Gates, a global manufacturer of highly engineered power transmission and fluid power solutions, has released its 2021 Sustainability Report detailing continued significant commitment and progress toward goals established through the company’s sustainability framework. Encompassing four key pillars – Governance, Technology, the Environment and Stewardship (GTES) – Gates says the framework was developed to codify the company’s focus on sustainability.
Already aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and grounded in the company’s core values, Gates’ sustainability efforts advanced during 2021, making significant progress against metrics in all four areas of the GTES framework focus. Gates now also reports in accordance with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards, the world’s most widely used standards for sustainability reporting, creating even more transparency into the progress the company is making.
At the core of Gates’ environmental sustainability efforts is the Eco-Innovation process which reflects the company’s focus on delivering products that feature greater efficiency, safety and a smaller environmental footprint throughout their full life cycle. Eco-Innovation relies on the combination of materials science advancements, product design optimization and process engineering improvements to deliver products that require less material to meet demanding customer requirements, and which are made using manufacturing processes that generate less waste and require less energy, water and greenhouse gas emissions.
“I am delighted to report yet another strong year of progress toward our sustainability goals thanks to all of our employees worldwide whose continued commitment, collaboration and integrity is driving these results,” said Ivo Jurek, CEO of Gates. “Our focus on innovating eco-conscious products while adding transparency around sustainability performance reporting further support our commitment to all of our stakeholders – customers, employees, communities and shareholders.”
Highlights from Gates’ 2021 Sustainability Report include significant reductions in energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption and waste, as well as new supply chain transparency.
