Maintaining a reputation as a socially-responsible and responsive organisation.
Because we recognise that environmental and social management programs are among the highest corporate priorities today we remain a valued business partner to our suppliers and customers who are seeking to add to their corporate citizenship goals.
“We can add value by being a socially responsible partner and keeping the integrity of our supply chain. The paper we source is a good example. It’s used daily in offices around Australia, but how many people really think about its source? We do and we are proud to be working with Australian Paper knowing they produce products of the highest quality and social credentials,” says Grant Harrod, CEO of Corporate Express.
At Corporate Express, our commitment to the environment is demonstrated in many ways, including the formation of a senior management "Corporate Social Responsibility" committee, which is supported by ‘GreenXpress’, a state based employee committee. The CSR committee has been charged with implementing various CSR initiatives across the company. We now also have a dedicated National CSR Manager.
We developed the EarthSaver brand to differentiate our environmentally-friendly products from original brand items. Products that carry the EarthSaver logo status must not harm the environment while in use, must contain a specific percentage of recycled materials in the original manufacture, must be manufactured using environmentally friendly practices and procedures and be biodegradable or recyclable at the end of their life. Each year, we work closely with our suppliers to increase the number of products in the EarthSaver range and this is a clear demonstration of our commitment to provide environmentally-responsible products.
In our Business Furniture division, both the EXP range of task seating and the ENVIROdesk were accredited and rated as environmentally-friendly by EcoSpecifier, Australia’s reference site for environmentally friendly and responsible building products.
We offer the Corporate Express EXP brand of premium re-manufactured toner cartridges, which are manufactured using up to 20 times less energy than equivalent OEM cartridges.
To minimise waste, we select the correct sized carton for each order, and use the most environmentally economical form of packaging.
We have also forged alliances with other organisations such as Australian Paper, Buy Recycled Business Alliance (BRBA), Cartridge Rescue (formerly The Recycling Centre) and our fleet of delivery vehicles subscribes to Greenfleet Australia.
Our partnership with Australian Paper gives customers the opportunity to buy a range of Australian made white office paper, including recycled paper, from fibre sourced from plantations and forestry operations which are managed in a sustainable way. Every sheet of Australian Made recycled office paper helps to cut down on landfill in this country.
Corporate Express joined the Buy Recycled Business Alliance (BRBA) as a foundation member in 2001. The BRBA is a business-based, non-profit organisation which promotes the purchase and use of recycled content products (RCP’s) and materials through leadership example, education & information, research & development and partnerships. We fully support the initiatives of the BRBA and are implementing programs with our staff, customers and suppliers to promote recycling and purchase of recycled products.
In partnership with Cartridge Rescue (formerly The Recycling Centre), we encourage our customers to participate in our Toner Cartridge Recycling Program, which involves the collection, disposal and recycling of toner cartridges in an environmentally-responsible fashion.
Our entire fleet of vehicles subscribes to Greenfleet Australia, a not-for-profit environmental organisation that specialises in reducing the environmental impact of carbon dioxide emissions. Greenfleet plants and maintains native trees on behalf of its members. By signing up each vehicle in the Corporate Express fleet, we take responsibility for the impact that our vehicles have on climate change.
Corporate Express is also actively engaged in supporting charitable organisations within each local community.
Our people volunteer their enthusiasm, passion, commitment and personal time to our Community Support Program. The Program has provided an opportunity for us to benefit our partner charities, including: Boystown Linkup in Queensland; the Sydney Children’s Hospital at Randwick in NSW; ACT Eden Monaro Cancer Support Group; the Starlight Foundation in Victoria; Townsend House in South Australia; the Cerebral Palsy Association and the McCombe Research Foundation in Western Australia; the Salvation Army in Tasmania and Northern Territory; and the Sommerville Community in the Northern Territory.
In Melbourne, in association with the Starlight Foundation, we raised funds through staff donations to grant a wish to a seriously ill child and in Darwin our people donate their time to help with the maintenance and upkeep of Sommerville houses for special needs people.
Additionally, we have supported a variety of other causes by:
• raising a total of $30,000 for the Save the Children Fund’s Asian Tsunami appeal;
donating home office equipment to a family with a special needs child, in conjunction with Brisbane radio station B105;
• raising a little under $8,000 for the Leukaemia Foundation’s “World’s Greatest Shave”;
raising nearly $240,000 for the Child Protection Unit at the Sydney Children’s Hospital at Randwick;
• raising over $14,000 for the Eden Monaro Cancer Support Group;
• raising just under $18,000 for the Cerebral Palsy Association.
