Organizational Change
New Sustainability Reports Highlight Companies' Progress in Events, Flooring Industries

MCI, a leading agency in the global meetings, events and association and congress industries, used its sixth sustainability report, Building Possibilities, to assess the performance of MCI’s client-focused activities in addition to its own internal sustainability strategy.

“Future-looking brands need to excel at integrating sustainability into their business models, and into the DNA of how they create value for their clients,” said MCI CEO Sebastien Tondeur. “I am proud to see that in 2014, MCI developed its position as a truly strategic partner to corporations, associations and governments who wish to build possibilities for a more sustainable future. At the same time, we improved operational processes, built schools, won awards, and raised money for those who need it most.”

Highlights include:

• Clients: MCI organized 107 events about sustainability and energy issues. The company also delivered 25 sustainability consulting projects for corporate and institutional clients.
• Community: MCI talents volunteered a total number of 5,409 hours, raising over €284,790 and supporting 68 charity projects around the globe.
• Ethics**:** MCI’s Sustainability, HR and Finance teams developed a new MCI Ethics Programme to promote transparency, good governance and ethical business in the industry.
• Talent**:** MCI’s learning and development institute delivered over 11,000 hours of training, a 3 percent increase over 2013.
• Supply Chain**:** 100 percent of MCI’s preferred global suppliers and 33 percent of the company’s entire supply chain are compliant with MCI’s responsible procurement policies.

Independent, third-party assurance of the report was conducted by iCompli, a division of BPA Worldwide.

"MCI has been at the forefront of improving the sustainability of their operations and the events industry for years,” said Glenn Hansen, CEO of BPA Worldwide, commented. “Their leadership in sustainability reporting and the business results that assurance delivers provides an example to other organizations on their responsible business journey.”

This year, the company shifted its report to meet the Global Reporting Initiative’s newest G4 standards after conducting a company-wide materiality assessment.

“The materiality assessment conducted in 2014 to prepare for the G4 standard confirmed what we’re seeing in the marketplace: Product stewardship, material use, branding and marketing, and talent management are the priorities for us and for our stakeholders,” said Paul Murray, VP of sustainability and environmental affairs at Shaw.

Highlights of the company’s accomplishments in these areas include:

• Product Stewardship. Shaw announced a more than $20 million investment in a new recycling facility in Ringgold, Ga. that will be the first of its kind to recycle nylon as well as polyester carpet. Shaw’s recycling efforts have resulted in the collection and recycling of more than 800 million pounds of post-consumer carpet since 2006.
• Material Use. In 2014, 66 percent of the sales of Shaw manufactured products were Cradle to Cradle Certified Silver.
• Branding and Marketing. Shaw employs labels and certifications as credible evidence of the company’s commitment to transparency and third-party verification and to help facilitate product purchase decisions.
• Talent Management. Shaw began to establish more formal opportunities for its associates to support each other through affinity groups such as the Women’s Innovation Network (WiN) and ShawVET. These and other efforts resulted in Shaw being named number eight on the Forbes’ inaugural list of America’s Best Employers.