From Education to the Environment, Lowe’s 2012 CSR Report Highlights Company’s Improvement Efforts

Lowe’s and its foundation supported more than 8,000 community and education projects

Lowe's worked with national partners Habitat for Humanity and Rebuilding Together to build and repair homes for low-income families. Together with the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation, Lowe's supported more than 8,000 community improvement projects across North America. (Photo: Business Wire)

MOORESVILLE, N.C.--()--Lowe’s announced the release of its 2012 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report, providing a comprehensive review of Lowe’s corporate citizenship activities during the past fiscal year. The report can be viewed on the company’s CSR website at Lowes.com/SocialResponsibility.

This year’s report, titled “Improving the Places We Call Home,” spotlights the work completed across the company to improve Lowe’s workplaces, communities and the environment.

“To achieve greater progress for our communities and our company, we continue to build on our commitment to never stop improving,” said Robert Niblock, Lowe’s chairman, president and CEO. “We’re focused on carrying out those responsibilities every day with the help of our 245,000 employees across North America.”

Lowe’s CSR website details the company’s progress in important focus areas, including the health and welfare of its workforce, support for public education and community improvement, disaster relief and environmental stewardship. The site also provides an expanded interactive map to allow visitors to explore how Lowe’s is meeting the needs of local communities.

Highlights from the annual report include:

Workplace

  • Lowe’s added three new mobile health-screening units to its fleet to bring free health screenings and provide important health advice to employees at every U.S. location.
  • To foster leadership opportunities, Lowe’s brought together women from across the company for its Women’s Leadership Summit. Lowe’s also was recognized nationally for its efforts to recruit, train and support America’s veterans and people with disabilities.
  • The Lowe’s Employee Relief Fund distributed $2.4 million, the largest amount in the history of the fund. Those dollars helped more than 2,100 Lowe’s employees who suffered a significant hardship – an average of 42 employees each week.

Disaster Relief

Education

  • Lowe’s joined with the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation to support more than 8,000 community and education projects across North America.
  • Lowe’s Toolbox for Education®, the company’s signature education grant program, provided nearly $5 million to fund improvements at more than 1,100 schools in 49 states.
  • Lowe’s also broadened its support of scholarships. In addition to continuing contributions to the United Negro College Fund, Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Hispanic Scholarship Fund, Lowe’s partnered with the American Indian College Fund to provide scholarships for American Indian students.

Environment

  • The company’s success promoting energy and water conservation brought repeat honors from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Lowe’s won its third consecutive ENERGY STAR® Sustained Excellence Award and became the first retailer to win four consecutive WaterSense® awards. The EPA also honored Lowe’s with its fourth consecutive SmartWay® award for leading transportation initiatives.
  • Lowe’s increased its recycling and reuse rates and continued to make recycling easier for customers. The company expanded its plastic plant tray and pot recycling program to Canada and launched a new distribution center program to improve the consolidation and recycling of wood pallets, cardboard and other material. Lowe’s recycled more than 400,000 tons of cardboard and pallets, the equivalent weight of 10 aircraft carriers.
  • Lowe’s also strengthened its partnership with Keep America Beautiful to improve local communities across the country by reducing waste, increasing recycling and enhancing community spaces. Volunteers donated more than 100,000 hours of service to their local communities through Lowe’s-supported projects.

To learn more about these efforts and Lowe’s latest social responsibility activities, visit Lowes.com/SocialResponsibility.

About Lowe’s

With fiscal year 2012 sales of $50.5 billion, Lowe’s Companies, Inc. is a FORTUNE® 100 company that serves approximately 15 million customers a week at more than 1,750 home improvement stores in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Founded in 1946 and based in Mooresville, N.C., Lowe’s is the second-largest home improvement retailer in the world. For more information, visit Lowes.com.

Contacts

Lowe’s Companies, Inc.
Steve Salazar, 704-758-4345
steve.j.salazar@lowes.com

Release Summary

Lowe’s 2012 Corporate Social Responsibility Report spotlights the work completed across the company to improve Lowe’s workplaces, communities and the environment.

Contacts

Lowe’s Companies, Inc.
Steve Salazar, 704-758-4345
steve.j.salazar@lowes.com