On February 27, 2024, we were thrilled to announce the release of our third annual Sustainability Report. We’re excited about the progress we’ve made over the three years of publishing our results and equally excited to share our activities in our most recent report. We feel our Sustainability Report continues to demonstrate our transparency and commitment to publish high-quality sustainability disclosures across key ESG reporting frameworks.
Benchmark as a company has been focused on ESG and Sustainability for many years, and in 2021 we released our very first Sustainability Report to communicate our goals and efforts to our stakeholders, customers, employees, and local communities. In our third year, we’re excited to share several successes and new initiatives.
One of our most significant initiatives in 2023 has been hiring talent focused on sustainability and creating new team initiatives to lead global sustainability efforts. This includes Bill Olson, who was hired as our Global Director of Sustainability, and Fred DeVeau, who was appointed as our Global Environmental Health & Safety Manager. Additionally, Fred leads our newly created Health and Safety Council and Environmental Council made up of representatives from every site. These leaders contribute to further operationalizing ESG/Sustainability within our organization in support of Benchmark’s ESG/Sustainability strategy.
The 2023 Sustainability Report also provides quantitative measures of our ESG progress, such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, energy and water usage, waste reduction, and human capital metrics. We have also published the latest update on our progress against our three-year GHG emissions reduction target. To update you on our progress, we’ve included a few highlights below for 2023:
- All of our manufacturing sites—including our Mesa facility that opened in 2023—are certified to ISO 14001:2015 (Environmental Management Systems certification), an achievement that is prominently displayed on our website and throughout our facilities.
- We relocated our corporate data center to an energy-efficient facility, providing 100% renewable energy for our IT equipment.
- We achieved a Silver Sustainability Rating from EcoVadis for the third year in a row.
- We achieved reductions in electricity, natural gas, and water usage as a result of the 45+ energy reduction projects implemented by our manufacturing sites as part of the Benchmark Environmental Challenge, our internal global competition.
- For the second time, Benchmark participated in the CDP (formerly the Climate Disclosure Project) Climate Change questionnaire, and for the first time, we participated in the Water Security questionnaire.
- We received several ESG awards and recognitions, including the 2023 Corporate Social Responsibility Award in Thailand, the IPC Asia Outstanding Education Enterprise Company Award in Thailand, the Green Industry Award Level 4 in Ayutthaya, Thailand, and the Zero Accident Award – Platinum Level in Korat, Thailand.
- We launched our second employee resource group (ERG), Benchmark Resources Advocating Veteran Employees (BRAVE), that complements our existing Women Inclusion Network (WIN) group.
From a DEI perspective, Benchmark is deeply committed to openness and inclusivity in all aspects of our organization. We firmly believe that diverse teams drive innovation, foster creativity, and deliver exceptional results. We are building a workplace where all talents are recognized, valued, and given equal opportunities. We also maintain an 11-member Inclusion Council that supports DEI activities, efforts, and learning events designed to foster Benchmark’s DEI culture. Launched in 2022, the Council is a diverse group selected by Benchmark’s senior leadership team and is refreshed annually, with members representing different levels, functional areas, and regions within the organization.
Looking forward, our customers are also encouraged by our efforts, while building on their own strategies to improve sustainability. These customers see Benchmark as a critical partner in their own efforts to create more sustainable products. To this end, we are bolstering our product sustainability services as it pertains to helping our customers improve every aspect of their product realization processes to become more environmentally friendly. From supply chain to manufacturing, we have the tools and expertise to guide our customers to a more sustainable future.
Benchmark’s ESG/Sustainability journey is well on its way and we’re proud of what we have achieved and the progress that we continue to make. Our annual Sustainability Report provides us with the opportunity to share these achievements and provide insight into our future plans to reduce environmental impact, increase social and economic value, and further promote ethical business practices. Building a sustainable future matters at Benchmark and it also matters to our customers, our investors, and our community.
To learn more about Benchmark’s ESG/Sustainability efforts, we invite you to read the 2023 Sustainability Report by visiting https://www.bench.com/sustainability.
