KPMG launches new campaign at Davos to help speed up global action on ESG

At COP28 countries have agreed to: triple renewable energy, double energy efficiency and for the first time to a transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems in a manner which is just, orderly and equitable. The UN Climate Change Executive Secretary called upon “all governments and businesses… to turn these pledges into real-economy outcomes, without delay”.

Therefore, the attention of leaders around the world now turns to how best to execute robust plans to achieve these outcomes, what role technology and AI will play in achieving Net Zero, and how 2024, a record-breaking year of elections may impact the pace of change to a just transition to a low carbon economy.   

It is against this backdrop, at the World Economic Forum annual gathering at Davos, that KPMG has launched a major ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) campaign. The overarching message is ‘we can do better’, a sentiment echoed by the campaign headline:

This is not just sustainability. This is creating a lasting legacy.

Today, action on sustainability is gaining traction and attracting investment, but too many initiatives are stalling, moving slowly or missing targets. Beyond making headlines at Davos, KPMG has created this campaign to sound a global alarm on the urgent progress needed.

In its work, KPMG sees a pressing need for advice and solutions around sustainability. So, this campaign emphasizes the benefits of acting now, instead of a waiting or under-investing. To encourage this proactive mindset, the campaign showcases the KPMG team’s depth of expertise, understanding of clients’ challenges and field-based experience.

This is… more than making ESG headlines

KPMG believes that humanizing ESG will increase the pace of change. So, this campaign heroes KPMG professionals who are leading the charge across industries, markets and geographies. Via online, social media, and outdoor channels, it features just some of the advisors and experts at KPMG who are enabling clients to deliver on their ESG and sustainability goals.

John McCalla-Leacy, Head of Global ESG, says: “Companies need to continue to make urgent progress with transformational change in a way that supports sustainable value creation. At Davos, this launch aims to ignite conversations on invention and innovation and the critical need for action and the unlocking of investment. We hope this campaign will spur on organizations and help KPMG become a leading voice on ESG.”

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The themes and topics of this campaign underscore KPMG’s in-depth expertise and breadth of experience. It also confronts the status quo, and it connects the wellbeing of the planet with future prosperity for all.

A focus on six market forces

Throughout its campaign, KPMG will highlight six areas that organizations can and must address in their strategies and actions. These ‘market forces’ also align with KPMG’s capabilities and solutions that are proven to accelerate progress on sustainability and ESG:

1. Responsible resource use and impact on nature – KPMG advises on sustainable resource management, ensuring natural resources are utilized efficiently and responsibly, reducing environmental impact and conserving biodiversity.
2. Global goals on tackling climate change – KPMG supports clients in aligning with international climate goals, implementing strategies to reduce carbon footprints and enhance climate resilience.
3. Basic human rights – KPMG champions human rights advocacy throughout entire business operations, helping organizations to embrace greater transparency and to respect and promote human dignity and equality in their value chains.
4. Reorientation of capital – KPMG helps clients to reorient capital flows towards more sustainable outcomes and capitalize on investment opportunities for sustainable value creation and long-term business resilience.
5. Increased regulation, reporting, and incentives – KPMG equips clients to navigate the evolving regulatory landscape, guiding companies in compliance, transparent reporting and leveraging incentives for sustainable practices.
6. Increased focus on trust and transparency – KPMG helps clients build trust through transparent ESG reporting and disclosures and more robust data and controls, enhancing brand reputation and stakeholder relationships.

A global message

ESG is still a relatively new concept in some markets. So, KPMG’s campaign message can be adapted to specific domains depending on the priority areas of our clients such as climate risk, decarbonization and biodiversity. The campaign themes will cover:

• Climate risk – assessing and mitigating risks associated with climate change impacts on businesses, including operations and markets.
• Decarbonization – transitioning to a just low-carbon future, meeting regulations and customer expectations.
• Nature and biodiversity loss – protecting natural habitats and species, integrating biodiversity considerations into business models.
• Strategy, transformation, and implementation – crafting and executing long-term sustainable value creating strategies that transform business functions, operations and entire organizations.
• ESG reporting – ensuring accurate and comprehensive reporting of ESG metrics to build greater trust and transparency for stakeholders.
• ESG tax and legal – providing legal, tax and incentive advice on ESG-related matters to ensure compliance and optimize benefits.
• ESG value and deals – evaluating and integrating ESG factors in mergers, acquisitions, Joint Venture, Alliances and other transactions to drive value.

Each of these campaign themes aligns with KPMG’s expertise and experience in helping clients to drive sustainable business growth and wider societal impact from their ESG activities and investment.

About KPMG International         

KPMG is a global organization of independent professional services firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services. KPMG is the brand under which the member firms of KPMG International Limited (“KPMG International”) operate and provide professional services. “KPMG” is used to refer to individual member firms within the KPMG organization or to one or more member firms collectively.

KPMG firms operate in 143 countries and territories with more than 265,000 partners and employees working in member firms around the world. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such. Each KPMG member firm is responsible for its own obligations and liabilities.

KPMG International Limited is a private English company limited by guarantee. KPMG International Limited and its related entities do not provide services to clients.