AASHE, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, is a member organization of colleges and universities working to advance sustainability in higher education. It has 300 campuses and over 400 members. I'm pleased to announce that Follett Higher Education Group has partnered with the Fair Labor Association (FLA) to help ensure that the products sold in our campus bookstores are manufactured under ethical working conditions. The principles of the FLA echo the Follett Values we use in our everyday business, and we're excited to join them in their mission. In 1995, we became the first academic retailer to develop standards for fair labor practices in the manufacturing of collegiate products. Through Follett's centralized buying practices, we have not only produced expanded product selections along with better quality and pricing for your bookstore, but we have gained greater control and influence over the sourcing of our products, including enforcement of our Code . Today, FHEG continues in that commitment through the Fair Labor Association, establishing a new benchmark for the bookstore industry in the demand for fair labor conditions.
Here’s just a small sampling of Sustainability-conscious items in our stores: Pilot "BeGreen" Pens All pens contain 100% recycled plastic A minimum of 70% of the total weight of the products must be composed of recycled material. Roaring Spring "Green Book" Examination Book and "Environotes" Notebooks 100% recyled paper 30% Post Consumer Paper The mission of Divine Chocolate is to improve the livelihood of smallholder cocoa producers in West Africa by establishing their own dynamic chocolate brand. Fair Trade aims to build dignified trading relationships between consumers in the North and producers in developing countries
FHEG ships nearly 20 million textbooks annually - that’s a lot of shipping cartons and a large opportunity to make a positive impact on the environment.
FLOORING -In every bookstore we renovate, we use Nexterra™ carpet backing, which is an industry-leading, high-performance PET backing made from 35% post-consumer content of recycled water and soda bottles with an additional 50% from post-consumer recycled glass. LIGHTING - Follett has implemented T5 fluorescent lighting wherever applicable, which delivers up to 33% in energy savings versus the traditional lighting. Because the T5 is smaller, it requires less glass, steel and phosphor to produce. CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS Follett uses Woodstalk™ Fiberboard, which is made from wheat straw using polyurethane resin as a binder instead of the formaldehyde typically found in similar products. The result is that formaldehyde emissions are cut by as much as 97%.
The Integrated Marketing department is also taking a look at its impact on the environment and identified practices it could change for a positive environmental impact.