Grand & Toy has made a company-wide commitment to be a leader and a partner on the journey towards sustainability. We've seen first-hand how much can be accomplished when we work together to be better for the environment, our communities and business. And we've learned that being better isn't a finish line – it's just the beginning.
Each day, we have an opportunity and a responsibility to add value to the dialogue about sustainability in Canada. Through our partnerships with leading organizations, and in our daily contact with consumers in our retail outlets, Grand & Toy provides education, advice, options and solutions for doing business in a better, more sustainably minded way.
In 2007, we established and communicated Grand & Toy's seven Pillars of Sustainability – a declaration of the areas in which we are committed to making a difference. Over the past three years, we have made progress in many of these seven areas and we have developed a better understanding of how Canadian businesses can implement effective and sustainable practices. Much of our learning has been applied to our own operations. We have streamlined our processes to reduce waste and energy consumption, increase the value we bring to our customers and improve the impact of our charitable and community activities.
Grand & Toy's Corporate Social Responsibility commitments are thoroughly supported by our parent company, OfficeMax. OfficeMax is a publicly traded U.S. company and, as such, it provides its investors and other stakeholders with an extensive annual CSR report. OfficeMax provides valuable input to Grand & Toy's CSR initiatives through the sharing of global best practices, research methodology and dedicated expertise.
This past year, we made important progress towards the specific goals and initiatives that were presented in our 2010 CSR Report. Details are included in the table below. Many of these goals, and the initiatives we have implemented to achieve them, will carry over into this year and beyond as we work to find new ways to be better each year.
| PROGRESS ON 2010 GOALS | PERFORMANCE |
|---|---|
| Expand product and service offerings to include environmentally preferable alternatives | |
| Redefine Green Information Technology (IT) strategy to reduce overall carbon footprint | |
| Work with suppliers to reduce product packaging | |
| Work with suppliers to increase the availability of environmentally preferable office solutions | |
| Continue to re-evaluate supply chain procedures to reduce waste | |
| Create standardized information system for environmentally preferable products | |
| Implement Partner Code of Conduct with suppliers | |
| Revamp third-party audit for private-label products to include environmental criteria | |
| Develop and solidify external grant and donation policies in support of environmental projects, public awareness and innovative environmental solutions | |
| Continue working with START2FINISH (formerly KidsFest) to increase the scope and reach of its programs | |
| Incorporate additional sustainability considerations into employment practices | |
| Increase number of Eco-Committees and participation at our branches nationwide | |
| Continue to educate customers on strategic procurement and environmentally preferable products | |
| Develop environmental criteria for sales force | |
| Implement policies for internal procurement needs that consider CSR criteria |