PURPOSE & PROGRESS
2017 ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE REPORT
We take action to drive long-term value
Everywhere we work and live, we seek to do so sustainably, harnessing the enormous power of capital to effect positive change in our communities, in our firm and for our clients, owners and stakeholders.
ESG factors are fully integrated into our core business and guide how we work with clients, how we manage our operations and how we conduct philanthropy.
Five Priorities at Goldman Sachs
Advancing clean energy as part of our long-standing commitment to environmental progress
As a firm, our approach to addressing climate change is multifaceted. Our goal of deploying $150 billion to clean energy through our financing and investment activity by 2025 is purposefully ambitious and builds on our commitment to scaling up low carbon solutions. We are also helping clients manage climate-related risks and harness innovative green solutions. At the same time, we are actively mitigating our own operational impact on the environment and strengthening resiliency.
Strengthening communities by harnessing the firm’s unique skillsets to meet unmet needs
We believe it is incumbent upon successful businesses to improve the communities in which they thrive. We look to harness the firm’s capabilities as a global financial services company and the unique skillsets of our people to help drive economic and social progress where we work and live, as well as in the larger, global community around us.
Embracing rigorous, data-driven approaches to drive value
ESG and impact investing is one of the fastest-growing areas of our Investment Management Division. This growth is propelled by the rapid increase of investor interest in this space, combined with our ability to deliver differentiated, innovative investment strategies with distinct environmental and social impact. In addition to dedicated ESG and impact strategies, we incorporate the consideration of ESG factors in our active and passive investment strategies across our business.
Tackling complex challenges demands a workforce that reflects the world’s diversity
Fostering an inclusive, service-oriented culture is fundamental to attracting and retaining the people we need to better serve our clients, generate long-term value for our shareholders and make lasting contributions to society. As such, diversity is a business imperative. While we have made progress in recent years with respect to representation of diverse professionals at the firm, there is still significant progress to be made. We aspire to have a workforce representative, at every level, of the diversity of the world we live in, where inclusiveness and pay equity are givens.
Using the convening power and thought leadership of the firm to spur progress
At Goldman Sachs, we harness our thought leadership and use our convening power to further public dialogue and progress on critical economic issues and societal challenges. Recent events include the 2017 Sustainable Finance Innovation Forum and the inaugural Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Summit in Washington, D.C., that gave voice to small business owners who collectively represent a vital driver of job creation and economic growth.