Owens & Minor has published its second annual Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report. The report details ongoing efforts over the previous year towards fulfilling the environmental, sustainability, and governance priorities formalized in the company’s inaugural ESG report issued in 2021.
“Our ESG values continue to inform our strategic decision making and we’re constantly exploring new ways to have a positive impact for our teammates, our customers, and the communities where we live and work,” said Edward A. Pesicka, President and Chief Executive Officer, Owens & Minor. “We’re proud of the progress we make each day toward creating a more sustainable and inclusive future for customers, teammates, and communities, from the fleet to the frontline.”
The Owens & Minor ESG report employs universally recognized ESG frameworks, including the Global Reporting Initiative and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, to benchmark the company’s progress in four key focus areas: environmental stewardship, caring for our customers and communities, operating responsibly, and empowering our teammates.
Highlights of Owens & Minor’s efforts from this year’s report include:
- Signing the White House Department of Health & Human Services Earth Day Pledge, committing to voluntarily reduce emissions and to develop and release a climate resilience plan.
- Advancing our collaboration with Penske Logistics, launching an expanded pilot program that uses a Daimler Freightliner eCascadia® tractor-trailer for a portion of our service deliveries in southern California, reducing carbon emissions from distribution operations and providing real-world data to support future electric vehicle deployment.
- Partnering with BlueCON to reclaim recyclable materials from hospital waste streams, which has already diverted more than 4 million pounds of sterilization wrap from landfills since implementation.
- Increasing our community engagement through the Owens & Minor Foundation, contributing to a variety of local and national non-profit organizations including the Special Olympics, the United Negro College Fund®, the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®, the Wounded Warrior Project®, and Ronald McDonald House Charities®. Additionally, Owens & Minor teammates again devoted time to the company’s long-standing support of the Fairfield Court Elementary School Lunch Buddies Program and the Cristo Rey High School Virtual Mentoring Program in Virginia.
- Deepening strategic efforts with partner Caracal Products & Services, a certified Minority Business Enterprise, and Tier 1 diversity spend supplier providing medical supplies, PPE, apparel, printing papers, consumable paper products, print management programs, kitting services, warehousing, and distribution.
- Expanding work-life benefits for teammates, including no-cost counseling through the teammate assistance program, flexible work arrangements, and paid parental leave for family bonding.