February 08, 2019
Teknion Corporation released their 2018 Impact Report a couple months ago, sharing their activities in advancing sustainability for its employees, customers, community and planet while documenting the efforts and voices of those behind the achievements. "...We share with you the impact we have had on our employees, customers, communities and planet as we continue to evolve our business," said David Feldberg, President & CEO. Vertical integration allows us to continuously bring expertise in-house and provides the perfect environment for us to learn and improve, challenge the status quo and push sustainability forward."
Employee - The report begins by stating how employees are the "heart and soul" of the company. It illustrates how Teknion programs and initiatives are geared towards making long-term investments in employees, and how the company cultivates an environment that recognizes the skills, knowledge, perspectives and cultural contributions people bring to the organization.
Customers - "We do not prescribe solutions. We listen, observe then share the knowledge gained to advance our customers, the industry and ourselves." When Teknion became the first manufacturer in the world to be WELL Certified under WELL v1, it reinforced their commitment to creating healthy spaces for employees and customers. The report explains how it leverages its WELL Certified showrooms to share the learnings, knowledge, opportunities and challenges involved in attaining this standard.
Communities - The report documents how Teknion contributes to education and employment, helping at-risk youth and people with physical and mental disabilities acquire skills needed to attain work in the communities in which they live and Teknion operates.
Our Planet - "As a manufacturer, our priority is to minimize the environmental impact of our activities." The Impact Report tells how these efforts are guided by Foundation Programs based on the company's ability to use them as tools to raise the bar for the industry and itself, while supporting client goals, objectives and expectations. The statistics from 2010 to 2018 of how much Teknion has saved is incredible: 20,550,000 kwh of electricity; enough to power 2,055 homes for a year. 2,450,000 m2 of natural gas; enough to heat 1,290 homes for a year. 127,326 L of propane; enough to heat 27 homes for a year. 231,592 m2 of water; enough to fill 92 Olympic-sized pools. 90% waste diversion; our waste diversion rate since 2010. 36,167 tonnes of GHG; the equivalent of removing 7,230 cars from the road for a year. Looking ahead, Teknion has "identified health and wellness within the built environment as our next logical goal for advancing sustainability," said Scott Deugo, Chief Sustainability and Sales Officer. "We are educating our teams and A&D community in WELL professional accreditation, as we have done with LEED. We will continue to eliminate Red List chemicals beyond in-house manufacturing to the supply chain. Although we are proud of our accomplishments, we realize that there is more work to be done."