Ethics and Social Responsibility Research Essay (Waste Management)
For this assignment’s topic I chose to do research and speak about my former employer Waste Management, for many different reasons. From what I saw there alone as an employee, I can say they do prioritize their social responsibility, and go to many lengths to ensure they are following ethical principles.
Philanthropy in the workspace and in the communities.
Although I no longer work for them, they still come and pick up my trash on Tuesdays and all the drivers and helpers are very friendly, and professional. The way the employees carry themselves in communities speaks a lot about the company’s standards. While on the topic of employee relations, WM has an employee assistance program that helps workers in need. As an employee you can opt to donate to this fund bi-weekly or monthly in the event one of your fellow coworkers may need financial assistance. It is not required, but many of my peers themselves donated to the fund and the workspace itself feels like family.
The Waste Management Charitable Contributions Program also has a history of commitment to the environment, community, and service, and giving back to people in need, and in their own words, “We think globally and act locally to make a tangible impact in the communities we serve through investments, events, and charitable giving and other initiatives” – www.Wm.com
The Thunderbirds (A non-profit organization in Arizona dating back to 1932), hosts of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, announced the 2021 edition of “The People’s Open” and raised more than $3.8 million which was awarded to local charities. The Thunderbirds and The WM Phoenix open have raised nearly $100 million ($99,558,224) since 2010 when Waste Management was named title sponsor and in its history the Phoenix Open has raised more than $165 million ($165,604,790). Personally, I’m a big golf fan, so I was ecstatic to hear that I worked for a company that not only hosted its own PGA event but has an affiliation with the Thunderbirds. Names like Bing Crosby have been associated Thunderbirds and this organization has been around for nearly 100 years raising money for communities.
To this day, there are only 55 members of The Thunderbirds: it’s an elite membership in the Phoenix area. Bob Goldwater, one of the founding members, decided the group should host a golf tournament, and so the Phoenix Open was born. “It’s a charitable organization that — our only driving force is Thunderbird Charity. So how we work is all year we spend putting this golf tournament on, and our fiscal year ends at the end of May, and we take all the proceeds from our tournament and their moved over to Thunderbird Charity, and we have a 15-person board with community leaders on that board that decide where all that money goes … And we’ve given over $166 million as a direct result of the WM Phoenix Open.” – WM Phoenix Open: What exactly are The Thunderbirds? (golf.com)
Reducing carbon footprint and cutting natural gas emissions.
Waste Management has converted over 75% of their national fleet from diesel to LNG and CNG. (Liquified natural gas and clean natural gas.) I saw proof of this almost everyday as a mechanic, because on LNG trucks to get them started before you pull them into a shop, they have an O-ring sensor that must be covered up. A life cycle analysis shows that LNG and CNG and diesel heavy duty trucks shows that LNG and CNG will reduce the life-cycle green house emissions by 11.17 and 25.18% respectively.
These may seem like small numbers, but if every truck on the road were to cut down 11%-25% on emissions it would make an impactful difference in our environment. Their plan is to reduce absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 CHG emissions by 42% once we hit 2032, aligned with the Paris Agreement to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. WM is a leader in planting the seeds of a sustainable planet, and they are working everyday towards becoming a greener company. They offer services to the public such as recycle and compost pickup as well, their drivers are committed to going far beyond the landfill.
Social responsibility & more about sustainability in our environments, volunteerism etc.
WM is by far one of the most dedicated companies I have seen when it comes to being socially responsible and fighting to become more environmentally accountable. When Hurricane Harvey hit in Texas, WM put people who lost their homes in hotels and had truck drivers on the road assisting with damage control and cleanup. An estimated 13 million people were affected, and 135,000 homes were damaged and destroyed when the catastrophe hit. Alongside organizations like The American Red Cross and AmeriCorps, Waste Management was on the forefront of the disaster.
WM also partners with the Wildlife Habitat Council which has been around for 30 years. By transforming land plots that they purchase into certified wildlife habitats; it promotes sustainability, wildlife preservation, and biodiversity. There are over a whopping 70 locations in the U.S. dedicated to preserving the habitats of animals. Here is what they do at some of these WHC sites around America:
‘Sun Valley – Southern California
Our Team at Sun Valley is caring for bees that were in poor health due to their living conditions. They will eventually be released into a nearby pollinator garden that can be used as an educational program for schools.
Twin Creeks Landfill – At Twin Creeks, — WHC’s 2022 Remediation Project Award Winner, 8,000 poplar trees help absorb leachate from the capped portions of the landfill. This prevents the site or remove leachate from the site by other means, providing environmental benefits to the area.
Abacoa Community Garden – Florida
WM operations in Florida have sponsored the Abacoa Community Garden for many years. The garden follows organic and sustainable growth practices to grow fruits, vegetables, wildflowers, butterfly plants, shrubs, and trees, and offers/hosts educational opportunities and events for people of all ages in the area.’ – WM.com/Impactinourenvironment
Conclusion…
From what is beknown to the public about Waste Management to having the inside scoop about how about how caring this company is about our planet and people alike, I’d say they do more than play their part when it comes down to the subject of the matter. Some objective recommendations I have to offer are possibly evaluating the current practices and identifying areas where continuous improvements can be made. They do a great job of fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace, but I think continuous improvements can always be made in that area as well. WM stakes have also been trending in the stock market. As of today, October 6th, they are up .35% and are worth 155.44 USD per share. They are gathering more investors by the day, and I feel as if though some good objective feedback on that would be to put a priority on their stakeholders, and customers alike. Finding ways to meet their goal of 42% less emissions by 2032 would be another recommendation I have. Maybe even considering investing in converting their fleet to fully electric trucks by 2030 which would give off zero emissions. Companies like Mack, and Peterbilt have already rolled out fully electric Refuse Body Trucks and collaborated with Republic Services to get these big rigs on the road. Overall, I would say this company is on top of being “for the people” and does a great job of pursuing environmental sustainability. I literally cannot think of a more ethical organization.
