Simpson Strong-Tie owner Simpson Manufacturing Co has published its Fiscal 2021 Sustainability, Environmental and Social Responsibility Report.
The company, among the leaders in engineered structural connectors and building solutions, highlighted its continued commitment to environmentally sustainable business practices and social responsibility to its employees and stakeholders. The report includes updated ESG-related metrics for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Headquartered in California, Simpson Manufacturer produces wood construction products, including connectors, truss plates, fastening systems, fasteners and shearwalls, and concrete construction products, including adhesives, specialty chemicals, mechanical anchors, powder actuated tools and reinforcing carbon & glass fibre materials.
Karen Colonias, President CEO, said in the report: “As we continued to face ongoing challenges and changes with COVID-19, climate change, and crucial social justice and equity movements, the importance of connection to our global community and our employees, customers, and business partners was integral to our performance. Our connection to our communities, both locally and internationally, required us to take a closer look at our ESG initiatives. We have expanded both the methods and the metrics we use to track our progress.
"We adopted a new, more comprehensive Environmental, Health, and Safety policy, and we continue to support initiatives like Do What You Can Day, our annual day of service, that reflect our Company Value No. 8 – Give Back. Our goal is to positively impact our communities not only where we work and live, but across the world. Our people are the most vital part of our business. Maintaining a strong connection with them as they work with each other and our customers helped teams and individuals stay engaged with our company goals, both short- and long-term.
"Our companywide program — focused on every employee living our company values and commitments — drives thought, discussion and behavior on upholding our ethical standards while uniting all employees in a shared understanding of accountability, responsibility and leadership. Equally important in navigating year two of the pandemic was our keen focus on employee health and safety. We instituted a Remote Work policy for many of our office employees. For employees essential to operating our manufacturing facilities, we implemented social distancing protocols, provided telecom equipment to allow for effective collaboration, upgraded air filtration systems, and enhanced our cleaning and sanitization procedures.
"We amended our US Time Off and Leave of Absence Policies to provide additional time off for employees who were either sick or at home due to mandated COVID-19-related quarantines. In addition, we’ve also undertaken the important work of developing a meaningful Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) strategy. We conducted an extensive review of our DEI practices involving interviews, focus groups, and analysis to gain a clearer picture of what we’re doing well and where we need to improve. From the data we are creating a roadmap that will guide our DEI efforts for years to come.
"The connection we have with our suppliers, vendors and supply chain partners is also critical to our business. Our Supplier Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is a clear and comprehensive guide outlining our expectation that our partners hold themselves the same high standards to which we hold ourselves. Our Position on Human Rights is a new commitment we have made to support our partners in recognizing and abiding by international human rights principles. We continue to foster and strengthen these connections to benefit our Environmental, Social, and Governance initiatives now and into the future, ensuring our business, communities, employees, and collaborators flourish.”
