Brambles commits to 2020 Sustainability Goals adopting closer alignment with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals

Brambles, the global supply chain logistics company operating primarily through the CHEP and IFCO brands, is delighted to announce its Sustainability Goals for 2020, reflecting the Group’s commitment to its Better Business, Better Communities, Better Planet sustainability framework.

Brambles is built on principles that are inherently sustainable, providing efficient, safe and sustainable solutions for customers’ supply chains, while minimising environmental impact and contributing positively to the community at large. The Group offers pallets, crates and containers for shared use by multiple supply-chain participants in a “circular economy”[1] model utilising the principles of recover, reuse, reduce and recycle.

The Company’s 2020 Sustainability Goals focus on the most material aspects of the Group’s operations and are closely aligned both with the aspirations of its customers and with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Brambles circular business model, known as pooling, benefits customers by enabling them to transport their goods through the supply chain while eliminating the financial and environmental costs and risks of purchasing and disposing of one-way transportation platforms such as pallets or cardboard boxes.

Brambles’ 2020 Sustainability Goal are as follows:

For the full version of this table with strategy and benefits, please visit brambles.com/sustainability.

The setting of Brambles’ 2020 Sustainability Goals follows the achievement of the following under the Group’s 2015 Sustainability Goals, which were set in 2010:

>      A 20% reduction in carbon emissions

>      97% of wood purchased from certified sources

>      75% zero wood waste to landfill at sites comprising 92% of production volumes

>      Collaboration with more than 100 food banks, contributing to in-kind donations of US$1.45 million in FY15

>      15% improvement in the Brambles Injury Frequency Rate

>      25% increase in participation in education, training and development days

>      In FY15, customers use of Brambles’ pallets and reusable plastic crates eliminated 460,000 tonnes of waste from landfill and saved 1.38 million trees.

A full version of Brambles’ 2015 Sustainability Review and Sustainability Report Card are available on the Brambles website.

Brambles has consistently been recognized as one of the most sustainable companies in the world and is listed on both the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and the FTSE4Good Index. It has won numerous awards for its sustainability initiatives including the EcoVadis Gold recognition level in Europe and Canada. It has also been recognised as a sector leader for fighting deforestation by Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP).

Brambles Chief Executive Officer, Tom Gorman, said: “Brambles has made significant progress in delivering continual improvement through our sustainability objectives over the past five years. Our 2020 Sustainability Goals set a new challenge for us – one that we are excited and committed to undertaking. Our commitment to sustainability fits intrinsically with our model, our markets and our customers’ needs and I am delighted to see our goals also align so directly with the Sustainability Goals established by the UN.”

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About Brambles Limited

Brambles Limited is a supply-chain logistics company operating primarily through the CHEP and IFCO brands. Brambles enhances performance for customers by helping them transport goods though their supply chains more efficiently, sustainably and safely. The Group’s primary activity is the provision of reusable unit-load equipment such as pallets, crates and containers for shared use by multiple participants throughout the supply chain through a system known as “pooling”, in which the Group has unique network scale and longstanding experience. Brambles primarily serves the fast-moving consumer goods (e.g. dry good, grocery and household and personal care), fresh produce, beverage, retail and general manufacturing industries, counting many of the world’s best-known brands among its customers. The Group also operates specialist business serving the automotive, aerospace and oil and gas sectors. Brambles has its headquarters in Sydney, Australia, and is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: BXB) but operates in more than 60 countries, with its largest operations in North America and Western Europe. Brambles employs approximately 14,000 people and owns more than 500 million pallets, crates and containers through a network of approximately 850 service centres. For more information, visit brambles.com.

[1]  A circular economy is restorative and regenerative by design and aims to keep products, components and materials at their highest utility and value at all times, distinguishing between technical and biological cycles. Source: The Ellen MacArthur Foundation

[2]  As stated in Brambles’ 2015 Corporate Governance Statement, the Group’s goal is to achieve 30% representation by women in senior management positions by 30 June 2018.