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Citizenship at
Edelman
Partnerships drive our global citizenship program, playing a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitious sustainability and societal goals. These partnerships embed their impact throughout Edelman and our culture. This vital importance is reflected in this report's theme: Engaging Partnerships, Empowering Impact.
Throughout the report, we showcase how collaboration during our 14-year citizenship journey has enabled us to transform individual initiatives into integrated programs and generate an empowering impact.
Letter from Richard Edelman
A Letter from Richard Edelman
Trust is our hallmark. To us, trust drives growth and actions earns trust. It’s a maxim that applies to the meaningful change our agency and our global citizenship program create in people’s lives, across our firm and throughout society.
Partnerships, the theme of this report, spark the actions that generate consequential results. In 2024 at COP28, in collaboration with the United Nations and the COP28 Presidency, we created the storytelling platform to tell the story of COP and our collective global ambition. That work resulted in the landmark UAE Consensus to transition away from fossil fuels in a just, orderly and equitable manner.
In addition, collaborations are helping us shrink our own environmental footprint. Over 50 of our top suppliers have provided their greenhouse gas emission data so we can reduce our own carbon footprint.
"Edelman has been a participant in the United Nations global compact since March 2001. I am proud to pledge Edelman’s continued support for the global compact and its goals.”
Our employees make an indelible mark. Their volunteerism and pro bono activities worldwide are quite extraordinary, as this report illuminates. They were instrumental in our purpose-driven campaigns for DPWorld, Dove, Alexion, Sanofi, IKEA, and the Ampara Institute earning Cannes Lions and other worldwide recognition.
Still, purpose isn’t sufficient. It can be politicized. The movement pressuring brands to walk away from purpose or issues advocacy is gaining momentum. The Israel-Palestine and Ukraine-Russia conflicts reignite nationalism, leading to adoption of local brands as a means of protest. It’s not that brands have changed. Society has.
Encouragingly, consumers are much more likely today to say brands should do more, not less, across societal issues. Our 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Brands & Politics found that respondents want brands to do more, not less, about climate (5 to 1), fair pay (4 to 1) and diversity (2 to 1). The message: Brands – and their parent companies – must stay true to their core competencies, prioritize their core consumer, encourage intellectual diversity and inclusion, and – most importantly – stand their ground in playing an essential role in a fear-riven society to provide hope and inspiration for the future.
Edelman, established by my dad Dan in 1952, is now a third-generation company. And my three daughters are committed to the same values as Dad and generation two: Renee, John and me. Our essential quality is decency. Our commitment is trust through action.
Richard Edelman is CEO.
Letter from John Edelman
A Letter from John Edelman
During our 14-year global citizenship journey, we’ve learned the truth of the adage that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. When individual elements combine into a unified whole, the interconnectedness delivers more impact than the separate parts on their own.
This realization magnifies the theme of this report: Engaging Partnerships, Empowering Impact. Both internal and external collaborations power the snowballing impact of our global citizenship program’s sustainability, societal, and governance initiatives.
Partnerships abound in each of our report’s four major elements – people, clients, communities, world – and they expand annually in number and impact. They help provide employee services that range from benefiting their well-being to their climate and artificial intelligence training and volunteerism, among others. Our purpose-driven collaborations with clients serve to improve society and our planet. Please read our client case studies on efforts to halt deforestation and generate other environmental and societal benefits.
Buoyed by our Community Investment Grants, we pair with community leaders and groups to make a difference where we live and work. Our Forward Employee Network Group, where I serve as executive sponsor, representing military veterans and spouses, is assisting with a survey to identify gaps in veteran employment and other services.
On the real estate front, we’re partnering with all regional offices and prospective landlords to ensure that new offices are as sustainable as possible. We use a “green” request for lease proposal to identify them.
When building out an office, we install gas and water meters to gain high-quality data on our environmental footprint. As Martin O’Reilly, our Global Technology and Shared Operations Chief, emphasizes: “Sustainability is our lens now.”
