PE INTERNATIONAL Supports Brady Corporation in Launching Inaugural Sustainability Report

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Boulder, CO (PRWEB) October 30, 2012

Brady Corporation (NYSE:BRC), a world leader in identification solutions, has launched its inaugural sustainability report, a comprehensive overview of the company’s sustainability strategy, accomplishments, and future plans. Entitled “Protecting Our Future,” the report focuses on Brady’s three pillars of sustainability: Sustainable Company, Sustainable Customers, and Sustainable Communities, and highlights progress made in these areas in calendar year 2011. The report is now available online at http://sustainabilityreport.bradycorp.com/2011 .

Following are some highlights of progress documented in the report:

Approach to Sustainability:

•     Brady President and CEO Frank M. Jaehnert signs Brady's first Global Sustainability Policy.
•     Agreed that "sustainable value" as referred to in our vision statement is not limited to financial value, but includes environmental and social sustainability as well.
•     Established a governance structure to direct our activities in each of our three focus pillars – Company, Communities and Customers.
•     Included sustainability in Brady's core values as "Protect Our Future."

Sustainable Company:

•     Established a credible baseline of environmental performance data.
•     Reduced total energy use by 2 percent and CO2 emissions by 10 percent vs. 2010.
•     Set performance improvement targets for each focus area.
•     Brady President and CEO Frank Jaehnert was named one of nine "CEOs Who Get It" by the National Safety Council and featured in its Safety+Health magazine.

Sustainable Customers:

•     Created a definition of a more sustainable product that was integrated into Brady's New Product Development (NPD) process.
•     Invested in design- and concept-development tools to support R&D and marketing professionals in the identification of improvement opportunities and customer needs related to more sustainable products.
•     Developed a set of formal design-for-environment (DfE) indicators.

Sustainable Communities:

•     Contributed $1,485,000 – both cash and in-kind – through the Brady Corporation Foundation and corporate giving programs.
•     Brady employees contributed 4,154 volunteer hours through company-sponsored programs and events.
•     Adjusted strategic focus of the Brady Corporation Foundation to reflect a broader sustainability scope.

“Looking for ways to continually improve in general, or more specifically by reducing the Company’s environmental footprint, increasing employee safety and contributing to the communities where Brady team members live and work, have been a part of Brady’s business for years. However this report reflects a more coordinated effort to promote sustainability,” said Steve Hasbrook, Brady Director of Sustainability. “The report is designed to provide information to key stakeholders such as large customers and the socially responsible investment sector. It also serves other targeted stakeholders such as our employees, prospective employees, industry associations, governments, suppliers and local communities.”

PE INTERNATIONAL and Five Winds Strategic Consulting Services supported Brady in the development of the report by collecting and verifying sustainability performance data, conducting interviews, writing the draft content and preparing the report to satisfy the Global Reporting Initiative's Application Level C. PE also worked closely with Brady’s Corporate Communications team to finalize the storyboard, and an external design firm to coordinate the graphics design and layout of the report. PE has partnered with Brady over the past 2 years in developing its sustainability strategy and in the development of Design-for-Environment principles and criteria to guide the company’s new product development process.

About Brady Corporation

Brady Corporation is an international manufacturer and marketer of complete solutions that identify and protect premises, products and people. Brady’s products help customers increase safety, security, productivity and performance and include high-performance labels and signs, safety devices, printing systems and software, and precision die-cut materials. Founded in 1914, the company has millions of customers in electronics, telecommunications, manufacturing, electrical, construction, education, medical and a variety of other industries. Brady is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and as of July 31, 2012 employed approximately 6,900 people at operations in the Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific. Brady’s fiscal 2012 sales were approximately $1.32 billion. Brady stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BRC. More information is available on the Internet at http://www.bradycorp.com.

About PE INTERNATIONAL & Five Winds Strategic Consulting

PE INTERNATIONAL is the global leader in integrated product and enterprise sustainability performance with proven software solutions, sustainability databases and unparalleled consulting expertise. With over 20 years of experience and 20 offices around the globe, PE INTERNATIONAL works with 1,500 clients including companies such as Bayer, Interface, Kraft Foods, Siemens, Unilever and Volkswagen. For more information: http://www.pe-international.com

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