Today, Steelcase Inc. celebrates its global sustainability performance with the release of its 2017 Corporate Sustainability Report. The report provides a synthesis of qualitative reporting and quantifiable measurement of the company’s progress, with customers, dealers, suppliers and community partners. This year, the company made continued progress on its environmental 2020 goals, set a record for employee volunteerism and received recognition for its leadership and innovation in circular economy principles.
“Being a sustainable, community-minded organization is central to who we are,” said Jim Keane, president and chief executive officer of Steelcase. “We continue to improve upon our sustainability goals, and I applaud our employees at every level of the organization who passionately drive these efforts for meaningful change on a global scale.”
Specific highlights from the 2017 report include:
- Progress Toward Environmental Goals: Steelcase remained focused on reducing its global environmental footprint by 25 percent by the year 2020. Since the 2010 baseline, Steelcase has reduced:
- VOC emissions by 79 percent
- Water use by 8 percent
- Waste output by 45 percent
- A New Record for Volunteering: Steelcase employees around the world volunteered a record total of 46,000 hours; an 18 percent increase compared to last year and saving partner organizations an estimated $1 million.
- Closing the Loop: End-of-use and performance management services saved clients more than $4.4 million through reuse of existing furniture assets; Resold, donated and recycled thousands of pieces of furniture.
- Investing in Community: Steelcase and the Steelcase Foundation together donated more than $5.3 million to charities and organizations focused on human service, health, education, community development, the arts, disaster response and the environment.
Over the last year, Steelcase’s achievements were recognized by leading organizations. Honors include:
- named a multinational finalist in the 2018 Circulars Awards, an initiative of the World Economic Forum recognizing companies leading the way to a circular economy;
- designated a “Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality” after achieving a perfect score in the 2017 Corporate Equality Index, a benchmarking tool on policies and practices pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees; and
- inclusion in the 2017 Civic 50, honored by Points of Light as one of the 50 most community-minded companies in America.