Our commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals: A universal Enabling circular innovation language and a call to action at speed and scale Building on the success of the Circular Awards program, we worked with Anglo American, The health, economic and social crises of Shared action and collaboration remain crucial ESG material issues, particularly around climate, Ecolab and Schneider Electric to launch The 2020 have set back progress against the to our strategy. Increasingly, we use SDGs as a waste, water, and inclusion and diversity. Circulars Accelerator in collaboration with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with universal language to galvanize action with our the World Economic Forum. The program one comprehensive analysis suggesting the clients, ecosystem partners, suppliers and other We recognize that we can increase our impact by connects leading global organizations pandemic will drive a highly or moderately stakeholders. For example, we use Accenture’s thinking about the ripple effect of outcomes we prioritizing circular innovation with disruptors negative impact on 13 of the 17 SDGs.* SDG prioritization to inform our clients and can generate. For example, we know that action seeking to scale circular solutions, with the suppliers about our most important SDGs. on gender (SDG 5) helps reduce inequalities goal of helping expedite the circular transition. Now, more than ever, we are committed to Against this backdrop, we have continued to (SDG 10), and that strong, ethical institutions The Circulars Accelerator attracted more than playing our part in accelerating change. This focus our efforts against our top-priority SDGs. (SDG 16) foster the conditions for innovation 200 entrants in its first call for applications year, Accenture has continued to partner with to thrive (SDG 9), thereby enhancing work and through a multi-stage selection process, the United Nations—alongside SAP and 3M— We have also refreshed our SDG analysis against opportunities and economic growth (SDG 8). announced 17 startups as the first cohort. to launch SDG Ambition to challenge and our ESG materiality matrix as part of our standard Startups are categorized into one of three support companies everywhere to raise the bar annual review, further strengthening the link circular transformation types, which span in driving progress on the SDGs. As part of the between our ESG materiality matrix and the the full value chain and respond to circular SDG Ambition Accelerator, we are helping to SDGs we are prioritizing. In addition, we have set challenges: innovating products and drive adoption among more than 600 companies several important new goals relating to SDGs and production, transforming consumption and across 65 countries. recovering value. *Sachs, J., Schmidt-Traub, G., Kroll, C., Lafortune, G., Fuller, G., Woelm, F. 2020. The Sustainable Development Goals and COVID-19. Sustainable Development Report 2020. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. United Nations Global Compact: Communication on Progress 2020 | 6