ATLANTA, July 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Home
Depot® today issued its 2019 Responsibility Report,
which details the company's 2018 progress on its commitment to its
three pillars — Operate Sustainably, Focus on People and Strengthen
Our Communities, including a commitment to reducing carbon
emissions 50 percent by 2035. Additional highlights
include:
Operate Sustainably:
- In 2018, the world's largest home improvement retailer set
science-based targets to achieve a 40% reduction in its carbon
emissions by 2030 and a 50% reduction by 2035
- U.S. store energy use decreased 26% compared to 2010, ahead of
the company's stated goal for a 20% reduction in consumption by
2020
- Supply chain efficiencies implemented by The Home Depot reduced
carbon dioxide intensity by 6% per dollar sold
- Under the company's responsible sourcing policy, The Home Depot
conducted 1,362 factory audits and 1,649 follow-up visits in
2018
Focus on People:
- The company announced a new goal to invest more than 1 million
hours per year over the next five years in training and development
to help associates grow their careers
- The report also includes additional disclosure on the diversity
of its more than 400,000-associate workforce, which was 44%
minority and 38% female in 2018
- According to the annual Voice of the Associate survey, four out
of five associates feel emotionally committed to The Home
Depot
Strengthen Our Communities
- In 2018, The Home Depot Foundation committed an additional
$250 million to veteran causes,
taking the total commitment to half a billion dollars by 2025
- The foundation also gave nearly $5
million in 2018 to help communities affected by natural
disasters
- The foundation announced a $50
million commitment to train 20,000 skilled trades men and
women by 2028
New to the report this year is the inclusion of 10 United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals that align with The Home
Depot's sphere of influence. The report also includes additional
charts on materiality touchpoints, progress on stated goals and an
ESG transparency chart that highlights The Home Depot's key
environmental, social and governance (ESG) metrics from 2016
through 2018.
In addition to these improvements, the report includes detailed
information about the company's diversity and inclusion programs;
data security oversight; ethical business practices that extend to
global suppliers; Home Depot's efforts to reduce environmental
impact through the products it sells; and the company's commitment
to improving the lives of military veterans, easing the U.S. labor
gap and helping victims of natural disasters.
"Our associates, suppliers and customers drive our
sustainability success," said Ron
Jarvis, vice president of environmental innovation for The
Home Depot. "The 2019 Responsibility Report showcases outstanding
examples of our core values – how we work together to create a
business that's inclusive, ethical and sustainable. We continue to
challenge ourselves to think innovatively and keep raising the bar
for sustainability."
The report is available as an overview infographic, digital book
and PDF on The Home Depot's corporate newsroom Built from
Scratch.
About The Home Depot
The Home Depot is the world's
largest home improvement specialty retailer,
with 2,291 retail stores in all 50 states,
the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin
Islands, Guam, 10 Canadian provinces and Mexico. In
fiscal 2018, The Home Depot had sales of $108.2
billion and earnings of $11.1 billion. The Company
employs more than 400,000 associates. The Home Depot's stock is
traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: HD) and is included in
the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor's 500
index.
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SOURCE The Home Depot