Cooley Group’s commitment to sustainability and corporate social responsibility is clearly reflected in many of its recent efforts and developments. These efforts are part of a larger and continuous social responsibility commitment by Cooley to lead the industry’s sustainability efforts; better serve its customers through the sustainable solutions the Company deploys; support the communities where Cooley works; and protect the broader environment.
“Cooley’s social responsibility commitment is very much aligned with Howard Shultz, CEO, Starbucks (and a Cooley customer) that, ‘Companies should not have a singular view of profitability,’” said Cooley President and Chief Executive Officer Dan Dwight. “We are serious about attracting and growing the best talent, and ensuring that talent contributes in an authentic and impactful way to Cooley’s broader social responsibility objectives.”
The company’s community service initiatives include partnering with the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) for the last five years on their annual holiday gift giving and school supply campaigns. Other initiatives include working with the Blackstone Valley Advocacy Centers to collect and donate more than 120 cell phones to victims of domestic violence, and working with HOPE of Lancaster, SC, on a clothing drive. In addition, select Cooley employees and their families make winter scarves by hand throughout the year. In 2011, 550 scarves were provided to DCYF and the non-profit Crossroads, which provides services to homeless families and individuals in Rhode Island.
Cooley has also implemented a number of best practices that help preserve the world’s natural resources and improve human health. Most recently, Cooley created Enviroflex PE – the world’s first non-PVC, 100 percent recyclable print media leading the way in the six billion square-meter commercial print media market, as well as the world’s first 5-meter-wide water reservoir covers and liners to protect scarce water supplies. The Company also has modified the chemistry of some of its core products to contain increased levels of recycled product re-grinds, making its manufacturing processes more environmentally friendly.
Cooley is continuously upgrading and improving its manufacturing facilities; most recently replacing manufacturing facility lighting with more energy-efficient lights. By the end of this year, Cooley will have used almost 25 million pounds of recycled product that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill. The Company has also reduced its gas energy consumption by 75 percent and its material waste generation during production by 70 percent.
“Cooley’s commitment to sustainability and social responsibility has been part of our DNA for more than 85 years,” said Dwight. “Our commitment is strategic and multi-leveled and therefore, so is our approach.”
