Waggener Edstrom Worldwide Releases its 2011 Corporate Citizenship Report

Today is a(nother) great day at Waggener Edstrom Worldwide (WE). WE published its fourth consecutive corporate citizenship report and first interactive online corporate citizenship report. For an express snapshot, check out this PDF of the highlights.

This report is a major accomplishment. It is a perfect time to reflect, celebrate and look forward. Corporate citizenship is a strategic initiative that represents WE’s collective energy and commitment to having a sustainable social, environmental and economic impact through its services, employees and management of operations. This report is more than a document and a link on a website, it is OUR story. It represents a company with a purpose, vision, leadership and the combined energy and dedication of more than 850 employees.

Here are a few highlights of WE’s newest corporate citizenship report:

Global Presence: The agency’s footprint expanded through an investment in Buchan Consulting and the addition of six new members to the Global Alliance Program.

Environment: Carbon emissions from employee commuting were down 9 percent in 2011 compared with 2010 in part due to the agency’s investments in technology. WE weaves sustainable sourcing and purchasing throughout its operations. The recent remodel of the WE’s 43,439-square-foot Seattle office (located in Bellevue) is one of the finest project examples.

Community: WE devoted more than 1 percent of its total fee revenue ($1.2 million) to charitable giving, community engagement and pro-bono services such as partnerships with Microsoft Alumni Foundation, NetImpact, @MercyCorps, and @NetHope_org. Sixty-eight percent of employees used some of their 16-hour volunteer benefit in 2011. This is what 68% means in terms of social impact.

WE partnered with experts at Sustainable Business Consulting (SBC) to assure its 2011 corporate citizenship report. "Waggener Edstrom took a big leap forward this year in telling their corporate citizenship story," said SBC CEO Kevin Wilhelm. "Their new online version -which is their fourth report, but first one entirely online – demonstrates the company’s investment and interest in truly engaging their stakeholders in a more interactive and immersive experience. Gone are the days of the stale, old printed report, and WE is on the cutting edge of enabling readers to find the stories and information they are looking for in a quick, graphic, and interactive manner."

WE is always sharing corporate citizenship updates at @we_citizen, and you can find more information at http://www.waggeneredstrom.com/citizenship. Please comment and send your feedback via a short survey or email me at rhianr@waggeneredstrom.com to help us improve our reports and initiatives.