Kane’s Beverage News Daily, September 21, 2009 -- Almost without exception, great companies -- those that produce terrific products and excellent financial results over long periods -- have passionate, committed employees.
You can't buy long-term passion and commitment with high salaries alone. Instead, employees have to believe that what they are doing matters, and that the company they work for performs a vital service.
In judging the employee communications segment of Kane's Social Responsibility Awards, our primary criteria is how well the publication builds employee pride and provides staff the information needed to answer questions or criticisms from their friends and neighbors.
This year's winner is Brown-Forman Corp. for the environmental issue of Straight Up. We don't particularly care for the publication's oversized format -- it's 17 inches tall by 11 inches wide-- but we sure do like its content.
To begin with, the company makes sure its employees understand that Brown-Forman's commitment to sustainability is not about being politically correct or some public relations pitch.
"The company may see specific and direct impacts from climate change," the issue says. "White oaks, essential to the maturing process, could be weakened or lost as parasites move with the shifting climate. California's vineyards may be hard hit by changes in rainfall and snowmelt pattern. There are likely to be increased pressures on farmers to supply enough adequate corn and other essential ingredients."
Brown-Forman has had programs and practices that reduce its impact on the environment for some time. The publication forthrightly acknowledges that "in the beginnings these activities were primarily initiated as cost-savings measures. Now they are generating benefits much greater that what can be measured in dollars or euros. What is good for our cost of goods is also good for the environment."
Brown-Forman is focusing its environmental stewardship on three areas: Energy and greenhouse gas management, waste minimalization and material selection, and water conservation and quality.
One thing we particularly like is that the publication carries sustainability from the corporate level to the individual level:
"Environmental stewardship isn't just for the company. Individuals can get into the act too. Recycle paper, glass or plastic bottles at work? That's environmental stewardship. Turn off the office computers, printers and monitors before you leave the office for the day? That's environmental stewardship. Chose environment-friendly materials for projects (like we do for this publication)? That's environmental stewardship. You get the idea."
The publication gives specific details: Biodynamic farming at Bonterra. Standalone bars at Southern Comfort music festivals to serve SoCo drinks rather than serving them from those temperature-controlled trucks you see at other festivals. Reducing steam usage at the Canadian Mist distillery in Collingwood by 45.5 million pounds in Fiscal 08 compared to FY 04. "(Translation: natural gas is used to make the steam. By saving those 45.5 million pounds of steam, the distillery saved enough natural gas to heat 250 average homes.")
Ads in the article also focus on the environmental theme. Our favorite: "Here at Jack Daniel's we think recycling is important. (Just ask our friends who make scotch)." The ad goes on to explain that the white oak barrels used to age Jack Daniel's are used only once. "That might sound wasteful, but there's no need to worry. We sell a good share of our used barrels to scotch producers, who then use them for their own aging processes. So, next time you're inclined to enjoy a sip of Old No. 7, raise a glass to the Scots for lending us folks down in Lynchburg a hand."
For the employee who wonders, "What can I do all by myself," a full-page spread urges them to "Make Every Day Earth Day" with four specific actions -- turning off computers, printers and monitors at the end of the day, carpooling, telecommuting and using reusable containers “as an alternative to purchasing bottled water." The feature includes 15 specific actions to make your home green.
The old journalistic adage "names make news" applies to employee publications as well as any other media. With that in mind, "Straight Up" contains a number of profiles of Brown-Forman employees who, in one way or the other, help Brown-Forman become a more sustainable company.