Brother Expands Sustainability Efforts with a New Partnership with Clean Ocean Action

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Apr 11, 2022, 09:00 ET

Strengthens Brother's existing commitments and programs dedicated to sustainability

BRIDGEWATER, N.J., April 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, in advance of Earth Day, Brother International Corporation (Brother) is announcing this new partnership along with a series of Corporate Social Responsibility activities and Environmental Action across the organization – thus strengthening local and global efforts to fight climate change.

Brother is announcing a new partnership with Clean Ocean Action, a leading national and regional voice working to protect waterways using science, as a sponsor of the 37th Annual Beach Sweeps Event. This includes sponsorship of two Covid-compliant beach sweeps events open to the public of New Jersey and a Virtual Lunch and Learn hosted by a Clean Ocean Action representative on Earth Day available to all Brother employees to learn more about protecting our oceans.

In addition, on Earth Day, Brother employees will be making their annual 'Brother Earth Promise,' an individual commitment to help protect the environment, such as addressing pollution by recycling and cutting their use of single-use plastics, amongst other efforts.

"I am proud to see Brother employees rally around our environmental activities and Brother Earth Promise, and I am thrilled to see a collective effort to address the urgent global climate change crisis across our organization," said Don Cummins, President, Brother International Corporation. "While we think globally, we must also act locally, and our sponsorship of Clean Ocean Action activities in New Jersey will help ensure that our own shores are free from ocean plastics and pollution."

Brother's partnership with Clean Ocean Action builds on Brother's existing flagship environmental programs such as their Recycling Program for printers and ink cartridges, employee volunteer activities supporting the Friends of the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey for the past ten years, a long-standing sponsorship of the Wolf River Conservancy Restoration Series that includes lectures and volunteer events to restore the Wolf River in West Tennessee, and an annual $25,000 donation to the Arbor Day Foundation in support of their mission to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees.

These activities complement Brother's ongoing sustainability commitments, which include A Commitment to Meeting EPEAT Requirements, Brother Product Recycling Program, Brother Toner & Ink Cartridge Recycling Program, Brother's Environmental Management System, ENERGY STAR®-Compliant Products.

Brother considers the environment at all stages of a product's life cycle, from development, design, and manufacturing to use, disposal, and reuse, as the social responsibility of a manufacturing company. In fact, over the past 5 years (2016-2020), carbon emissions across Brother Americas have been reduced by 9.7% and over 30% since 2012. Brother has remanufactured more than 5.5 million toner cartridges (2017-2021) and recycles more than 99% of its waste, with less than 1% of waste going to landfills. Brother has also supported biodiversity conservation and restoration activities across the Americas with $650,000 donated, 159,369 trees planted (US/CAN), and 26,843,750 sq. ft. of rainforest protected in Guatemala through a partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation.

"Brother strives to positively and continuously act to decrease the environmental impact and increase the sustainability of our business operations in alignment with the Brother Group globally," says Vickie Berry, Manager of Environmental, Health and Safety. "The Brother Group aims to achieve carbon neutrality in all business operations and minimize CO2 emissions from the entire value chain by 2050 so as to contribute toward creating a carbon-free society."

About Brother International Corporation
Brother International Corporation has earned its reputation as a premier provider of home office and business products, products for the sewing and crafting enthusiast as well as industrial solutions that revolutionize the way we live and work. Brother International Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Brother Industries Ltd. With worldwide sales exceeding $6 billion, this global manufacturer was started more than 100 years ago. Bridgewater, New Jersey is the corporate headquarters for Brother in the Americas. It has fully integrated sales, marketing services, manufacturing, research and development capabilities located in the U.S. In addition to its headquarters, Brother has facilities in California, Illinois and Tennessee, as well as subsidiaries in Canada, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Peru and Mexico. For more information, visit www.brother.com.