Global professional services firm Accenture (ACN) continued a string of ESG-focused acquisitions, with the announcement today of the purchase of Munich-based sustainability consultancy akzente.

Image: ESGToday

Founded in 1993, azkente provides sustainability-focused services including strategy and organizational development, supply chain, stakeholder management, reporting, communication and impact measurement for clients across a broad range of industries.

Christina Raab, Market Unit Lead for Accenture in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, said:

“We’re delighted to welcome akzente to our team, adding significant expertise to our sustainability capabilities while jointly extending our services powered by technology and human ingenuity. Helping our clients drive this change across all dimensions paves the way to a more sustainable economy and future for all.”

According to Accenture, the acquisition brings expertise in sustainability strategy, reporting, communication, and stakeholder management to Accenture Sustainability Services, along with relationships with policy makers, academia, and experts and leadership involvement in the development of sustainability standards.

Peter Lacy, Accenture’s Global Sustainability Services Lead and Chief Responsibility Officer, said:

“Companies face a critical choice on how they manage, measure and report on sustainability. They can either tidy up their disclosure and reporting or they can recognise this is a fundamental shift in the basis of competitiveness and prepare the technology, tools and skills to win — especially as increasing regulation and new standards call for accurate data in decision-making by companies across industries. The addition of akzente expands our ability to help our clients navigate this transformation, drive greater value and impact and deliver on the promise of sustainability.”

The deal marks the third recent ESG-focused acquisition by Accenture, following the acquisition of UK-based sustainability consultancy Avieco and sustainability-focused engineering and advisory consultancy Greenfish last month.

Sabine Braun, Founder and Managing Partner of akzente, said:

“akzente is known for deep consulting expertise and thorough experience in all facets of sustainability for almost 30 years. Accenture’s scale and commitment to sustainability will enable us to extend our value proposition to new customers across industries and geographies. Being part of Accenture will lead to new opportunities for our people and our combined expertise will help our clients to integrate sustainability at the core of their business