KPMG Foundation & River Cleanup

At KPMG, giving back is an essential aspect of life and an integral part of our values, culture, and Impact Plan. Through the KPMG Foundation, we want to give our people the opportunity and time to make a real difference in the community and for charities they care about. By giving every person the opportunity to submit a volunteer project, we aim to motivate everyone to get actively involved and make an impact.

River Cleanup is one of the volunteering projects under the KPMG Foundation, selected by our people. It is a global network organization that prevents plastic from reaching our oceans by cleaning rivers. Their aim is to collect as much trash as possible from the rivers, to change behavior, and create awareness so that plastic waste no longer reaches the rivers at all.

Every year, 11 billion kilograms of plastic reaches the ocean through rivers, with devastating effects on wildlife that become entangled in large pieces or consume small fragments as food, leading to serious health problems and death. Rivers are crucial to the planet and suffer greatly from plastic pollution.

River Cleanup's goal is to intercept this plastic before it reaches the oceans, because collection and recycling are difficult afterwards. Limiting the flow to the ocean by intercepting waste, along with awareness, changing business practices, and active river cleanups, are essential to prevent plastic pollution and protect the planet.

Following the rewarding experience of our volunteering efforts in September 2023, our dedicated KPMG team once again committed their time to support River Cleanup in their mission to safeguard our waterways. On Friday, 21 June 2024, our enthusiastic team embraced new challenges to help protect the environment and promote cleaner riverbanks.

During the day, our volunteers contributed to:

• Cleaning the riverbanks;
• Weighing the collected waste; and
• Sorting the waste.

On 27 September 2023, our KPMG volunteers dedicated an entire day to cleaning up the river in Rochefort.

Throughout the day, our volunteers engaged in various activities, including:

• Going into the river with special waterproof suits to collect plastic and waste; and
• Collecting waste on the riverbanks.

Our volunteers made a significant impact, not only on the environment but also on our community.

We're very grateful that our people took the opportunity and time to make a real difference. By working #Together, we can achieve so much more.

Check out the pictures below!