Meaningful progress comes from turning commitments into action and continuing to strengthen the way we work.
In 2025, we continued to strengthen how sustainability is embedded across our firm, from advancing our climate commitments and investing in our people and communities to reinforcing the governance practices that help us navigate an increasingly complex business environment.
Our annual report shares our progress across our environmental, social, and governance priorities and the work underway to build a resilient, responsible firm for the future.
Progress grounded in purpose
We continue to evolve our approach to sustainability, strengthening the governance, accountability, and decision-making that support our priorities.
In 2025, our journey reached several important milestones, including the validation of our near-term and net-zero emissions targets by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), ISO 27001 certification, the launch of supplier engagement and waste diversion initiatives, and continued development of our climate risk analysis.
Our path to sustainability
Our sustainability priorities are organized around three interconnected pillars.
Environmental
Advancing our climate commitments
We reached an important milestone in our climate journey this year when our near-term and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets were validated by the SBTi.
Our validated targets include reducing absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 50% by 2030 and 90% by 2050, from a 2023 base year. This provides a science-aligned framework to guide our long-term emissions reduction efforts.
At the same time, we continued strengthening environmental management and oversight across the firm. We launched supplier engagement efforts to better understand sustainability practices and emissions data across our supply chain, further developed our climate change risk analysis, and piloted new approaches to waste diversion.
Turning workplace waste into community value
Our first waste diversion pilot demonstrated how operational changes can create both environmental and community benefits.
Working with Green Standards, BDO redirected 24.87 tons of material from landfill, achieving 100% landfill diversion at participating sites and avoiding an estimated 20.89 tonnes of CO₂e emissions. The initiative also generated $24,777 in in-kind charitable donations for six community organizations in Alberta and Ontario.
Our 2025 emissions breakdown by scope
Emissions by Mt CO2eq (metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent).
To take meaningful climate action, it’s essential to understand where our emissions come from. We track our GHG emissions across three categories – Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3, based on the globally recognized GHG Protocol.
Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions from sources we control such as natural gas.
Scope 2 emissions are indirect emissions from the energy we purchase such as electricity and steam.
Scope 3 emissions are all other indirect emissions that occur in our value chain, such as purchased goods and services, capital goods, fuel and energy-related activities, and waste generated in operations.
By measuring and analyzing our emissions by scope, we are able to identify high-impact areas and focus on reduction efforts where they matter most.
Social
Our social commitments are grounded in creating an inclusive and equitable workplace, investing in the skills and well-being of our people, and contributing to the communities where we live and work.
Advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA)
We expanded our DEIA program to formally include accessibility, launched our Truth and Reconciliation Framework, continued advancing accessibility initiatives, and created new opportunities for mentorship, learning, connection, and representation across the firm.Building skills for the future
Preparing our people for a changing world means continually investing in the skills they need to grow, lead, and adapt.
Our people completed more than 65,000 digital and live learning experiences, received 2,742 coaching sessions, and 73% of the firm participated in at least one voluntary learning program. Our learning strategy also continued to build technological literacy and AI fluency alongside leadership, business development, and people capabilities.
Investing in our communities
Across Canada, our people contributed more than 2,500 volunteer hours and more than $3.5 million through donations and sponsorships.
Our annual Drive Away Hunger campaign alone raised $254,225, equivalent to 508,450 meals, while teams across the country supported local organizations and causes through volunteering, fundraising, and community partnerships.
Governance
Strong governance provides the foundation for how we manage risk, maintain accountability, and respond to change.
Our governance approach brings together Board and leadership oversight, enterprise risk management, ethical and regulatory responsibilities, data protection, and responsible innovation. We continued to evolve these practices as risks and opportunities related to AI, cybersecurity, climate change, and other emerging issues became increasingly important to organizations.
Managing emerging risks responsibly
We introduced our Responsible Artificial Intelligence Policy and corresponding mandatory training, covering areas including professional judgment, data privacy and confidentiality, bias awareness, intellectual property, and regulatory and professional obligations.
We also achieved ISO 27001 certification, reflecting our continued focus on information security and the protection of client and firm data.
Read the 2025 BDO Annual Sustainability Report
Our sustainability journey is ongoing. As expectations, technology, risks, and opportunities continue to evolve, we remain focused on practical action, transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Explore the full report to learn more about our 2025 progress, the initiatives behind it, and the priorities guiding our next steps.