SUSTAINABILITY Sustainability . It ’ s the mantra of the moment when it comes to business success – an essential area of focus for any organisation serious about remaining relevant . It is also an opportunity – a chance to differentiate from the competition while also doing ‘ good ’. It ’ s a fact : sustainability is good for business , and businesses need to adapt swiftly .
That is nothing new , but when the Big Four consultancy firms ( Deloitte , EY , KPMG , PwC ) allocate their leading minds to helping clients create business value from sustainability and accelerate transitions to a lower-carbon future , you know it is top of the agenda .
Steve Varley stepped into a newly created role at EY that was the first of its kind among the Big Four , leading the consultancy ’ s climate change and sustainability agenda globally while also leading EY ’ s overall environmental sustainability strategy across the US $ 36bn professional services organisation and its 300,000 people .
It ’ s fair to say Varley doesn ’ t just ‘ walk the walk ’ when it comes to sustainability but leads others along the route . EY achieved carbon neutrality in 2020 , became carbon-negative in 2021 , and has a net-zero commitment for 2025 .
Varley is also founding co-chair of the S30 – a group of 30 Chief Sustainability Officers from some of the world ’ s leading businesses , launched in 2020 in collaboration with HRH The Prince of Wales ’ Sustainable Markets Initiative .
In this exclusive interview , Varley discusses his new role , the challenges ahead for global organisations , and what business leaders need to do right now to secure our future . businesschief . com 45