Environment, social & governance
"We strongly believe that corporate responsibility is integral to business success."
Graham Tweedale, Chief Operating Officer
What sustainability means to Xaar
Every business has an opportunity to make a positive contribution to the planet and society, and Xaar is no exception. We are passionate about driving our business in a way that is underpinned by a strong sense of ethics, corporate responsibility and a commitment to minimising our environmental impacts.
Of course, to deliver on our sustainability and ESG ambitions, it is vital that we work towards clear milestones and goals. Which is why in the second half of 2021 we formed a Sustainability Team with governance and accountability through to our Board.
This Group, formed of representatives from across our business, has developed a co-ordinated Sustainability Roadmap that will push Xaar towards its Net Zero by 2030 goal and our wider ESG commitments.
The Roadmap has four key pillars – Environmental, People, Innovation and Community; its purpose is to drive our ESG goals beyond the Energy Reduction scope to a Group wide activity. Our Roadmap will provide an essential backbone for much of Xaar’s future investment and activity.
Our Sustainability Roadmap to 2030
Sustainability in numbers
We measure, monitor and report on a wide range of sustainability and ESG ambitions and objectives.
Here are just a few of this year’s highlights.
Reduce embodied carbon in products by
15%
Be employer of choice
#1
Establish path to fully recyclable printhead
100%
Charity Partnership fundraising target of
£20k
Our sustainability pillars
Environment
Leading the way in environmental sustainability for the industrial inkjet technology sector
People
Be employer of choice by putting our people, their potential and wellbeing at the heart of all we do
Innovation
Encouraging more sustainable approaches to design, manufacture, technology and collaboration across the whole product lifecycle
Community
Actively engaging with our communities to provide practical, lasting support that benefits society
Environment
Environmental best practice, our investment in sustainable manufacturing and improving operational efficiencies are, and have always been, key areas of business focus for Xaar. Our aspiration is to lead our industry when it comes to the environment and sustainability, in order to minimise the impact we and our products have on the world around us.
We have set the aspiration to be Net Zero by 2030 and to drive sustainable growth and innovation for the zero carbon economy. We have made a commitment to setting Science Based Targets and we have identified the UN Sustainable Development Goals that are of primary importance to our business.
Areas of focus
- Net zero (Group Scope 1, 2 & 3) by 2030
- Reduce consumption of water
- Zero waste to landfill
- Improve local bio-diversity of our sites
People
Our business is one that puts its people first. We are passionate about developing and nurturing talent - at all levels - within Xaar. And, our over-arching commitment to be an employer of choice that puts its people, their potential and wellbeing at the heart of all we do, is one that connects with our colleagues right across the Group.
Our Sustainability Roadmap to 2030 includes ambitions and targets that are designed to support the personal development and wellbeing of our colleagues. We also want to encourage and attract the very best people, from the widest possible pool of talent, into our business and to reward and nurture them through our people-focused policies and training and support programmes.
Areas of focus
- Continue safety first culture to achieve zero harm
- Support our people to reach their full potential
- Increase wellbeing focus
Innovation
Continuous Innovation is vital if we are to achieve many of our goals across the four pillars that support our Sustainability Roadmap. This is why we believe it is crucial that we encourage more sustainable approaches to design, manufacture, technology and collaboration across the whole Product Lifecycle.
A perfect example of our commitment to innovation is the relaunch of our Product Lifecycle Management process. This methodology, which is used to develop new and innovative printhead product, now includes Design for Environment as part of the development considerations. Our Roadmap also includes commitment to generate an industry defacto standard for sustainable product by 2024.
Areas of focus
- Sustainable product development
- Adopt an approach of recycle, rework, repair & reuse
- Collaborate further with suppliers, customers and partners to accelerate sustainability opportunities
Community
We are very proud that our Sustainability Roadmap celebrates our engagement within the communities in which we operate. Now, more than ever, we want to align our community outreach to our business values. To achieve this, we have an active programme of sponsorship for projects and initiatives that provide practical, lasting support of benefit to society.
Our Roadmap includes an ambition to generate a charity policy for all of our Business Divisions. We have also made a commitment to establish a partnership with a single charity that supports young or vulnerable people with financial, volunteering and mentoring opportunities, regardless of circumstance.
Areas of focus
- Establish local charity partnerships to support
- Increase volunteering and charity donation opportunities
- Align our community out reach to our business values
- Continue to support STEM subjects in local communities and schools
Our Sustainability Roadmap
Comprising of four key pillars - Environment, People, Innovation and Community, our Sustainability Roadmap is the foundation stone for much of our activity and investment. The milestones we have identified will help us to measure our progress and make informed, sustainability-driven decisions.
Sustainability governance structure
+ Board & Executive Management
Senior Non-Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer have specific responsibility for ESG matters
+ ESG Committee
Global Operation Director, Group People Officer, Company Secretary and Legal Counsel, Head of Marketing, External Sustainability Communication Advisor and Group Sustainability Manager will review, assess and track roadmap and established goals
+ Sustainability Team
Formed of representatives from across the business, to indentify, develop and update roadmap, also includes Carbon Net Zero Team and Energy Efficiency Team
How we align our ESG roadmap to sustainable development goals
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted in 2015 by the 193 United Nations (UN) member states. There are 17 goals which address economic, environmental and social impacts, and are designed to form a blueprint for good growth, nationally and internationally, by 2030. They are underpinned by 169 targets to help define progress.
Xaar supports the SDGs. We take the view that they help us to understand where our work makes a difference and they act as guiding principles for our business and ESG roadmap and product innovation.
We believe we touch almost all of the SDGs through our operations, our research and development and our sustainability vision. However, we think it is best to rationalise our measurable contributions to where they are likely to make the most impact. We have therefore mapped and ranked our focus to the SDGs to where we have the greatest potential to positively contribute.
Our major contributions are to SDGs 9, 12 and 13, however we have significant impacts on SDG's 3, 4 and 8.
Sustainability in action at Xaar...
