News + Ideas

MGAC is committed to ESG, as demonstrated by a range of business practices in every office. From broader community engagement to specific office practices, we are constantly asking ourselves how we can minimize our environmental footprint and enhance the communities in which we live and build. Specifically, over the last several months, MGAC has been developing its first ESG Report. The report, scheduled to be published in 2023, will enable the company to be more transparent about the risks and opportunities we face.

Our ESG Report will establish a benchmark in key areas that allow us to evaluate and improve our goals year-over-year. It will keep us accountable and visible. MGAC’s ESG Report will also serve as an important communication tool to share with current clients, potential clients, and future and current employees. It makes public our alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), developed by the United Nations (UN) in 2015. These goals are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity. The 17 SDGs recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and propel economic growth—all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.

MGAC’s commitment to ESG will be affirmed by following the steps outlined below:

1. Finalize and publish MGAC’s first annual ESG Report
2. Join UN Global Compact as a signatory and reporting member
3. Certify building performance via Green Globes and Fitwel
4. Move MGAC towards carbon neutrality

Why We Chose These Rating Systems

• A combination of Green Globes to monitor and rate building / space physical performance and Fitwel to measure health and wellness factors will allow for differences in attributes of our existing offices, particularly where we have little or no control over the building systems. The two proposed systems require no pre-conditions and allow us to track our own path or focus areas.
• Documenting these as part of our ESG Report annually will allow us to incorporate justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and sustainability data and strategies. The ESG Report will also give us a benchmark for the following years to track our improvements and provide transparency year-over-year.
• With our collected data, we can calculate our overall carbon footprint. Using that information, we can buy carbon offsets through https://carbonfund.org/. This organization’s Carbon Free Partner Program is an innovative and flexible way to help us calculate, reduce, and offset our carbon footprint by investing in offset environmental projects that align with the interests of the firm.