Dear Colleagues,
A little over two years ago Abt Associates made a formal commitment to make environmental sustainability a priority for our company. As we continue on this journey, I am excited to announce several important developments.
Global Sustainability Program
Abt Associates is expanding the framework of sustainability to include both environmental and social aspects of sustainability, to more closely reflect the global concept adopted by many of our clients, competitors, partners, and other important stakeholders.
This broader concept of sustainability reflects the notion that we at Abt Associates are determined to achieve our business goals and our mission by integrating economic, environmental and social opportunities deep into our business strategy, to ensure the long-term success of our company and the communities and populations we serve. To this end, the Environmental Sustainability Program (ESP) created in 2012 will transition to a more broad-scoped strategic program, and will become Abt’s Global Sustainability Program (GSP). This expanded concept is also reflected in a newly revised Sustainability Policy (attached).
In order for us to be successful in this transformative endeavor, it has to be a truly collaborative effort. Although Olga Faktorovich Allen will continue to lead this program, this next phase of our journey is focused on integration. Integrating concepts of social and environmental responsibility into internal processes, policies, strategies, and culture. To this end, the MAG has recently appointed a cross-departmental GSP Operations Committee tasked with integrating sustainability into decision making, processes, and department strategies – indeed into the core of Abt Associates so that it is an undercurrent of all we do. The individuals serving on this GSP Operations Committee include Al Dussi (Corporate Services), Lisa Ashcraft (Contract Ops.), Mauricio Poodts (IT), Melinda Williams (Communications),Yvonne Abel (HR), and Frank Divita (ERD) who will be representing the PM Solutions Team. This team is tasked with identifying key performance metrics and setting goals and targets for increased accountability, transparency, and to drive innovation and collaboration. We are looking for this Committee to truly operationalize sustainability at Abt Associates, exhibiting strong leadership and good governance in the market.
Evolving Investigation of Business Opportunities
The challenges posed by natural resource scarcity, climate change, and associated social impacts are increasingly rising towards the top of priorities of our clients and stakeholders. These complex challenges are multifaceted, and Abt Associates’ interdisciplinary approach to solving the world’s most complicated challenges positions us to have a powerful impact in this field. To this end, as an important part of our business strategy, we are actively seeking to integrate a holistic approach to our overseas program implementation work where social and environmental benefits are maximized, evaluated and quantified, and communicated strategically enhancing that value proposition for our clients. Additionally, we have identified sustainability services as a test market for Abt Associates, and have assembled a group of colleagues from across our divisions under the CBO, led by Olga, to evaluate the potential for Abt to offer sustainability services, including natural capital valuation for enhanced decision making, to existing and new clients.
These are all important developments and all will position us for a stronger more sustainable future.
Regards,
Clarissa
Global Sustainability Program Sponsor
Clarissa A. Peterson - GPHR, SPHR | Chief Human Resources and Ethics Officer | Abt Associates
4550 Montgomery Avenue, Suite 800 North, Bethesda, MD 20814
O:301.968.1460 F: 301.828.9831| www.abtassociates.com