to change.”

Read ERM's 2020 Sustainability Report

ERM Foundation Annual Review: Creating impact though our people and partnerships

This year's ERM Foundation Annual Review marks our 25th anniversary and contains impressive examples of employee-led projects and partnerships with nonprofit organizations and social enterprises around the world, and the contributions these are making to the SDGs.

During FY20, the ERM Foundation disbursed $633,000 in grant funding and professional support for 61 organizations working across 32 countries Read the report to find out what we are doing to reduce carbon emissions, address plastic waste, improve access to clean water and protect biodiversity.

Read the ERM Foundation Annual Review 2020