In our newly published ESG Report, we describe our commitment, strategy, and progress in applying our purpose, portfolio, and partnerships to engineer new levels of environmental and social benefit for our company, clients, and communities.
Although we are in the early stages of embedding ESG into our thinking, decisions, and actions, we’ve made demonstrable progress since releasing our prior ESG Report, as underscored by these examples:
- On the environmental front, in 2021 we announced a global, time-bound goal of reaching net-zero emissions, compared to our 2019 emissions baseline. We aim to reduce absolute emissions by 50% in our global operations and supply chain by 2030, while negating the remaining emissions with carbon offsets. To achieve this goal, we’re pursuing initiatives related to renewable energy, green buildings, travel reduction, green IT and data centers, supply chain engagement, and carbon offsets.
- In the social sphere, we covered the cost for more than 300,000 COVID-19 vaccinations for associates in India, their dependents and contingent staff. Having pledged, at the start of the pandemic, $10 million to help communities respond to their immediate and long-term needs, we awarded more than $2.5 million in 2021 to support global communities affected by natural disasters and COVID-19. This included a $2 million contribution to UNICEF to aid emergency response efforts in India.
- To promote governance, in 2021 we completed our supply chain carbon emissions analysis, updated our supplier standards to include environmental requirements, and launched our Supplier Diversity Program in the U.S. To support our net-zero goal, we’re now working with the suppliers that contribute the most to Cognizant’s overall emissions and explaining to them why, when, and how to reduce their own emissions.
To learn more, download the full report here.
