MEDIA RELEASE 10 September 2009
Corporate Express releases its inaugural Sustainability Report
Business essentials supplier Corporate Express Australia Limited has released
its first Sustainability Report. The 2008 Report covers the company's Australian
and New Zealand operations and their key impacts and initiatives in the areas of
workplace, marketplace, the environment and community.
Paul Hitchcock, CEO of Corporate Express, said companies have a responsibility
to society beyond profit maximisation and job creation.
"We recognise the need to minimise the negative impacts of our operations and
strive to impact positively on society," Hitchcock said.
"As a reseller of business products, the biggest difference we can make is in
the way we approach our supply chain — ensuring the ethical sourcing of
products".
"Customers want to buy from companies who are aligned with the issues that are
important to them and will increasingly invest in and buy from companies which
share their values," he added.
The report summarises Corporate Express' workplace, marketplace, environment and
community programs and initiatives and introduces targets in each of these areas
for 2009.
Highlights of the report include:
- Key milestones of Corporate Express' sustainability journey
- New Corporate Social Responsibility governance
- The launch of three new initiatives: Learning & Development Team, Women
in Leadership Council and Indigenous Support Program
- Disclosure of metrics including workforce makeup and carbon footprint
- Details on the Ecological Sustainable Design features of the new
corporate head office, data centre and regional distribution centre
- Highlights of employee community activities
Jennifer Williams, Corporate Express' Corporate Social Responsibility
Manager, said the company has been committed for many years to developing a
sustainable supply chain that supports its customers' sustainability focus.
"Whilst this is our first official Sustainability Report, our sustainability
journey actually began over a decade ago with the launch of our
environmentally-preferable products," Williams said.
"The focus areas of the Report have been chosen by using the framework of the
Global Reporting Initiative guidelines and by involving our internal CSR
committees which have helped us identify key sustainability metrics to report
on".
"This new Report brings together all our corporate social responsibility
activities in one easy-to-digest document and sets a great benchmark for future
reporting," she explained.
The Sustainability Report and related performance data are available at
www.ce.com.au under 'Sustainability'.
Released for Corporate Express by Dennis Rutzou Public Relations (www.drpr.com.au)
For further information please call Jennifer Williams on (02) 9335 0555.
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