A Message from Jerry Zucker
I am pleased to provide you with this report on Hbc’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities in 2006. This is our fifth CSR report, and my first as the Governor and CEO of this great company.
In my new role, I constantly travel across Canada visiting Hbc stores and meeting with our associates and customers. No matter where I find myself, I’m struck by the deep sentiment Canadians feel for Hbc.
This report illustrates the depth and breadth of our commitment to Canada and the communities where we work and live. Once again, we have reported on four core areas of our business: environmental sustainability, associate development and wellness, community investment, and ethical sourcing. In 2006, we continued to identify new programs and policies in each of these areas:
- We expanded the types of materials that are recycled in our stores to include plastic hangers, shrink wrap and corrugated cardboard. As part of our commitment to the UN’s Millennium Goals, environmental policies are now considered part of our audit process in the factories that manufacture products for Hbc;
- 200 Canadian athletes across the country each received a bursary of $5,000 from Hbc as part of our ongoing commitment to help them train for competition; and,
- We created a new orientation program for all new associates designed to prepare them for success and educate them about our Company.
On a personal level, I am pleased to report that I have taken on a new role in the preservation and promotion of Hbc’s heritage as the Chairperson of Hbc’s History Foundation. We are already doing some exciting work, such as establishing the Hbc Local History Grant Program, through which we make small grants to community groups that are engaged in heritage initiatives. It’s an opportunity to embrace the collective history of this country, and I’m extremely proud to be involved.
Thank you for your ongoing interest in and support of Hbc’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives.
Sincerely,
Jerry Zucker
Governor and Chief Executive Officer
Hudson’s Bay Company
