Introducing EarthLIGHT
We recognize that environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors are important to the long-term success of Acuity Brands and its stakeholders, and we are committed to operating our business with high standards of ESG management.
As a leading provider of innovative lighting, controls, and building management solutions, we engage closely with our customers about energy efficiency and help them reduce their energy costs and lighten their impact on the Earth's environment. We also have a long and successful history of managing the health and safety of our operations, complying with environmental regulations and requirements, operating with a high level of integrity, and supporting the lives of our associates and our local communities. We plan to shine more light on these topics and share with our stakeholders more information about our efforts.
This year, we are enhancing our approach to ESG performance. I am pleased to announce the beginning of the Acuity Brands EarthLIGHT program. Through EarthLIGHT, we will organize our ESG efforts, further improve our performance, and better highlight our results on numerous ESG factors. These efforts are intended to lighten our impact on the Earth and to benefit our company, associates, customers, and communities.
During this Fiscal Year 2019, we are:
IDENTIFYING OUR MOST SIGNIFICANT ESG FACTORS
DEVELOPING METRICS TO MEASURE OUR PERFORMANCE
FORMALIZING AND ENHANCING OUR ESG MANAGEMENT PROCESSES
PREPARING AND PUBLISHING OUR FIRST ESG REPORT (TO BE UPDATED AT LEAST ANNUALLY)
Our initial efforts will be governed by the following principles.
(E) ENVIRONMENTAL PRINCIPLES
Acuity Brands is committed to following principles in support of our environmental objectives:
We expect to reduce the environmental impact of our innovative products and solutions, over their entire life cycle, by:
- Minimizing the environmental impact at every key stage of the product lifecycle
- Optimizing energy and operational efficiency of products, and thereby reducing carbon emissions
- Taking steps toward the more efficient use of materials
- Reducing or eliminating hazardous substances
- Enabling products with digital connectivity to provide visual and physical comfort while optimizing energy and operational efficiency and intelligence for buildings and other spaces
We expect to minimize the environmental impact of our own facilities and our supply chain, primarily by:
- Reducing our consumption of natural resources
- Reducing our generation of waste and emissions related to company activities
- Utilizing the principles of lean manufacturing to continually improve processes to increase operational efficiency and product quality
We will focus on all key stakeholders by involving our associates, suppliers and partners in our continuous improvement process. We will promote environmental awareness through product and solutions training and education to associates, suppliers and partners.
(S) SOCIAL: OUR PEOPLE AND OUR COMMUNITIES
Acuity Brands is committed to the following principles related to our communities and our talented and dedicated workforce that helps us grow our business and develop the next generation of innovative lighting solutions:
We will maintain a safe and healthy workplace by:
- Tracking leading metrics designed to focus on activities that eliminate hazardous exposures
- Tracking actual safety incident rates together with countermeasures to address the root causes of incidents
- Providing and expanding programs to encourage the health and wellness of our associates
We will focus on associate engagement by:
- Providing our associates with attractive compensation and benefits, including programs enabling associates to share in the success of our business such as our Gain$hare program, employee stock purchase plans, matching programs to encourage saving for retirement, and other expanded opportunities for rewards and recognition
- Ensuring a workplace that is inclusive and free from discrimination
- Continuing positive relationships with our associates covered by collective bargaining agreements
- Providing opportunities to develop our associates through training, mentoring, and other programs and ensuring that we use best practices in hiring, onboarding, and facilitating communication among associates
- Communicating and driving associate engagement in our ESG journey/commitment
Our commitment to people also extends into the communities where we operate. We will find new and innovative ways to engage with and delight our customers, and we will expand the many ways in which we improve the communities in which we live and work.
(G) GOVERNANCE: HOW WE DO BUSINESS MATTERS
Acuity Brands is committed to the following principles related to the governance of its business:
- Conducting business with honesty, integrity, and transparency, free of corruption and anti-competitive behavior, and in full compliance with all applicable laws wherever we operate
- Maintaining strong accounting and financial reporting controls and processes
- Having an effective and independent Board of Directors with appropriate protections for shareholders
- Continuing and expanding controls on the security and privacy of our company’s and our customers’ data
- Utilizing a strong Enterprise Risk Management program to routinely assess and address key risks to the company
We are excited about our increased focus on these principles, and we look forward to sharing more about our EarthLIGHT program throughout fiscal year 2019.
View our Product Usage Materials Policy and our Conflict Minerals Policy.