Now Reading
Hbc Provides Greater Detail in 2004 Corporate Social Responsibility Report
Hbc Provides Greater Detail in 2004 Corporate Social Responsibility Report
Published 05-09-05
Submitted by Hudson's Bay Company
"We're proud of Hbc's ongoing efforts to improve operations for the benefit of our many and vaired stakeholders," said George Heller, President and CEO, Hudson's Bay Company. "From Hbc associates to the workers in other parts of the world that manufacture the products we sell, to the communities in which we operate, we want to work with our partners to understand the impact of our operations and find positive working relationships that benefit all."
The 2004 CSR report provides details of Hbc's four core CSR initiatives. In particular, more detailed information on the Company's ethical sourcing program:
- More factories were audited in 2004 versus 2003 with a higher rate of approval;
- Independent audits revealed that among the key issues found in factories are excessive overtime or non-payment of overtime hours and health and safety issues; and
- The majority of factories from which Hbc sources private label merchandise are located in Asia (China, Bangladesh, India and others)
The CSR report also provides details of Hbc's award winning energy conservation strategy that focuses on reducing consumption and emissions from the Company's network of stores and distribution centres. The report revealed that Hbc reduced its cumulative emissions (from the baseline year 2000) by nearly 110,000 tonnes, the equivalent of emissions from more than 23,000 cars.
In 2004, Hbc also improved communications to associates nationwide, undertook initiatives to educate Canadians about retail as a career and expanded its community investment program to generate more funding for communities through the annual Hbc Run for Canada. To obtain a copy of Hbc's CSR report, simply go to www.hbc.ca.
Hudson's Bay Company, established in 1670, is Canada's largest department store retailer and oldest corporation. The Company provides Canadians with the widest selection of goods and services available through retail channels that include more than 500 stores led by the Bay, Zellers and Home Outfitters chains. Hudson's Bay Company employs 70,000 associates and has operations in every province in Canada.
