By Peter Hart, president, CEO, Rideau Recognition Solutions
Everyone wants to know -- why would an employee recognition and reward provider go green? We don't use inordinate amounts of fuel or water. We don't pollute the air. So why would we commit ourselves to reducing our carbon footprint to zero?
Because we recognize that protecting the planet is everyone’s responsibility, and for our employees, investors and customers, that is the only reason we need. Here's the story.
Earlier this month, our company, Rideau Recognition Solutions, was certified by the CarbonNeutral® Company, becoming the first in our industry in North America to reduce our net carbon footprint to zero. This certification demonstrates our commitment to reducing emissions and strengthens our position as the recognition industry leader in environmental and sustainable practices.
Becoming certified was the right thing to do from an environmental stance but it was also the right thing to do from a business perspective. Many of our client companies are committed to managing the climate change compliance of their supply chain partners.
Dirk Olin, Editorial Director of Corporate Responsibility Magazine, echoes this point.
“Leading providers of services, products and technologies in nearly every industry segment have realized that environmental responsibility is very important to larger corporate buyer," Olin said. "To date, carbon neutral status has only been achieved by a third of one percent of North American companies over 100 employees."
More than the obvious public relations value of being part of this one-third of one percent, this certification attests that we are adding real value for our clients by reducing the emissions associated with their supply chains.
Practicing corporate social responsibility (CSR) also makes a difference to our employees. Sirota Survey Intelligence found that of those employees who are satisfied with their employer’s CSR commitment:
- 86% have higher levels of engagement
- 82% feel their organization is highly competitive in the marketplace
- 75% feel their employer is interested in their well-being
- 71% rate senior management as having high integrity
- 67% feel that senior management has a strong sense of direction
High levels of employee engagement contribute to retention and improved performance. And if pride in one’s workplace and increased happiness at work are by-products of CSR, who am I to argue with that?
To achieve certification, we worked with The CarbonNeutral® Company, a world leading provider of carbon reductions solutions, to measure and reduce its carbon footprint to net zero. All the emissions relating to Rideau operations, including energy consumption, waste, and third party shipments, were quantified and then reduced through a combination of internal changes and carbon offsetting. For every unavoidable ton of carbon generated by our operations, a ton of carbon is prevented from entering the atmosphere by supporting the development of renewable energy and clean technology projects in Brazil, China, Thailand and Turkey.
Through employee involvement and investor recommendations, we have continuously extended our environmental stewardship. In recent years, we developed a successful internal recycling program, improved energy efficiency on our premises, and engaged employees in our environmental initiatives, such as becoming a Bronze-level sponsor for Tree Canada. When I see an employee walk out of their way to deposit a can in a recycling bin or carefully stockpile used paper copies for use as scrap paper, I know that our efforts have made an impact and I feel proud of our employees’ involvement and contributions. Becoming CarbonNeutral® was the natural next step to our environmental commitment.
For us, social conditions and the environment are closely linked. We believe that a commitment to the environment results in improved social conditions and improved living conditions for individuals. By aligning our carbon management and sustainability initiatives with our overall company objectives, we are moving closer to our goal of moving 'beyond compliance' in climate change leadership.
About the Author
Peter Hart is President & CEO of Rideau Recognition Solutions (www.rideau.com) and has been advising and serving the industry for over 20 years. Rideau’s custom loyalty and performance management tools increase productivity, employee engagement, customer loyalty and ROI. He can be reached at PeterHart@Rideau.com
