Corporate SocialResponsibility

Diversity breeds creativity

Why does sustainability matter?

Support for local communities

WORLD’S FIRST CARBON NEUTRAL NETWORK

INFRASTRUCTURE PROVIDER

We make high-spec network infrastructure. Without it costing the earth.

From small offices to enormous Data Centres, your choice of network infrastructure can make or break your communications systems and IT operations. It can be the difference between plain sailing and regular disruption.

In short: it’s important to get it right. And we help businesses do exactly that.

How?

By researching, designing and crafting world-class cabling and network infrastructure products. Effortless networking has been our goal since Brand-Rex started life in 1972 as a small team in Glenrothes, Scotland.

In 2015, Brand-Rex became a part of the Leviton Group, a privately owned US manufacturing company specialising in electrical wiring devices, energy management, security and automation, and data network solutions for industry and commerce.

“For some businesses, CSR is a box-ticking exercise. At Brand-Rex it’s fundamental to our success as an industry leader” Martin J Hanchard, CEO

Focussing on areas of our business where change can have the biggest impact is key. These areas include:

• Governance and ethics

• Sustainability

• Quality

• People

• Health and Safety

• Supply Chain

• Local Communities

• Customers

Why does sustainability matter?

The current population of our planet is just over 7 billion. By 2030 it is expected to reach 9 billion. This puts a huge strain on the worlds finite resources and the need for clean, renewable energies. Carbon emissions must be controlled to mitigate climate change.

How did we become carbon neutral?

It’s official. In 2011 Brand-Rex became the world’s first network infrastructure provider to achieve carbon neutral status in accordance with PAS2060.

It required the following steps:

1. Generate a company carbon footprintto set our baseline

2. Declare our reduction commitment: reduce CO2e emissions by 20% by 2015

3. Implement a strategy to reach ourcarbon reduction target

4. Balance any remaining carbonemissions through offsetting

5. Make a declaration of achievement

Unsurprisingly for a manufacturing company, electricity use accounted for the majority of our emissions. Heating fuel and product logistics also contributed significantly.

Together these three areas made up 90% of our emissions, giving us a clear point of focus. In order to give us a relatable year-on-year figure to work against, our carbon footprint was divided by the number of cable metres produced in a year.

We are proud to have achieved 24% in 2014

20%CO2e EMISSIONSREDUCTION BY

20151st

Network infrastructure provider to achieve carbon neutral status

fuels andrefridgerants

business traveland accommodation

recycle andwaste management

electricity59%product and

parcel deliveries

19%

13%

7%2%

2009 - Carbon footprint - 9590kg CO2e Baseline emissions per area

To help us reach our emissions target and reduce our impact on the environment, we implemented a carbon reduction programme.

To date we have invested over £300k to reduce our emissions. But by slashing overheads we have saved over £1million.

Here’s how we did it.

Sustainability doesn’t mean living with less.

It means being smart and resourceful with what you have.

More water is used making drinks than by manufacturing

89%

Reduction in water usageLight panel replacement program in factory

More natural light,less electricity

21%

Moving from oil to a gas heating system

Overall our combined fuel emissions have been reduced by 46%

Emissions reduction

Switching from air to sea freight

18%Reduced Emissions by

Recycled

79 %of waste

42%CO2e EMISSIONSREDUCTION BY

2020

We have made great progress on emissions reduction. Yet we cannot eliminate emissions completely. Carbon offsetting allows us to balance our greenhouse gases that we cannot reduce already while making a financial contribution to forward –thinking eco-conscious projects aroundthe world.

We have been working with Carbon Clear – Carbon offsetting and reduction specialists, to deliver offset projects since 2009. Some of which include:

• Methane Capture, Valparaiso Region, Chile

• Keban Hydropower Project,Elzaig Province, Turkey

• Biomass Cogeneration, Sao Paulo, Brazil

• Energy Efficient Railways, India

For more information visit www.brand-rex.com/csr

Giving back

through Carbon Offsetting

Diverse teams create fertile ground for creativity. Check the studies. Solving difficult problems and innovating - really innovating - requires different perspectives, different ideas and different experiences.

