Sustainability/CSR Project BA 342 FA16

Patrick Freas
Introduction
Xerox Corporation operates around the world to provide printers, scanners, software, and business
services to both businesses and individuals. They have more than 130,000 employees and do
business in over 180 countries leading to annual revenues in excess of $19 billion. They are ranked
number 150 in the Fortune 500 and were founded in 1906.
Source: https://www.xerox.com/about-xerox/company-facts/enus.html
Sustainability
Xerox issues a Global Citizenship Report every year on their progress in business and on emerging
issues. The report is based on the Global Reporting Initiative G4 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines.
As a manufacturer of printers and other products with increasingly short lifespans, Xerox is
committed to reducing their footprint on the environment. They use a triple bottom line of social,
financial, and environmental goals to be a successful and sustainable company. They make carbon
neutral products that are Energy Star certified and use the standards set by energy and environment
experts to determine if their products are sustainable. They conserve resources through process
improvement and packaging solutions by reducing, reusing, and recycling packaging. They have also
reduced the use of toxic materials and heavy metals in their supply chain by re-engineering or
eliminating processes that use these hazardous items. Lastly, they try to make waste free products
and use waste free workplaces. They do so with something called the Xerox Green World Alliance,
which is a recycling program for toner cartridges and supplies. Their recycling programs have kept
more than 145 million pounds of waste out of landfills in the past 20 years. Xeroxs efforts have been
recognized by CDP, an international environmental organization that named them a leader in
providing reliable information about carbon emissions and energy use to investors and the global
marketplace.
Source: https://www.xerox.com/downloads/usa/en/e/Environment_Sustainability_Commitment.pdf
Community Engagement
The Xerox Foundation is the companys way to give back to the community through projects and
donations. They give about $13.5 million annually to things like education and workforce
preparedness as well as employee and community affairs. The Xerox Community Involvement
Program was created in 1974 and has allowed over 500,000 Xerox employees, including 12,000 in the
last year, to partake in helping the community. Xerox also partners with the United Way to help
volunteer on some of their projects in addition to donating to the United Way itself. Another way
that Xerox tries to help with education and students is through the Xerox Science Consultant
Program. The goal of the program is to make science cool in the eyes of students through hands-on
teaching and examples. It is targeted at kids in grades 4-6 and is a program focused on the future. An
example of this is Xeroxs partnership with FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and
Technology) where they bring together students and Xerox scientists to design a fully functional robot
from a box of Legos. Lastly, Xerox supports organizations that address issues facing our nation such
as natural disasters as well as cultural and arts institutions in local communities. They do this by
paying membership dues in non-profits and investing in the American Red Cross. They also invest in
Save the Children and Concern Worldwide to help around the world. I could not find any awards or
recognition from third parties for their community work.
Source: https://www.xerox.com/corporate-citizenship/2016/community-involvement/
Diversity and Inclusion
Xerox views diversity and inclusion as an essential part of their corporate culture. Many of their
accomplishments come from diverse teams providing their unique perspectives to complete the
common goal in the most efficient way possible. Their Executive Diversity Council meets at select
times throughout the year to discuss matters such as workforce representation and diverse customer
markets. They also have independent caucus groups that are key in advocating openness and
inclusion in Xerox. Theses groups work with management and executives to achieve business goals
and self-advocacy in order to create an environment of inclusion. Their non-discrimination policy
focusing on diversity allows them to hire, promote, and retain the best person for the job. This in
turn allows them to recruit for diversity through their Technical Minority Scholarship Program where
they grant more than 120 scholarships each year. Non-discrimination and equal opportunity start
with recruitment and never stop because they need to make sure they have the best person for the
job. Xerox has been recognized for embracing diversity many times. A few notable recognitions are
that they were rated as one of the best 40 companies for diversity by Black Enterprise Magazine and
top 50 Out Front Best Places for Women and Diversity Managers to Work by Diversity MBA
Magazine.
Source: https://www.xerox.com/corporate-citizenship/2016/workplace/diversity.html
Conclusion
Overall I learned just how important these three categories are to Xerox and how relatable the
material we are learning in class is to the workforce. Xerox spends a lot of time and money on these
three categories not just so they look good as a company but for a greater good. As a printer
company I think they do a good job in terms of sustainability with their recycling program. Printers
are an item that is very easy to throw away after two years which is bad for the environment, but
they are taking steps to make sure they dont go to landfills. Community engagement has been a
major part of Xerox for decades and their employee programs are great for the community. I think
they could improve by doing a little more globally in addition to what they are currently doing
because they are a global corporation and a lot of countries need help. Xerox viewing diversity as an
essential part of their culture stuck out to me because I dont think all companies use that strong of
language when it comes to diversity. Culture is what a company is all about, and clearly Xerox has a
big focus on diversity as a key part of their culture. Overall, I think Xerox is doing a lot of good in all
three of the areas that I looked at and their rewards and recognition have shown that.