We continue to make progress on our objectives. Edelman has been certified to the Carbon Trust “Route to Net Zero” standard’s advancing tier. We also received EcoVadis’ Gold Medal rating that signals our sustainability management system ranks among the top 5% of rated companies over the past 12 months. We’re using climate scenario analysis and climate models to inform strategies to mitigate and adapt to climate change. We also are employing a regional approach to citizenship with regions empowered to generate their own impactful initiatives.
Challenges remain. We must reduce our office waste and improve efforts to get employees to use their eight hours of PTO to volunteer. We must continue to seek ways to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to achieve our SBTi targets. In the future, we expect biodiversity, environmental and social justice, and the impact of AI to be increasingly important in terms of ESG considerations and initiatives.
Magic truly happens when partners combine to create a seamless collaboration that surpasses what we and they could achieve independently.
John Edelman is the Managing Director of Global Citizenship and Corporate Responsibility.
Expanding our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, AND Belonging.
Achieved Carbon Trust Standard Certification, CDP B, Ecovadis Gold which puts Edelman in the top 5% of rated companies.
Completed climate scenario analysis on 15 Edelman offices.
93% completion on mandatory training.
12.1% spend with diverse suppliers.
Funded 50 community investment grants.
Hosted our third annual Earth Week – this year’s theme was “Rethinking Waste”.
From Our People
Global Change
Built on Local Action
The collaboration between Edelman and ANY is rooted in a shared commitment to fostering financial inclusion and expanding job opportunities for young adults. This partnership embodies the spirit of volunteerism and pro bono work, as we work to create a more equitable future for those we serve. By leveraging our resources and expertise, we aim to make a lasting impact on the lives of these students, helping them to achieve their educational and career aspirations while contributing to the overall health of our communities.
Our Volunteer Impact
Community Investment Grants
The Community Investment Grant Program at Edelman is designed to support local initiatives that positively impact the communities where we live and work. Through this program, Edelman provides funding to organizations and projects that address critical needs.
Cradles to Crayons
Provides essential items like clothing, shoes, coats, school supplies, and diapers to children from low-income families, ensuring they have the resources needed to thrive.
Inner City Arts
A grant supporting Artopia, a summer arts program for 80 BIPOC students in kindergarten through fifth grade.
Players for Pits
Assists the no-kill dog rescue with medical bills for the dogs it rescues.
St. Anthony Foundation
Serves to over 1,000 Tenderloin district guests daily and its weekly food distribution program.
Operation Paperback
Helps buy books requested by troops and veterans and furnishes books for a Kadena Air Base book club.
Environmental Certifications
and Science-Based Targets
Here’s how we’re taking action in sustainability and climate leadership, backed by recognized certifications and initiatives.
CTS: Edelman has achieved the Route to Net Zero Standard Advancing certification by the Carbon Trust. This demonstrates that Edelman is advancing on a route to Net Zero path. This tier includes: science-aligned reductions in emissions, a science-aligned reduction target, and advanced CO2e management practices. For more detail see https://carbontrust.com/Route-to-Net-Zero-Standard
CDP: See https://www.cdp.net/en for Edelman’s CDP Climate Change questionnaire response
Ecovadis: As part of our commitment to society, our people and the environment, Edelman reviews the sustainability practices of its supply chain partners through EcoVadis, the world’s most trusted provider of business sustainability ratings. The EcoVadis evaluation includes 21 sustainability criteria across four core themes: Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement, and is used to assess and drive sustainability improvement across our supply chain.
Edelman has approved near and long-term science-based emissions reduction targets with the SBTi.
- Edelman commits to reduce absolute Scope 1 & 2 GHG emissions by 80% by CY2030 from a CY2019 baseline.
- Edelman also commits to reduce absolute Scope 3* emissions 55% by CY2030 from a CY2019 baseline. Target
- Reach net-zero in line with Science-based targets initiative in line with Science-Based Targets initiative Business Ambition for 1.5° Celsius by 2040