Smith & Associates Corporate Sustainability Initiatives Pave the Way for a Greener Road Ahead
November 13 2012 - 6:00AM
Marketwired
Smith & Associates, the largest independent distributor of
electronic components, today announced major milestones in its
corporate sustainability initiatives and preparations to take these
initiatives global. Since 2008, when Smith intensified its
commitment to becoming fully sustainable and carbon-neutral, the
company has continued to meet and exceed major targets in key
conservation areas including electricity use, recycling, waste
diversion, water conservation, and transportation.
Smith recently hosted its second of a series of Green Bag
Lunches that provide a forum for education, leadership and
innovation on sustainable initiatives to the Houston area. In
concert with the U.S. Government's emphasis on sustainable
practices and corporate responsibility in the electronics and
semiconductor industries, Smith's achievements in corporate
sustainability underscore the company's long-standing commitment to
quality, stewardship, and responsible business practices. Looking
towards the coming year, Smith is expanding its sustainability
initiatives to its global offices for 2013.
US Government Calls for Corporate
Responsibility In September 2012, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) announced the Sustainable Materials
Management (SMM) Electronics Challenge, with the goal of advancing
the responsible management of used electronics. This nationwide
campaign is an effort to urge companies to improve environmental
stewardship by increasing electronics refurbishing and recycling
practices to develop new industry standards for recycling and new
manufacturing content. This pledge has attracted leaders from
global companies such as Best Buy, LG Electronics, Panasonic,
Samsung, Sharp, Sprint, and Staples. In October, the Federal Trade
Commission (FTC) provided new guidelines on how companies are
allowed to promote environmental claims in their marketing
materials. The U.S. government is seeking a new level of
responsibility and commitment to sustainability from corporations,
calling on companies to take real steps in green innovation and
environmental conservation.
Smith has been consistently ahead of the curve in its corporate
sustainability efforts, making resource and environmental
protection a priority at the highest level. In 2011, Smith was
named an "e-Stewards Enterprise" by the Basel Action Network, which
recognized Smith's contributions to confronting global
environmental injustices and to actively improving the economic
inefficiency of toxic wastes, products, and technologies. Smith
recently expanded its asset disposition service offerings for Smith
customers worldwide to support the data-secure, economically sound,
and environmentally aware repurposing, recycling, and/or
destruction of used equipment and components. Smith also offers
"E-Waste Days," which enable businesses in the Houston area to
safely and securely recycle electronics in an environmentally
responsible manner.
In April 2012, Smith won the City of Houston Award for
Excellence in Environmental Sustainability following outstanding
results in Houston's Green Office Challenge. Smith has further
expanded its corporate sustainability initiative with the formation
of an employee-directed green team called Smith Sustainability
Group (SSG). SSG is tasked with setting Smith's environmental
goals, building green education and awareness for employees and
implementing programs that encourage employees to take sustainable
action. As part of this, SSG developed Smith's Green Lunch Bag
Series, available to Smith employees, which launched in October
2012. The recent flagship event featured Houston Sustainability
Manager Lisa Lin, who spoke on a variety of topics such as
municipal energy efficiency, Houston's "green teams," and the
City's garden initiatives and bike share programs.
2012 Milestones Additional milestones
announced today as part of Smith's 2012 corporate sustainability
success include:
- 38% reduction of energy use since 2008
- Doubled recycling of waste from an average of 2.21 tons per
month in 2008 to an average of 6.30 tons per month in 2011
- The establishment of campus-wide recycling stations including a
recycling bin, waste bin, and bin for paper recycling
- Increase in average waste diversion to 95%
- Elimination of paper cups (53,000 paper cups saved
annually)
- Increased use of recycled paper and paper napkins, green
cleaning products and environmentally friendly pest control
services
- The installation of green gardening systems including rain
sensors in the sprinkler system and a sprinkler system
schedule
- The achievement of overwhelming company-wide participation in
green events including an Electronics Recycle Drive, Clothing
Drive, Green Bag Lunches and Speaking Events
"Our mission is to make Smith & Associates the greenest that
it can be, we continue to take steps to change how we think,
companywide," Matthew Hartzell, Chief Operating Officer of Smith
& Associates, said. "Smith knows that in order to be
environmentally responsible, recycling programs and thoughtful
choices need to be made on a global scale, one office at a time.
Our changes in Houston are the first of many more to come."
2013 Takes Sustainability Global As
Smith's Houston headquarters continues to make strides locally,
Smith is furthering its commitment to sustainability on a global
level. The next step in Smith's greenovation plan is to have its
international offices follow suit with the Houston headquarters,
starting with the institution of recycling programs in every
office. With offices worldwide, including Europe and Asia, Smith
intends to build upon its successes locally and expand its E-Waste
Day service programs to every Smith location in 2013, complying
with local green initiatives in every city.
"To Smith & Associates, the road to truly having a green
company is long but it is well worth the effort," said Matthew
Hartzell. "We are proud of the commitment of our employees as well
as the recognition and support that we have achieved thus far; we
look forward to breaking more records in green in 2013."
For more information on Smith and Associates' green initiatives,
see:
http://www.smithweb.com/en/company/smith-and-the-environment.
About Smith & Associates Founded in
Houston in 1984, Smith & Associates is a
leader in the independent distribution of semiconductors and
electronic components to electronics and high-tech manufacturers.
Smith offers shortage sourcing for commodity and obsolete parts,
innovative purchasing and inventory management solutions,
redistribution of excess inventory, and component stocking for
warranty and repair programs.
A privately held company, Smith & Associates employs more
than 350 people worldwide, with annual revenue in excess of US $500
million. Smith's regional hubs in Houston, Hong Kong, and Amsterdam
are ISO certified and IDEA compliant. In addition, sales and
purchasing offices are located in Silicon Valley, Barcelona,
Guadalajara, New York, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Seoul, Singapore,
Taipei, and Denver. For more information, see
http://www.smithweb.com/ or to reach a Smith representative 24
hours a day, please call: 1.800.HOUSTON or +1 713.430.3000.
For more information, contact: Mark Bollinger Smith &
Associates V.P. of Marketing +1 713.430.3000 Email Contact Ashley
Wilkinson BOCA Communications + 1 415.738.7718 x4 Email Contact