Ottawa - Today, Canada Post issued its annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report. The Report presents Canada Post's CSR objectives, strategies and performance for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008.
"We believe that CSR is good for business even in tough economic times," said Moya Greene, president and CEO of Canada Post. "This report and the action plans that drive it are integral to creating a sustainable future not only for Canada Post, but for all Canadians."
Despite the significant challenges faced by Canada Post in 2008, the report shows that progress was made across a wide range of activities and initiatives. The Parcels line of business delivered on its promise to roll out a new, fully recyclable line of courier envelopes, the Direct Marketing line of business launched a "green" website designed to improve the environmental practices of direct marketers and more than $1 million was raised for the Canada Post Foundation for Mental Health.
In other areas, however, the news was not as positive. Letter mail volumes are declining and low profit margins are making it increasingly hard for Canada Post to fund the much-needed modernization of its infrastructure. Energy-efficiency initiatives are also being postponed because of the global economic downturn and its impact on funding availability for investment purposes. Absenteeism and accident rates remain high and Canada Post also continued to receive a very large number of grievances compared to other large Canadian unionized enterprises.
"In everything from the reduction of our carbon footprint to ensuring the health and safety of our employees to supporting communities, our ultimate goal is to create a sustainable Canada Post that provides value to its customers and all Canadians," said Robert Waite, Senior Vice-President, Corporate Social Responsibility. "We believe that CSR is crucial to managing our business, changing our culture and taking action in those areas in which we need to improve."
Some of Canada Post's key achievements highlighted in the 2008 CSR report include:
"Throughout 2008, we continued to embed CSR into every aspect of how we do business," said Moya Greene. "We want to make Canada Post stronger so that we can continue to meet our universal service obligation and serve future generations of Canadians."
The 2008 Canada Post Corporate Responsibility Report is available online at canadapost.ca/csr.
