Inkjet technology group Xaar held its first Sustainability Week to mark the progress of its sustainability roadmap across businesses in its first year.
Events began on 13 March and the week saw a host of initiatives, including a community day with raffles, charity fundraising, a quiz, and a pie-baking competition, raising over £2,300. At its center was the release of Xaar’s latest video that demonstrated the progress of the group’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) program, walking the viewer through a number of the initiatives to date and the key elements of its sustainability roadmap to 2030.
The video takes the perspective of employees from across the group, with each of Xaar’s four pillars – environment, people, innovation, and community – explained.
As a key part of the ‘people’ pillar, the video showcases Xaar’s people-centric approach, highlighting activities such as the strong collaboration with local schools and the valuable support provided by the Mental Health First Aiders within the workplace.
Xaar’s commitment to offering a range of industry opportunities and work placements for young people to inspire the next generation of engineers continues to gather momentum. Encouraging students to engage with key STEM subjects through workshops and educational activities is a key part of the sustainability roadmap. In addition, last year, Xaar enrolled a further four young people into its apprenticeship program, bringing the current total across the business to 13 apprentices.
Under ‘environment’, Xaar has increased energy efficiency and invested in renewable energy projects, more sustainable logistics, and transport initiatives as drivers for change. In 2022, Xaar reduced its plastic consumption by more than 1.2 tons, and after a recent reorganization at Xaar’s Printhead Business Unit facility in Huntingdon – the company is expecting a 40% energy reduction by the end of quarter one this year.
Within Innovation, the culture of inspiring and ‘creative problem solving’ is emphasized alongside the way in which Xaar’s printheads and products can help customers respond to their own sustainability demands.
Covered under both its commitment to people and the local community, Xaar’s UK companies have chosen as a charity partner, Break, which provides support to children and young people throughout the various stages of the care system, offering stable homes to young people and adults when they are ready to leave care and begin independent living. The charity relationship with Break has seen Xaar team members involved in various fundraising projects, building collaboration between both organizations.
Xaar’s COO, Graham Tweedale said: “Our sustainability roadmap has seen a real cultural change across our group as we put sustainability at the center of our business.
“Celebrating sustainability week and the launch of our video shows the impact our initiatives have had so far and how through the continuing efforts of our team we will make further great strides on our journey set out in our sustainability roadmap to 2030.”
Xaar is an inkjet innovator, providing printheads and technologies for OEM and UDI customers worldwide.
