At Lexmark, we believe in the importance of developing a culture of sustainability. This culture goes well beyond operations that make efficient use of resources and designing products with the environment in mind. Our goal is to engrain sustainability in all we do at work and at home.
Corporation Wide
Green Award – The Lexmark Green Award, established in 2009, is a multi-level program to recognize and encourage responsible sustainability and environmental practices. Customers, resellers, partners, suppliers and employees are all eligible for the award.
This year the award is being expanded to recognize specific customer achievements in the areas of paper savings, cartridge returns and energy reductions. Criteria for each category have been set, resulting in Bronze, Silver and Gold award levels.
Earth Hour – Lexmark sites around the world turned off the lights as part of Earth Hour 2010. Many Lexmark employees joined the effort by turning their lights at home for one hour.
United States
Sustainability Speaker Series – Since 2008, Lexington has hosted a monthly lunch-and-learn that focuses on a wide range of environmental topics. Sessions have addressed topics including sustainable agriculture, water quality, gardening, green building techniques and more. A number of sessions were presented by Lexmark employees who shared their own perspectives on environmental sustainability. Lexmark’s Christian Business Persons (CBP) Diversity Network Group hosted a special lunch-and-learn with local author Nancy Sleeth who discussed the environmental and spiritual journey she describes in her book, Go Green, $ave Green.
Lemark Cyclists – Lexington’s cyclists periodically host bicycle education presentations and biking gear Freecycle events. These bicycle education presentations (based on the League of American Bicyclists Course Commuting 101) review Kentucky's bike laws, safe riding techniques and emergency maneuvers, gear, route selections and other strategies for bicycle commuting. Presentations have run concurrently with a biking gear Freecycle during which attendees bring their unwanted biking implements - old bikes, bike parts, repair kits, clothing, to share with other Lexmark cyclists and had the opportunity to pick up a few items for themselves.
Earth Month Volunteers – Lexington employees donated their time to multiple environmental efforts throughout the year. Employees planted trees at Reforest the Bluegrass, removed trash from the Cane Run Creek during our annual clean up, distributed tree seedlings at Lexmark’s annual employee tree seedlings giveaway and educated local citizens on environmental issues at Lexington’s Arbor Day celebration.
2009 United Way – Lexmark’s 2009 United Way campaign took an environmental twist. Campaign organizers hosted Lexmark’s first United Way Yard Sale, an event that made recycling unwanted items including clothing, toys and household goods easy. Employees cleaned out their closets, attics and garages and donated unwanted items to the yard sale. The items were then sold at a lunchtime yard sale. Proceeds were donated to the United Way and unwanted items found new usefulness with their new owners.
Denmark
Film Screening – Lexmark Denmark invited 10 schools and educational centers to watch the Al Gore film “An Inconvenient Truth” and to listen to environmental specialist, Professor Bjørn Lomborg, speak on environmental priorities. Bjørn Lomborg is head of the Copenhagen Consensus Center which is initiated and sponsored by the Danish Government in order to promote international discussions around financial priorities in terms of environment. He is one of the most influential people in the environmental arena in Denmark and is also known in the U.S. The American magazine, Esquire, named Lomborg one of the 75 most influential people in the twenty-first century. More than 1,200 students participated in this extraordinary event and most of the schools intend to integrate the environmental practices into their teaching in the near future.
Finland
Carbon Neutral Leasing – Lexmark Finland helps customers decrease their carbon footprint with an ecological, carbon-neutral leasing solution. Through this leasing program, the environmental burden of the leased printers is offset by supporting environmental projects in Nepal, India and Madagascar. Lexmark carries out this program in cooperation with Acento Finance and MyClimate.
Germany
Educational Events – In 2010, Lexmark hosted an educational event which offered detailed information about the cost and environmental impact of paper consumption and offered strategies for reducing these impacts. Lexmark specialists explained the strategic role of paper in printer use, while experts from the paper industry addressed the importance of environmentally responsible paper production.
Hungary
Bike to Work – In 2009, employees at the Lexmark Competence Center in Budapest, Hungary, participated in a country-wide "Bike to Work" initiative. On the campaign Web site, participants were able to track their individual commuting data including distance, the number days biking to work, calories spent as well as carbon emission saved. Lexmark Budapest employees rode their bikes to work 256 times for a total of 3,546 km. This equates to a savings of 660 kg carbon emission.
Budapest's Green Team – Initiated in 2009, the team's aim is to emphasize environmental protection and sustainability in line with corporate and site missions. Its personnel are strictly volunteers and goals include supporting ISO 14001 by promoting ecological awareness while focusing on social responsibility.
Environmental training was a major thrust for the Green Team in 2010 as it produced a program entitled "Sustainability in Lexmark Budapest Competence Center." Training materials focused on waste collection, energy usage and travel with reduce, reuse, recover and recycle being the theme. Eighty-six percent of employees have been through the training and it is now mandatory for new hires.
Print Less. Save More. – More than 40 journalists from newspapers and weekly business magazines around Italy were introduced to Lexmark’s “Print Less, Save More” message at an event held in Milan, Italy. During the event, journalists were given the opportunity to learn more about the “Print Less, Save More” approach of Lexmark and they discussed Lexmark’s ability to support customer sustainability efforts through offerings like the Lexmark Cartridge Collection Program and Eco-Simulator.
Italy Lexmark Go Greener – In 2009, Lexmark Italy launched its new environmental program, Lexmark GoGreener - a consulting project that helps customers understand the impact of their behaviors at work on the environment.
Juárez, Mexico
Earth Hour – Lexmark employees in Juárez, Mexico, participated in Earth Hour activities. The Environmental, Health and Safety team in Juárez, Mexico, sponsored an Earth Hour activity for local kindergarten children. The children wrote a letter or created a drawing that expressed what their families were doing for Earth Hour. Two local schools received donations of printers in gratitude for their participation in this activity.
Lexmark employees in Juárez worked to get the message out to a broader audience through radio and television. The Environmental, Health and Safety team in Juárez was also invited to a local radio station to discuss Earth Hour and participated in a television broadcast called “Limipemos Nuestro Mundo” (Let's Clean Our World).
Tree Planting – Lexmark employees in Juárez also planted trees at a local kindergarten in honor of Earth Day 2009 and as part of the green campaign sponsored by the local United Way.
Latin America
Trees for Toner Cartridges – In 2010, Lexmark launched the Bosques program in Latin America. Through this program, Lexmark plants a tree for every toner cartridge that is returned to Lexmark for recycling.
Buhisan Watershed and Forest Reserve – In August of 2010, employees of LIPI and LRDC planted over 3000 seedlings of native trees at the Buhisan Watershed and Forest Reserve with the aim of having a sustainable water resource available for Cebu.
Switzerland
Earth Day – In recognition of Earth Day 2009, Lexmark employees in Geneva, Switzerland, were invited to play The Green Game, a game created by the sustainability team to promote environmental awareness of common sustainability issues and Lexmark’s environmental programs.