Global professional services firm EY and tech giant Microsoft announced today an expanded alliance for the development of ESG data management solutions, aimed at supporting clients’ operational decarbonization and net-zero goals.

The collaboration comes as both EY and Microsoft work to build out their own sustainability and climate focused capabilities and solutions for clients. Last year, Microsoft unveiled Cloud for Sustainability, aimed at enabling enable companies to more easily and effectively to record, report, reduce and replace their emissions through Software as a Service (SaaS) tools. Earlier this year, Microsoft announced the general availability of Cloud for Sustainability, along with its integration with Sustainability Manager, a new solution unifying data intelligence, and offering organizations an increasingly automated view into the emissions impact of their entire operations and value chain.

As part of a series of sustainability goals announced last year, EY pledged to invest in services and solutions that help its clients profitably decarbonize their businesses and provide solutions to other sustainability challenges and opportunities. EY’s Climate Change and Sustainability Services (CCaSS) practice, which includes over 2,500 multidisciplinary professionals, helps businesses understand and manage the risks and opportunities arising from climate change and other sustainability issues.

EY Global Climate Change and Sustainability Services Leader, Matt Bell said:

“Climate change is no longer a risk event on the horizon, it is happening here and now. Many organizations set ambitious targets to get to net-zero by 2050, or earlier, but face significant challenges to get there. This strategic EY-Microsoft Alliance expansion will accelerate the pace of innovation needed for clients to meet ESG requirements.”

According to EY and Microsoft, the expanded alliance will focus on areas including improving carbon tracking and reporting, facilitating value chain traceability of carbon, and developing enterprise carbon management solutions that support carbon capture businesses, facilitating more informed decision-making, financial analysis and external reporting for carbon and other critical ESG areas.

Elisabeth Brinton, CVP, Sustainability at Microsoft, said:

“The inherent flexibility of the Microsoft Cloud combined with deep EY sustainability experience and development of business applications will allow clients to rapidly adapt and implement solutions that help them to meet their sustainability goals.”

The post EY, Microsoft Partner to Develop Decarbonization and ESG Data Solutions appeared first on ESG Today.