W.W. Grainger Corporate Social Responsibility (W.W. Grainger CSR): a brief overview

Grainger CSR (corporate social responsibility) programs and initiatives aim to address the issues of social awareness, environmental factors and ethical labour practices while promoting a greener, more culturally conscious attitude to both peers and customers. Grainger CSR Advisory Council has the mission of providing strategic awareness and encouraging transparency. Moreover, the global industrial supply company has CSR Working Group that leads programs to promote CSR goals.

The company began using the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Reporting Standards in 2016 and, since 2017, has been a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.[1] The B2B distributor offers more than 100,000 environmentally friendly products that help customers reduce energy consumption, conserve water, reduce waste and improve indoor air quality. [2] In 2018 the company was included in the top 10 placement in Barron’s “List of 100 Most Sustainable U.S. Companies” for the second time.      

Grainger Supporting Local Communities

• Hundreds of Grainger employees volunteered 8500 hours in local communities throughout the US in 2018
• Members of Grainger workforce also help communities devastated by natural disasters worldwide
• In 2018, the global industrial supply company donated more than USD120,000 worth of products to Team Rubicon, a veteran-led group that helps communities worldwide get back on their feet after disasters.

Grainger Educating and Empowering Workers

• All employees have completed Business Conduct Guidelines Training
• In 2017 the company provided 154 Grainger Tools for Tomorrow scholarships to employees in 85 participating colleges
• Grainger invested more than USD 4,5 million in employee education and development since 2006

Employee Health and Safety at Grainger

• Lost time incident rate per 100 employees decreased from 0,4 in 2017 to 0,3 in 2018
• Total recordable incident rate per 100 employees totalled to 1,4 in 2017 and 2018

Grainger and Gender Equality and Minorities

• In total 38% of all workforce in the US and only 18% of Directors are female
• 27% of Directors are belong to racial and ethnically diverse group

Energy Consumption by Grainger

• In 2018 North American operations consumed 344 million kilowatt hours energy, a decrease of 7,28% compared to the previous year
• The company produced 6730 kilowatt hours of renewable energy in 2018, an increase of 14,65% compared to 2017
• The global industrial supply company increased its LEED Certified space from 5,5 million square feet in 2017 to 6,7 million in 2018
• The B2B distributor has 15 facilities built or retrofitted with Building Management Systems (BMS). The installation of BMS reduced energy consumption 10-15%[3]

Carbon Emissions by Grainger

• Total CO2 emissions in North American facility in 2018 equalled to 0,10 million metric tons, a decrease of 9,09% compared to 2017.
• In 2014 the company aimed to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per revenues by 33% by 2020. The company exceeded its target and in 2019 achieved 44% reduction overall.

Grainger and Sustainable Sourcing 

• Grainger requires adherence to its Supplier Code of Ethics
• The company follows Conflict Mineral Policy

Grainger and other CSR Initiatives and Charitable Donations

• Operations in North America consumed 0,51 million cubic meters of water, 8,51% increase compared to the previous period
• Recycling rate in Grainger distribution centre (DC) was increased from 84% in 2017 to 86% in 2018
• Percent revenue of Grainger environmentally friendly products increased from 5,1 in 2017 to 5,3 in 2018
• Grainger made more than USD 36 million cash and product donations to non-profit organizations in 2018

W.W. Grainger Report contains a full analysis of W.W. Grainger corporate social responsibility including W.W. Grainger CSR issues. The report illustrates the application of the major analytical strategic frameworks in business studies such as SWOT, PESTEL, Porter’s Five Forces, Value Chain analysis, Ansoff Matrix and McKinsey 7S Model on W.W. Grainger. Moreover, the report contains analyses of W.W. Grainger leadership, business strategy, organizational structure and organizational culture. The report also comprises discussions of W.W. Grainger marketing strategy and its ecosystem.

[1] Annual Report 2019 (2020) W.W. Grainger

[2] Corporate Social Responsibility >> 2019 Update (2020) W.W. Grainger

[3] Solutions and Stewardship (2020) W.W. Grainger. Available at: https://www.graingercsr.com/solutions-and-stewardship/solutions-stewardship-detail/