Sustainability

As educators of the next generation, we understand the importance of working to build a more just and sustainable world. We seek to conduct business in an environmentally sustainable manner and to be responsible corporate citizens. We aim to integrate sustainable policies and practices into our operations and encourage our employees and suppliers to be conscious of our collective environmental footprint and impact. We look to help reduce or minimize our environmental impact and work towards a greener and more sustainable future through initiatives with clients and suppliers. By taking measurable actions, collaborating with partners and empowering our teams, we aim to help create a lasting impact for our planet, our people, and our business.

A woman and two school-aged girls playing outside.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

We measure the GHG emissions of our global footprint following the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. Our business model includes centers that are owned by Bright Horizons, leased to Bright Horizons, and owned or leased by our clients. We define our operational boundary to include all these facilities within our Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions to take accountability for those emissions and work towards reductions across our portfolio.

Scope 1 Emissions

Scope 1 emissions are generated primarily from burning natural gas for heating our child care centers and offices, as well as from refrigerants used at our facilities. Just over 60% of our Scope 1 emissions are generated from natural gas used for heating, with 37% coming from refrigerants.

FY24 Global Scope 1 GHG Emissions: 16,049 tCO2e

Scope 2 Emissions

Scope 2 emissions are generated from purchased electricity to power our child care centers and offices. In the UK and Netherlands, we procure renewable energy to reduce emissions from electricity consumption which is reflected in our lower market-based Scope 2 emissions.

FY24 Global Scope 2 GHG emissions (location-based): 32,434 tCO2e

FY24 Global Scope 2 GHG emissions (market-based): 31,654 tCO2e

Scope 3 Emissions

Scope 3 emissions account for 82% of our global GHG emissions. This includes value chain emissions from purchased goods and services, capital goods, fuel and energy related activities, waste, business travel, and employee commuting. The largest contributor to Scope 3 emissions is Scope 3.1 Purchased Goods & Services, followed by Scope 3.7 Employee Commuting, as a large percentage of our employee population are our teachers and staff that commute to work to provide care and education in our global child care centers each and every day.

Percentage of Total Scope 1 + 2 GHG Emissions (location-based) by Country

In 2025, we received limited assurance of our Scope 1 & 2 GHG emissions.

Percentage of Scope 1 + 2 GHG Emissions (market-based) by Country

Learn more

To learn more about our climate efforts and performance, see our 2025 CDP response.

 

Find out more about our climate efforts in the UK.

CDP Discloser 2025 and Ecovadis Sustainability Rating March 2025 badges.