Bain & Company

Carbon per million dollars of revenue. The legacy industry-standard reference (CDP, MSCI). Useful for cross-sector context, but distorted by margin — high-margin firms appear artificially efficient. Read alongside the operational and asset intensities for the full picture.

OpEx (operating expenditure) is the running cost of the business — staff, services, energy, materials. This shows how carbon-intensive operations are per million dollars of spend. Removes the margin distortion that revenue-based ratios introduce.

EVIC (Enterprise Value Including Cash) is the firm's total capital footprint — equity + debt + cash + minority interest. The EU's standard intensity measure (SFDR PAI 3) — answers: how much carbon does each million of capital deployed in this business produce?

PP&E (Property, Plant & Equipment) plus leased real-estate assets is the firm's physical infrastructure on the balance sheet. This shows the carbon intensity of that physical footprint — uses Scope 1+2+3 for consistency with the other headline intensities. Surfaces stranded-asset risk for asset-heavy firms.

Carbon per FTE (full-time-equivalent employee) — the diagnostic measure for people-leveraged businesses where headcount, not capital, drives delivery. Captures the office, energy and travel footprint per person.

• · Puro.earth Registry
• · berkeley_voluntary_registry

Bain has purchased Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs) to cover 100% of its electricity usage from non-renewable sources every year since 2020. Bain strives to align with RE100 standards for EAC criteria, though it is not an RE100 member. Long-term commitment is to continue sourcing 100% renewable electricity annually from 2030 through 2050 as part of SBTi-validated targets.

Bain operates a Beyond Value Chain Mitigation (BVCM) pledge: purchase high-quality carbon removal offset credits exceeding 100% of annual emissions (174.2 ktCO2e in 2024), achieved annually since 2021 — making Bain net-negative on a market basis. The Global Operating Committee approves the carbon-removal budget. Bain has also made preliminary investments in emerging technologies including engineered carbon removals and sustainable aviation fuel.

• Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) certificates

  Bain began purchasing SAF certificates in 2023 (1,589 tCO2e) and increased volumes in 2024 (1,810 tCO2e). The Board and GOC approve the annual SAFc budget. Bain anticipates higher SAF costs over the next 10 years as part of its transition plan.

• Business travel reduction via carbon budgets

  Business travel is the dominant Scope 3 source. Bain has established internal carbon budgets to cap and reduce non-client travel emissions, redesigned recruiting (virtual first-round interviews) and training (location optimization to minimize flight miles) to reduce travel-related emissions. As of 2024, business travel emissions/FTE reduced 60% vs 2019 baseline.

• EV fleet conversion and zero-emission real estate

  Bain's transition plan investments include EV fleet conversion, energy efficiency, alternative fuel, and zero-emission real estate to decarbonize Scope 1 and Scope 2 operations. As of 2024, Scope 1+2 market-based emissions reduced 52% vs 2019 baseline.

• Supplier engagement via EcoVadis

  Bain holds a minority stake in EcoVadis and began assessing suppliers through the EcoVadis Supply Chain platform in 2025 to drive decarbonization across purchased goods and services. Bain also partners with Persefoni, Sylvera, and Schneider Electric to expand sustainability capabilities.

• Client engagement: embed sustainability in 100% of casework

  Bain's commercial strategy aims to embed sustainability in 100% of client engagements, helping clients decarbonize through its Sustainability Practice (Bain's fastest-growing practice). 100% of employees globally have access to MIT-faculty 'Sustainability in Action' training via Springboard from 2024.