Corporate Social Responsibility
At Abt, mission-driven doesn’t just describe our work; it reflects the way we operate and how we engage with our clients, colleagues, and the world. Our mission and the goal of everything we do is to improve the quality of life and economic well-being of people worldwide—every day.
Acting on Climate Change
Climate change exacerbates every social and environmental challenge we seek to address. That’s why Abt is committed to aggressively reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within our operations, our supply chain, and within the products and services we deliver to our clients around the world.
Our Climate Commitments:
- Expand our GHG reduction target to cover Abt’s global footprint
- Align our GHG reduction strategy to keep warming to a 1.5°C pathway
- Reach science-based net zero emissions by 2050
- Set an interim science-based target of 38.6% reduction (Scope 1+2 and Scope 3) by 2027 over 2019 levels
We have tracked Abt’s GHG emissions since 2012 and achieved a 49.7% reduction in our U.S.-based emissions as of 2019—beating our first reduction target. In doing so, we expanded Abt’s GHG inventory to encompass our global operations—including Abt Britain and Australia—as well as additional sources of emissions like telecommuting.
Prior to COP26, Abt joined the global Business Ambition for 1.5°C and Race to Zero campaigns, making the commitment to align our climate mitigation targets with the goal of keeping global warming to 1.5°C and reaching science-based net-zero emissions by 2050. Our near-term science-based target was validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) in June 2022. To further our transparency and deepen our climate commitments, Abt verified our net-zero target with SBTi in May 2023.
The following are Abt’s official targets:
Overall Net-Zero Target: Abt Global commits to reach net-zero GHG emissions across the value chain by 2050.
Near-Term Target: Abt Global commits to reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 38.6 percent by 2027 from a 2019 base year. Abt Global also commits to reduce absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions from business travel, employee commuting, and upstream leased assets 38.6 percent within the same timeframe.
Long-Term Targets: Abt Global commits to reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 90 percent by 2050 from a 2019 base year. Abt Global commits to reduce absolute Scope 3 GHG emissions from business travel, employee commuting, and upstream leased assets 90 percent within the same timeframe.
The targets for Scope 1 and 2 emissions from Abt’s operations are consistent with reductions required to keep warming to 1.5°C. Abt’s target for Scope 3 emissions from our value chain (e.g., emissions from our partners in joint operations, our use of supply chains) meet SBTi’s criteria for ambitious value chain goals, meaning it is in line with current best practice. We will continue to reassess our target every five years—or as targets are met—to expand our ambition and actions.
We are committed to externally verifying our emissions on a biennial cycle and publicly report our inventory to The Climate Registry and annually through the CDP Climate Change Questionnaire. Abt's GHG inventories for the years 2012 through 2022 have been externally verified to reasonable assurance standards for Scope 1 and 2 emissions and to limited assurance standards for Scope 3 emissions. Abt's 2021 and 2022 emissions inventory took additional steps to verify Scope 3 emissions to a reasonable level of assurance.
GHG Emissions Actual v. Target
GHG Emissions by Source
Awards & Partnerships
- Science Based Targets initiative; UN Global Compact; We Mean Business; UNFCCC – Business Ambition for 1.5°C and Race to Net Zero committed since 2021.
- UN Global Compact Ten Principles Signatory since 2017.
- CDP – 2020 A- Climate Change Rating. Partner since 2015.
- The Climate Registry – 2019-2022 Climate Registered™ Platinum status. Partner since 2012.
- ANSI/NSF 391.1 – First professional service organization certified globally.
- The League of American Bicyclists – 2017-2021 Gold Award for Bicycle Friendly Business.
- Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments – 2023 Commuter Connections Employer Recognition Award for Telework Category and 2020 Award for Incentives Category
Making an Impact in Our Communities
People at Abt are driven and passionate, and while they are committed to creating global impact through their work, they also care about their own communities. We support our staff in advancing their impact outside of the office by participating in community-based service and fundraisers among other activities to directly engage with communities where they live and work.
Community engagement is important to Abt, and we plan our efforts based on their alignment with our global mission impact work.
Pro Bono Work
Each year, we partner with a community-based organization for an Abt-led pro bono project aligned with our mission. This annual effort is designed to allow for Abt staff and resources to contribute to and amplify the impact that nonprofit organizations are making in their communities. We strive to create a sustainable product or deliverable that our partner organization can continue scaling and implementing beyond project closure.
Currently, we are partnering with The Women’s Collective, an organization based in Washington DC and providing services to women who have or are at risk of HIV/AIDS to support the creation of communication materials that promote their PrEP education and outreach programs.
