San Francisco, Calif. – April 16, 2021 / Webcor, a premier provider of commercial construction services, has introduced a new formal approach to conducting business responsibly and sustainably. The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy is a fully integrated Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) plan with 14 goals, each of which includes measurable and time-bound targets.
The company will report on its progress toward achieving these goals at the end of the plan's first year and annually thereafter.
"As we celebrate Webcor's 50th year in business, we recognize that ethical behavior and a focus on our people are part of the DNA our founders brought to the company," said Jes Pedersen, Webcor President and CEO. "Establishing firm targets for each of the elements of our CSR strategy elevates and formalizes this aspect of our approach to being a purposeful company, which is to build solutions and better lives."
The targets in each of the CSR strategy's People, Planet, and Performance categories are ambitious but achievable, said Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Matt Rossie. "As Webcor pursues strategic growth opportunities, it is important that we do so with the aim of positively impacting our built communities. Our 35 targets spread across 14 categories ensure that every aspect of our operations remains true to our purpose and is involved in the achievement of our CSR strategy."
All of Webcor's People, Planet, and Performance goals, KPIs, and targets are listed on a new CSR section of the company's website.
PEOPLE – 5 FOCUSED ACTIVITIES
"Our success is tied directly to our people," said Mei Lin Wolff, Senior Vice President, Human Resources. "If we are going to attract and retain the very best talent that will help us continue to win the best, most exciting projects, we need to focus on the health and safety of our people, diversity and inclusion, training and development, community support, and volunteerism."
Webcor has established specific KPIs and targets for each of these five people-focused activities. Four efforts support the goal of creating a culture that supports diversity and inclusion throughout the organization: rolling out training programs, establishing and supporting employee resource and affinity groups, expanding external outreach to diverse groups to increase their awareness of opportunities at Webcor and in the construction industry at large, and increasing the company's ethics, gender, and sexuality diversity within leadership roles.
PLANET – WASTE REDUCTION TO CARBON REDUCTION
Webcor's environment-focused goals will reach every aspect of the business. "We have been adopting increasingly more progressive sustainability standards for our operations, addressing everything from the amount of waste generated by our construction activities to embedding green initiatives within our employee workspaces and the communities we impact," said Jenelle Shapiro, Webcor's sustainability director. "The commitments we are making as part of our CSR strategy take us to a whole new level."
These commitments include enhancing our companywide carbon commitment that, among other things, requires Webcor's self-perform groups to: 1) collect Environmental Product Declarations for every product used in the construction of a structure by 2022 and 2) make informed procurement selections based on these low-carbon opportunities.
"We will also partner with concrete suppliers to identify alternatives to cement in the concrete mixes used by our self-perform group, Webcor Concrete, the biggest contributor to our embodied carbon emissions," Shapiro said.
Efforts are also under way to address the impacts of waste management and transportation/travel, including reducing diesel and gas-powered vehicles in the company's fleet.
PERFORMANCE – KEEPING THE PUBLIC’S TRUST
"Every company does business because we have a license to operate that comes from the public with whom we do business," Pedersen said. "If the public decides a company has violated its trust, it can revoke that license and make it difficult, even impossible, to continue to do business.
"Webcor has always been community-focused," he said. "It's one of our core values. With the Performance goals we have set as part of our CSR strategy, we will be able to measure our progress at being the best possible corporate citizen."
These goals include:
- Delivering renewable energy to project sites
- Diversifying work within sustainable building types, including starting work on a mass timber structure and a Zero Net Energy building by 2024
- Influencing and leading change among local jurisdictions, which includes committing to new San Francisco and California state climate change policies.
Webcor will also measure the performance of its CSR efforts by using consistent and transparent standards. "We will report annually to a third-party-certified entity on our metrics. That will allow us to find out how we rank among our competitors," Shapiro said.
The entire ESG plan is a living program, said Rossie. "When we achieve a target, we will set a new one. We will never arrive at the completion of these efforts. There will always be more we can do."
FOR MORE ABOUT WEBCOR
Webcor is a premier provider of commercial construction services whose mission is to build structures of superior quality. Founded in 1971, Webcor has offices in San Francisco, Alameda, San Jose, San Diego, and Los Angeles. More information: Webcor website.
