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KPMG puts Fairtrade on the menu for London businesses
 
 KPMG has held its first
KPMG/Fairtrade Business
Breakfast to put the
purchasing of Fairtrade
products to FTSE 100
agendas.
   Supporting the
Fairtrade at Work
Campaign, the event
called on more big
corporations to switch
their purchasing policies
in favour of Fairtrade
products.
   Recent research has
found that there is an
appetite for the adoption
of Fairtrade products
which is not currently
being met by employers. A
survey carried out by
 
 YouGov and commissioned
by the Fairtrade
Foundation last year
which coincided with the
launch of the Fairtrade
at Work Campaign revealed
that only 17% of UK
workers say that their
companies are currently
serving Fairtrade
products at work. But
almost two out five
workers (38%) say they
think their company
should make products
carrying the Fairtrade
mark more available to
staff at work.
   Ian Barlow, London
senior partner at KPMG,
said: "Adopting Fairtrade
 
 products is one
straightforward way in
which companies can make
a social impact. KPMG
spends £250,000 each year
on Fairtrade products. If
every large company did
the same, it would have a
huge impact. Some large
companies already do buy
Fairtrade but with this
initiative we hope we can
encourage more to follow
suit and so make a
significant collective
difference. Britain is
the world's second
largest market for
Fairtrade products and we
are used to seeing them
on supermarket shelves.
 
 Now we want more
businesses to buy them as
a matter of policy as
well."
   London is aiming to
become the first
International Fairtrade
City. There are currently
14 boroughs in London
with the Fairtrade label.
In order to become an
official Fairtrade city,
17 boroughs must take
part.
   KPMG adopted a
Fairtrade products
purchasing policy in
2003. This includes
buying Fairtrade tea,
coffee and wines for
corporate hospitality and
 
 a wider range of
Fairtrade products for
employee consumption in
staff shops/canteens. The
firm has developed a
close relationship with
the Fairtrade Foundation
and actively contributes
to the London Fairtrade
Campaign through the GLA
led steering group to
make London the first
international Fairtrade
city.
  
  
  
 
 
A.T. Kearney pledges to become carbon-neutral
 
 Global management
consulting firm A.T.
Kearney plans to move to
a carbon-neutral
consulting model within
two years. The company
said its commitment to
carbon-neutrality applies
to all aspects of its
global operations – both
internal and
client-facing activities
– and is one part of a
larger sustainability
effort being launched
across the firm's offices
in 33 countries.
   A.T. Kearney said it
will develop a series of
innovative alternative
delivery mechanisms that
the firm's 1,500
consultants around the
world can use for
providing consulting
services in a more
 
 sustainable and
environmentally friendly
way. Efforts will focus
on reducing the frequency
of business travel and
using technology to
maintain the firm's
hallmark collaborative
working style in a more
environmentally
sustainable fashion.
   "The travel inherent
in the consulting
industry gives it a
disproportionately large
carbon footprint compared
with many other
professional services
organisations," said Paul
Laudicina, managing
officer and chairman of
A.T. Kearney. "As our
clients increasingly make
sustainability
commitments to their
stakeholders, we are
 
 dedicated to doing all we
can to help them maintain
those commitments when
utilising consulting
services."
   A.T. Kearney pledged
to become carbon neutral
within the next two years
by reducing its own
emissions and investing
in climate-protecting
projects meeting the
highest international
quality standards.
Consistent with this
pledge will be
initiatives to: limit
internal travel; shift
necessary travel from air
to rail as feasible;
select services from
among carbon-efficient
airlines, hotels and
rental car companies;
increase the use of
public transit; and
 
 further increase energy
and resource efficiency
in its operations.
   "We are seeking to
change our own behaviour
and help shape the way
our consultants think
about sustainability,"
said Laudicina. "We
anticipate this issue
will bring a fundamental
paradigm shift to the
consulting industry and
we intend to be at the
forefront in adjusting to
changing client
expectations and needs."
   A.T. Kearney's
commitment to
sustainability also
extends to the work it is
doing for clients. The
firm is tapping its
80-year heritage in
strategy and operations
consulting to help
 
 companies and governments
develop comprehensive
sustainability strategies
and establish supply
chains with sustainable
solutions in mind.
   "We will be looking at
all our client work
through the prism of
sustainability,"
Laudicina said. "Learning
to grow profitably and
delivering value for all
stakeholders in a
resource-limited and
threatened global
environment is a
fundamental business
challenge of this
century."