Examples of past projects include:
- Most recently, we worked with the Worcester Education Collaborative, a nonprofit focused on education equity in Worcester, MA. The team documented WEC’s complex positioning in the Worcester ecosystem and developed a set of recommendations for how WEC can measure their impact in their community. (FY 2022)
- We partnered with Our House, a nonprofit supporting people experiencing homelessness in Atlanta. The team assessed service delivery of the organization’s main programs: housing services through the Shelter, Early Childhood Education program, and Child Development Associate Certification Training, and provided an action plan for improved service delivery. (FY 2021)
- We also collaborated with Men Stopping Violence (MSV) in Atlanta to strengthen their communication campaigns. The team conducted research to evaluate baseline knowledge, attitude and beliefs of their target audience, inform the design and delivery of their messaging, and built the foundation for future research that can examine the impact of their communications work. (FY 2020)
Interested in applying for a pro bono project with us?
The focus and scope of our pro bono projects can take many different forms, but generally must fall under the umbrella of Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation, or Technical Assistance and Implementation. To learn more about the type of work that Abt does, please visit the What We Do section on your left or review our Mission Impact Report. If you are interested in receiving Abt’s pro bono services, send us an email here and share 1) the mission of your organization 2) how it serves to advance equity and 3) a general idea of the work that you would like Abt to conduct for your organization.
Volunteering
Abt has a robust volunteer program that engages many nonprofit partners tied to our mission. Volunteering is an important part of the culture at Abt and brings together staff in many cities to contribute their time and efforts to support communities. We are always open to building partnerships with value and mission-aligned organizations that are centered on equity. We are also proud to provide financial support to the organizations we engage with, and our staff also rally to make donations.
Miriam’s Kitchen is a leading partner in addressing Washington DC’s homelessness crisis. We are proud to partner with them on many programs that vary as seasonal needs change throughout the year.
Our programs with Miriam’s Kitchen have included:
- A blanket making event in the winter, where Abt staff come together to make blankets used in multiple Miriam’s Kitchen programs.
- Assembling seasonal essential kits that help protect folks from the extreme heat and cold
- Participating in meal shifts to provide Miriam’s Kitchen guests with nutritious food
The work of Miriam’s Kitchen also aligns with Abt’s role in helping track homelessness data across the United States – data that makes its way into the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress to inform decisions about policies, funding, and what services to provide. In a comprehensive feature report, we recently highlighted an alarming increase in homelessness among senior citizens and went behind the data to share Wesley Thomas’ powerful story of courage and resilience in collaboration with Miriam’s Kitchen.
On the Rise is an organization based in Cambridge, MA focused on “safety, community, and advocacy for homeless and formerly-homeless women and transgender/non-binary individuals”. Abt staff volunteer with On the Rise regularly, help process in-kind donations, and organize the clothing closet for program participants. We have also compiled essential item kits in our Cambridge, MA office for On the Rise program participants.
On the Rise’s focus on supporting women and gender diverse individuals aligns with our goal to make equity a part of all we do at Abt.
Urban Ministries of Durham (UMD) is an organization that “connects with the community to end homelessness and fight poverty by offering food, shelter and a future to neighbors in need.” Meals are just one of many services UMD provides. For 40 years, UMD has had a vital presence in the Durham
community, with a longstanding commitment to serving individuals regardless of race, ethnicity, religious beliefs or non-faith, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. Beyond the "basics," UMD exemplifies best practices in the field by incorporating thoughtful and person-centered case-management practices and workforce development, provided with respect and compassion, and dignity as a cornerstone of their work. We’re proud to engage with them as a community partner, and Abt staff supports UMD through volunteer shifts that include serving breakfast to clients and preparing sandwiches quarterly.
Committed to Transparency
Abt is deeply committed to advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), in addition to reporting on our own mission impact goals through our annual Mission Impact Report and topical publications. We adhere to international frameworks such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) across our annual corporate reporting for enhanced transparency and accountability. To request a copy of our corporate Environmental Policy, please contact the Global Sustainability Program.
To evolve and deepen Abt’s understanding of how our work and operations impact key stakeholder groups, we undertook a stakeholder mapping exercise in FY23. The assessment considered internal drivers shaping how we engage with our clients, community, and employees, as well as external drivers, such as regulatory requirements, ESG reporting requirements, and ESG risks to our business. Stakeholder priorities were assessed using employee dialogues and surveys, our past ESG disclosures, peer and sector disclosure benchmarking, regulatory and legal requirements, and industry best practice.
Abt’s key stakeholder groups identified during this process include clients, suppliers, industry peers, multi-stakeholder networks and professional associations, governments and regulators, our environment and natural resources, our communities, beneficiaries of our work, Abt’s people and future talent, and ESOP shareholder and participants. Going forward, Abt will refresh this process at least once every three years under the direction of our Sustainability Committee to reassess the key stakeholders impacted through our business and operations, how we engage with them, and examples of topics and responses to maximize feedback opportunities. This information will be used to address key areas of impact—risks and opportunities—upon which to focus our materiality assessment and business strategy.
