Winnebago Industries has issued the company’s first corporate responsibility report. The report outlines the company’s ongoing commitment to responsible business and its progress toward defining and achieving environmental, social and governance goals across the Winnebago, Grand Design RV, Chris-Craft, and Newmar brands.
“How we lead matters. Winnebago Industries has a successful history of innovation and doing the right thing,” said Michael Happe, Winnebago president and CEO. “As our company continues to transform and grow, we are committed to operating responsibly, supporting our people and communities, and engaging an increasingly diverse stakeholder network.”
In late 2018, the company formed a cross-functional Corporate Responsibility Advisory Team whose initial goal was to partner with stakeholders to identify and prioritize the environmental, social and governance issues on which the company can have a meaningful impact.
While many practices are addressed through Winnebago Industries’ business and philanthropy, additional goals will be advanced on the following priorities: ethics and integrity, human capital, safety, community, waste, energy and emissions, and product sustainability.
Report highlights include:
- In 2020 and beyond, Winnebago will build on promising practices to minimize waste and explore advanced product technologies, according to the company. For example, Grand Design RV has implemented a recycling program to eliminate or reduce waste entering landfills. More than 4,000 tons of recyclables have been diverted from landfills in seven years.
- In 2019, employee-led Community GO volunteer teams engaged their colleagues in thousands of volunteer hours, in support of local communities.
- Two iconic stewards of the outdoors, Winnebago Industries and the National Park Foundation, have united to help people discover #parkslesstraveled. The two entities support all 400-plus national parks, monuments, historic sites, seashores and more. Winnebago also partnered to connect all people with parks through access programs, such as Open OutDoors for Kids.
“Corporate responsibility is about living our purpose, our values and planning for the long-term. It is, and will increasingly become, integrated into our strategic business planning,” said Stacy Bogart, Winnebago’s general counsel and corporate secretary. “As we begin a new leg on our corporate responsibility journey, we will focus on internal alignment and goal-setting to make meaningful progress.”