Mission statement: Cultivate sustainable communities that enhance the wellbeing of both current and future generations by driving positive environmental practices at our firm and through our clients, colleagues and communities.
Our four strategic pillars help bring our mission to life and guide us in fulfilling our environmental commitment.
1. Infusing environmental stewardship into our culture
At RSM, we define stewardship as leaving the world better than we found it. We empower our people to make a difference through local and national environmental initiatives, driven by our RSM Eco Committee and local office champions.
Educating our people
We provide on-demand educational opportunities and resources to empower our people to make environmentally responsible decisions to reduce their carbon footprint through recycling, composting and traveling more sustainably.
Offering environmental stewardship opportunities
We inspire engagement by inviting our people to participate in meaningful environmental initiatives, including our annual Trash Dash and KidsGardening events.
2. Integrating environmental sustainability into our everyday business operations
We strive to integrate environmental policies and procedures into the way we do business to minimize our impact on the environment and reduce waste.
Reducing our real estate footprint
We’re taking steps to reduce our square footage by nearly one-third per FTE* in the U.S. to align our real estate strategy with how our people use our office space.
*For purposes of tracking against our targets, FTE is defined as the average full-time equivalents in the U.S. during the fiscal year.
Prioritizing sustainable properties and build-out practices
We prioritize buildings that are LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-certified and internationally recognized by the certification system of the U.S. Green Building Council when possible. We design our offices to meet or exceed the latest energy conservation codes and LEED parameters and procure furnishings from manufacturers committed to environmental sustainability.
Leveraging technology
We enable our people and our clients to collaborate virtually, which reduces the need for travel and in some cases enables completely virtual service delivery, thereby reducing our carbon footprint.
We leverage additional technologies, including DocuSign, SecurePrint, Cvent and Caseware, to reduce or eliminate our use of paper whenever possible. Our digitized processes, electronic forms and digital apps continue to streamline processes and eliminate waste and physical storage needs.
Recycling and waste reduction
Our office operations team has implemented a variety of waste management guidelines for ordering consumable products, recycling (including printer toner cartridges), composting, and hosting sustainable meetings and events.
E-waste recycling
Our decommissioned technology equipment is managed through approved vendor relationships to ensure responsible reuse and disposal. Functioning equipment is resold, and nonfunctioning equipment is disposed of in an environmentally safe manner consistent with industry standards, including dismantling into raw materials for resale in secondary markets or proper disposal.
3. Reducing and monitoring our greenhouse gas emissions
We remain committed to transparently and accurately reporting our carbon emissions. Our greenhouse gas inventory, which highlights our material Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, is developed using guidance from the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. To learn more, review our most recent Greenhouse gas emissions report.
Reducing our greenhouse gas emissions
RSM has set realistic and consistent emission reduction targets for U.S.-based emissions.
*For purposes of tracking against our targets, FTE is defined as the average full-time equivalents in the U.S. during the calendar year
Reporting our greenhouse gas emissions
We calculate our greenhouse gas emissions annually and continually work to improve our data collection processes and reporting which underscores RSM’s commitment to sustainability and effective environmental stewardship.
Driving change through our environmental advisory group
This group includes leaders and employees responsible for assessing our greenhouse gas emission inventory and carrying out our mission to reduce our carbon footprint.
4. Collaborating with strategic ecosystems
Strategic ecosystems foster relationships that amplify our environmental impact. These relationships benefit our firm, clients, colleagues, and communities while strengthening ties with other sustainability-focused businesses.
Commitment to the 10 principles of the UN Global Compact
As part of our commitment to the UN Global Compact, we support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges and are actively undertaking initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility.
Transforming our clients’ businesses
Our sustainability advisory practice goes beyond our firm, partnering with organizations to achieve their environmental goals through tailored ESG strategies. With deep expertise in sustainability reporting and a proven track record across industries, we help businesses identify key ESG impacts, enhance risk management and drive stakeholder value—building lasting confidence and turning challenges into competitive advantages in this critical era of sustainability.
Collaboration with vendors and suppliers
We expect all vendors and suppliers to act responsibly and adhere to our code of conduct. We work with them to enhance our reporting and implementation of sustainable products and services that help reduce the impact our operations have on the environment.
Through the encouragement of the environmental employee engagement committee and Davenport office leaders, we have changed the way we look at trash and are now proud to be sustainably active in our office and our community. This past fall we held an electronics recycling drive that was a huge success! PCs for People took over 100 pounds of old e-waste and responsibly recycled them. We donated what was still usable to the community to support equal access to technology for low-income families. Being the local environmental office champion has been a very rewarding experience and has opened my eyes to ways that we can better support our planet.
Crista DeVore, locations services coordinator, RSM US
We know from experience, and from scientific studies, that kids who have access to learning gardens have better nutritional habits, perform better academically and are better adapted socially ... Together, we are creating generations of happier, healthier and more engaged kids with a close connection to their food and community and engaged in nurturing a healthy planet. We can't thank you enough for joining us in support of this important mission.
Em Shipman, executive director, KidsGardening
I had the opportunity to co-develop as well as be one of the judges of the ‘Road to Net Zero’ case competition for students at University of California – Irvine. My involvement in the competition fostered community engagement by promoting awareness of net-zero initiatives, showcasing RSM’s environmental, social and governance services, encouraging collaboration among participants, and ultimately, contributing to the development of feasible strategies for a more sustainable future.
Kyra Pollack, consulting senior associate, RSM Canada
SWIPE TO VIEW
Digitized annual report
To reduce our use of paper, we moved to an all-digital experience for our annual reports, adding compelling interactive components and making them easily accessible for all stakeholders via our website.
