Brown-Forman’s sixth corporate responsibility report features narratives describing employees who champion the cause of responsibility throughout the business, from the founder of a non-drinker’s employee resource group to an employee who organized a significant refugee aid effort in Europe.
In addition to the written narratives, Brown-Forman has produced a series of videos to accompany the report which help bring to life the company’s responsibility approach and actions, including its proactive alcohol responsibility efforts in its sales and marketing, as well as the long history of environmental sustainability at the Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg, Tenn. The videos are available on the company’s website.
New to this year’s report is the company’s evaluation of Brown-Forman’s corporate responsibility strategy against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The company identified a subset of goals it believes has the strongest connection to its work, such as preventing and treating alcohol abuse and promoting responsible drinking, and environmental sustainability efforts such as clean water, affordable and clean energy, and sustainable agriculture.
The company also updated its progress against its environmental sustainability goals. It reported a 6.9% decrease in wastewater discharge per unit of product and an increase in its list of zero waste facilities from three to five, with 85% of total waste generated by all of their facilities diverted from landfill.
However, absolute greenhouse gas emissions have increased 10.9% from the company’s 2012 baseline primarily due to significant production increases from new distillery and warehouse operations. The company is investigating new investments in renewables and remains optimistic that it will hit its ambitious target of a 15% reduction by 2023.
“We have been on a steady path of integrating responsibility more deeply into our business through our people and our partners. We believe our business success depends not just on what we do but also why and how we do it,” says Rob Frederick, Director of Corporate Responsibility.