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Our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program is at the very centre of everything we do here at Collette. We strive to keep improving our local and global communities, develop responsible products, take extra special care of our workforce (we just won Providence Business News Healthiest Employer for the third year in a row!) and we take care of the environment. Our newly formed Green Team has exciting new environmental initiatives to share.
Meet the Green Team
Seven members across various departments assembled early this year to strategize ways that Collette could work to improve the environment in our offices and on tour. They wanted to ensure that the whole company had a voice in developing new initiatives as well as seeing where interests and priorities were, so they sent a company-wide survey to focus on goals we can accomplish within the next several years. The response was great and the Green team has quickly taken action to implement simple yet innovative new strategies.
A water filtration system
We aim to stay hydrated in an environmentally-friendly way! By switching from delivered water to a water filtration system in our offices, we can provide safe and clean drinking water to our team whilst cutting down on the carbon footprint that comes along with having trucks deliver plastic jugs of spring water. We drink a lot of water at Collette, so this is a very positive change that will make a big impact.
Composting
By placing compost bins in our cafeterias, any waste products from the food we eat at lunch can be used to make compost for our community garden. We will literally be able to turn waste into food to be used in our garden. The annual yields from our community garden have provided fresh produce to the Pawtucket Soup Kitchen, so we are so excited to further our impact. We will also be able to sell extra compost to employees to nourish their own gardens at home. Proceeds from those sales will go right back into our gardening initiative, creating a sustainable program that truly benefits our local community.
Save the Bay
Our global headquarters is located in Rhode Island, and the Ocean State is flanked by hundreds of miles of shoreline that can always use a little tender loving care. We have partnered with Save the Bay, a local not-for-profit, to participate in shoreline clean up events. An international event is planned for September to engage employees in our green initiatives in a hands-on way.
Plastic straw recycling
We have started a plastic straw recycling program in which conveniently located collection bins have been placed throughout our offices. The straws we collect will be turned into a work of art by a member of our team who volunteered to repurpose the pesky pieces of plastic.
These and many more exciting initiatives will be rolling out as we strive to make a positive impact on the planet.
