Ames, Iowa, USA
August 28, 2012

Becker Underwood has released the company’s first ever sustainability report, Be Legendary. Be Positive., highlighting the company’s economic, environmental, social and governance performance, compiled in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).

Becker Underwood’s approach to sustainability revolves around the company’s NET positive™ strategy, which is built on the philosophy that all businesses have positive and negative impacts on the environment and society through their policies, processes and products.

“The demand of the global population for food from a finite amount of land and resources is continuously increasing, all while the world faces constraints on water availability and increasing public concern for environmental issues,” said Peter Innes, chairman and chief executive officer of Becker Underwood. “It is vital that our increases in productivity be achieved through sustainable practices, so we are incorporating sustainability principles into every aspect of our business and setting ambitious new goals for the future.”

Among the report highlights, Becker Underwood has:

• Completed the first phase of a complete environmental profit and loss account with Trucost. The assessment analyzed the carbon emissions and water footprint of Becker Underwood’s global operations and supply chain. The total carbon cost (total cost of carbon dioxide equivalents at $35.82 per tonne) amounted to $1.83 million.
• Installed 84 solar panels at Becker Underwood’s St. Joseph, Mo., facility, making the installation the city’s largest private solar panel array. The panels will help reduce the facility’s carbon dioxide emissions by 789 tons over 25 years and create renewable energy for the site.
• Purchased renewable energy credits (RECs) that funded wind farm development to offset 100 percent of Becker Underwood’s electricity use and prevented similar amount of CO2 emissions being produced by nearly 762 passenger vehicles annually.

“We are proud of our performance,” said Daniel Krohn, sustainability lead at Becker Underwood, “but recognize our sustainability story never ends. This is just the beginning to becoming a NET positive company and one way of fulfilling our commitment to accountability for our actions through transparency in everything we do.”

Becker Underwood is committed to continuing such reporting and addressing stakeholder concerns and key issues of sustainability on a biennial basis.

The report can be downloaded and viewed on the Becker Underwood website at: http://www.beckerunderwood.com/sustainability/sustainability-report/.

Becker Underwood’s 2011 Sustainability Report was developed using the Global Reporting Initiative third generation (“G3.1”) guidelines.
 

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Published: August 28, 2012