Gates has released its latest corporate sustainability report, detailing the company’s ongoing efforts in the areas of sustainability, corporate governance, product innovation, health and safety, community stewardship and diversity and inclusion.
Ivo Jurek, chief executive officer at Gates said: “Adhering to our corporate values has led Gates through more than a century in business, enabling us to expand and thrive in good times and persevere through turbulent periods.
“Today, with more than 100 Gates facilities operating in 30 countries around the world, we take very seriously our responsibility as a global corporate citizen and are proud of the progress we’ve made.”
Grounded by Gates’ five core values – accountability, collaboration, tenacity, curiosity and dedication – the report covers the company’s alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and describes a holistic methodology to minimize environmental impact.
Gates’ global team takes an integrated end-to-end approach to sustainability by combining innovative materials science, product design and process engineering to create inherently more sustainable products.
In its operations, Gates also focuses on water and energy conservation, greenhouse gas emissions and waste minimization, as well as recycling.
The report documents measurable progress across all of these areas of sustainability, as well as in a number of other important areas.
Employee health and safety is a top priority and Gates has achieved a 40 percent reduction in recordable injuries over the last five years.
Community engagement is also a key focus area which includes programs like the annual BuildORama bicycle-build event at Gates’ Denver headquarters during which employees build and donate bikes to underprivileged children.
Additionally, the report provides an accounting of charitable efforts through the Gates Industrial Corporation Foundation and donations to more than 150 unique non-profit organizations, and the tangible progress made in ongoing efforts to support diversity and inclusion in the workforce.
Since early 2020, Gates has 38 per cent female representation on its global board of directors.
The full Gates 2019 Corporate Sustainability Report is available to view or download by clicking ‘more details’ below.