Group O Joins United Nations Global Compact

MILAN, Ill., Jan. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Group O, the optimization company that specializes in marketing operations, supply-chain and packaging solutions, has become a participant of the United Nations Global Compact, the world's largest corporate citizenship and sustainability initiative. As a signatory, Group O will support the Global Compact's ten universal principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption, reinforcing the company's commitment to responsible business practices on a global basis.

The Global Compact is an initiative that provides collaborative solutions to the most fundamental challenges facing both business and society. It seeks to combine the best properties of the UN, such as moral authority and convening power, with the private sector's solution-finding strengths, and the expertise and capacities of a range of key stakeholders. The Global Compact is global and local; private and public; voluntary yet accountable. Group O joins more than 8,800 companies and groups around the world that have signed the UN Global Compact to promote responsible corporate citizenship and sustainability. As a signatory, Group O will complete an annual Communication on Progress (COP) submission, demonstrating its progress in working towards the Global Compact's ten principles.

Group O's sustainability strategy and company policies are in close alignment with the Global Compact's Ten Principles. In 2008, Group O chartered its sustainability strategy —purpose|tomorrow— which codifies the company's commitment to innovating and implementing solutions that reduce waste and create an environment that is clean and safe for its clients, employees, and communities.

"Group O has established and upholds company policies that are in accord with the human rights, labor, and anti-corruption principles embodied in the United Nations Global Compact," said Murad Velani, president and COO of Group O. "As a company with a heritage rooted in diversity, employing people from all over the world, these are social issues that we take to heart and, as a signatory of the Global Compact, we will further instill into our corporate culture and philosophy."

About the United Nations Global Compact

Launched in 2000, the United Nations Global Compact is a call to companies around the world to align their strategies and operations with ten universal principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption, and to take action in support of broader UN goals. Through the development, implementation, and disclosure of responsible corporate policies and practices, business can help ensure that markets advance in ways that benefit economies and societies everywhere. The Global Compact is not a regulatory body, but a voluntary leadership platform for dialogue and learning. With more than 8,800 signatories in more than 135 countries, it is the world's largest corporate responsibility initiative. www.unglobalcompact.org

About Group O

Group O is a diversified business services provider with solutions that optimize its clients' marketing service execution, supply chain operations, and strategic packaging procurement. The Marketing Solutions group offers a full range of relevant loyalty and incentive programs; the O2 technology platform for high-volume, personalized print and direct marketing messages; and efficient consumer and trade fulfillment services. The Supply Chain Operations group serves the heavy equipment and high-tech sectors with serialized, high-velocity and scalable forward- and reverse-logistics services, as well as strategic sourcing and procurement solutions. The Packaging Solutions group provides an extensive, smart, nationwide network of packaging materials, equipment and service value. Group O is ISO 9001:2000 and TL 9000-certified, and SAS 70 Type II-compliant. Headquartered in Milan, Illinois, Group O is the ninth-largest Hispanic-owned company in the United States with over 1,300 employees. To learn more, visit www.groupo.com.

SOURCE Group O