As such we provide an equal, fair and supportive environment for all employees, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, marital or civil partner status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion, pregnancy, maternity, disability or age. Exactly as it should be.

We want to help our staff build long and rewarding careers with Brand-Rex. And it’s working. We retain our talent.

Diversity breeds creativity.

THE AVERAGE LENGTH OF SERVICE

AT OUR GLENROTHES PLANT IS 11.1 YEARS,

WHILE AT LEIGH THE FIGURE IS

18.1 YEARS.

We are a global business. But we never forget the local communities we work in. Creating links with local schools, education programmes and charities is part of who we are. Here are just a few of the projects we have been a part of.

Playing for Success Groningen

The success of our Data Centre decommission for Essent meant we could donate solar panels to FC Groningen’s stadium in support of a special afterschool football programme. Playing For Success Groningen is designed to boost motivation and academic achievement in children aged 9-14 through the beautiful game. The revenue generated from our solar panels will be donated to the foundation for the next 25 years.

Food for thought...

Glenrothes YMCA is a local charity that provides supported accommodation for homeless people. They are a vital lifeline for those enduring hardship, providing advice, counselling, health checks and food parcels.

Employees at Brand-Rex collected and donated several hundreds of pounds worth of food, clothing and toiletries for the charity’s community food bank.

Inspiration through education

Each year we provide support and mentoring to a local school in support of Scotland’s regional Go4SET challenge. The challenge links pupils with employers and universities during a 10 week science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) project - boosting student engagement with core disciplines. In 2015 we mentored students from Kirkcaldy High School as they planned, constructed and presented an eco-hotel model to a group of assessors - and scooped themselves the Student Choice Award.

Support for local communities.

It’s about more than procurement.

When it comes to our suppliers, their ability to provide the right products - on time - is paramount. And we insist that suppliers are certified to a minimum of ISO9001 level (Quality Management System standard).

As such we ask that our suppliers have a program that promotes compliance with environmental regulations and standards such as ISO14001, as well as helping to minimise environmental impact.

We make a range of carbon neutral products. Now our customers can take advantage of high performance networking equipment, with the additional benefits to their own CSR.

It’s all down to our design philosophy. Innovation, sustainability and end-of-life planning is considered at every stage of the development process. And it doesn’t compromise quality.

In fact our customers use our fibre and high-frequency copper data connectivity systems and cables in some of the most advanced and demanding applications in the world.

10GPlus Zone cable

By revisiting the design we have improved the carbon footprint of our zone cable by 25%. The slim diameter is particularly useful for Data Centres, improving airflow around cabling and racks for better cooling and reduced energy consumption.

Optical fibre cables

We have designed a new generation of optical fibre cables that achieve a 21% carbon foot-print reduction against the industry standard. By optimising strength to weight ratios and dimensions, our cables are leaner, greener and far more flexible.

Optimising reels

After reducing cable reel diameters from 18” to 16”, we have doubled the number that can be transported on a shipping pallet. That means more products can be shipped per delivery, reducing journeys and the carbon emissions associated with them.

Product packaging

Our cable boxes are now fully recyclable. To get there we started working with non-bleached cardboard and replaced a plastic inset with a recycled pulp alternative. The result is a 13% drop in packaging-associated emissions. We have also optimised packing density, removing ‘empty space’ to improve transport efficiency.

Quality products that improve your carbon credentials.

In order to continue as a leader in corporate social responsibility, we have created a 20 step sustainability strategy. These 20 steps highlight key areas to tackle in order to achieve sustainability excellence by 2018.

To view these 20 steps visit: www.brand-rex.com/csr

This brochure is made from a mixture of recycled and ecologically sourced materials

Here at Brand-Rex we are determined to do our part in the global fight against climate change. And that’s not just hot air. We strive to understand our environmental and social responsibilities as well as the challenges that we face in the future.

Moving forward.