GDI is pleased to announce that the second edition of its annual Environmental Social Governance (“ESG“) report was released on November 8, 2022. GDI’s ESG report further enhances its commitment to GDI’s ESG initiatives and provides reporting on GDI’s progress towards its stated goals.
Last year’s ESG report set a foundational structure on how GDI would move forward towards meeting its ESG targets and objectives. Detailed in the report for 2022, the Company has already reached several of these targets, including establishing two committees, one focused on Safety & Health and the other on Diversity & Inclusion, as well as maintaining a Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) well below the average NAICS TRIR Rate of 20%. Additionally, GDI has already reached its target of increasing the diversity of its Board of Directors to at least 25% before the end of 2024.
“We are still at the beginning stages of this journey but have already seen progression in our analysis, understanding, management, and enhancement of our corporate efforts in all aspects of ESG,” said Claude Bigras, President & CEO of GDI. “This second annual report illustrates how our goals are taking root and growing, with ESG quickly becoming an everyday topic of discussion and an important aspect to our GDI culture.”
Despite major global supply chain issues, GDI maintains its concerted push to meet its targets to replace aged vehicles with sustainable alternatives and has set new objectives to further reduce its environmental impact. Proof of the Company’s commitment to its ESG goals, GDI’s U.S. janitorial business unit achieved its ISO 14001 environmental certification a year ahead of schedule. Additionally, the entire GDI Group of Companies achieved EcoVadis certification. Since the publication of GDI’s 2021 ESG report, GDI has engaged in the following key activities as part of its Environmental Impact Reduction Strategy (EIRS):
- Initiated activities to assess its global GHG emissions and waste diversion
- Developed sustainable sourcing and sustainable product design policies
- Reached 25% of spend on products and materials that carry a 3rd party environmental rating within the Janitorial Canada business unit
Included in the 2022 ESG report are progressions in meeting Diversity, Equity & Inclusion targets and activities, including increasing women in management roles and technical positions, partnering with diverse suppliers, and participating in 3rd party diversity-oriented organizations to increase access for underserved communities and champion growth of minority-owned businesses.
The 2022 ESG report captures existing and future initiatives aimed at identifying the ways GDI can improve as a leader in the facility services industry. Looking to 2023, GDI’s ESG committee is working on initiatives for Modern Slavery prevention and the launch of the Company’s HRIS/Payroll solution. In the coming years, GDI will continue to develop, refine, monitor, and adjust ESG strategies to meet its stakeholder needs, and drive enhanced safety and innovation.