Real World Impact™
Social Responsibility Report 2019/20
“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make.” - Jane Goodall
Our Journey 1 Land Conservation 2 Greenhouse Gas Emissions
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Facility 4 Certified B Corporation 5 Packaging 6 Trees for Schools 7 Giving 8
Copernicus has been supporting schools in rural China since 2014. Donations have included a clean water delivery system and other basic necessities.
Our journey to become more responsible
In 1992 my love and concern for the environment was in the early stages of being etched into my soul. So when I started working full time with my father manufacturing Science Block Kits from hard maple in the basement of his home, I wanted the wood that we were consuming to be replenished through tree planting. So I signed up with a not for profit called Trees for Today and Tomorrow and pledged that we would give them a portion of our sales. I soon realized that we were going to have a hard time giving them money because we didn’t have any. Our sales that year were a whopping $19,000 so when you subtracted our expenses there was literally no money left over. We were in the hole. That went on for quite a few years and needless to say, we didn’t end up giving any money to that not for profit.
200,000. The number of tree seedlings and wildflower packs donated to Southern Ontario Elementary Schools since 2009 Fast forward to 2020 and thankfully we have been fortunate enough to keep our lights on along with planting and giving away over 190,000 trees. This quantity of trees might seem like a lot but compared to how much we consume as a manufacturing company of 50 people, we need to do more. I hope that these continued tree planting efforts, along with other actions such as the elimination of plastics from our packaging, land preservation, reducing our carbon footprint, donating to not for profits, and being a B Corp, will help push us to become a better company and etch deeper grooves in our souls to care more and protect our precious planet.
Jim Phillips Founder of Copernicus
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Before (2018) Wetland restoration project on our property in Arthur, Ontario.
Land Conservation We take land conservation very seriously, which is why we have set a goal to conserve 1000 acres by 2022. We have currently conserved 650 acres of land throughout Ontario.
In 2019 we completed a wetland restoration project on our property in Arthur, Ontario. The wetland is approximately ten acres, which we hope will provide habitat for many species of wildlife for years to come. In total, the land we have protected around Ontario is currently sequestering approximately 2,065 CO2 per year but this will not be used to help us achieve carbon neutrality.
Our goal is to conserve 1000 acres by 2022
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After (2019)
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Greenhouse gas emissions are the most challenging, but also the most important category in our sustainability pursuit. In 2019, we produced a plan to measure all of our greenhouse gas emissions by the end of 2020, which include but are not limited to: company travel, manufacturing footprint, shipping footprint, and facility emissions. Once our emission amounts are determined, we will set reduction targets. We will continue to reduce our emissions and tighten up on efficiencies so that we are as clean and lean as possible. As an example of this increased efficiency, we have installed solar panels at our facility in Canada and partner facility in China to mitigate in the here and now. In 2020 we purchased over 5500 carbon credits to help us offset Our current goal is to be approximately half of our carbon emissions. In addition to these carbon neutral by 2025 purchased offsets, we have planted approximately 60,000 trees on our property in Ontario which sequesters approximately 290 tons of CO2 a year.
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Facility In 2019, a second instalment of solar panels was completed at our partner facility in China, making it approximately 100% solar powered. We also have solar panels on our facilities in Arthur, Ontario, Canada, which generate approximately 20% of our energy. China is still quite reliant on coal-fired power, therefore we invested more heavily in solar power for our partner facility in China. After completing a third party Energy Audit of the facilities in 2017, we executed their recommendations which has resulted in a 22% reduction in kilowatt-hours since 2016. In early 2020, we added insulation to our facilities in Canada to increase our energy efficiency. We also continue to have a comprehensive waste diversion program, through composting
Our partner facility in China is approximately 100% solar powered.
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What does it mean to B... Focus on:
employees community environment
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B Corp Certified in 2018
In 2018 we became a Certified B Corporation. It was a proud moment for us to be included in this group of conscious and responsible companies using business as a force for good. Being a Certified B Corporation means we have to be held to the highest standards for our employees, our local community, and our environment.
100% of bubble wrap has been removed from our Canadian facilities
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Packaging Plastic packaging is a global environmental issue. We have removed plastic from 90% of our product line and are still working to eliminate more. Our packaging content is already 89% paper and cardboard, both of which are highly recyclable and biodegradable. Additionally, in 2019 we reached our goal of removing all disposable plastic bubble wrap from our Canadian facilities.
Trees for Schools Since the programs inception, we have donated 192,860 trees and 9,527 wildflower seed packets to schools across Southwestern Ontario. In 2019 we planted 9,000 trees on Copernicus property. A further 18,176 tree seedlings were planted elsewhere and 1,450 wildflower seed packets were distributed. The program was paused last year (2020) due to school closures and COVID-19.
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Giving We work with organizations that are leading the way to a better future. These organizations are all working toward the same thing: justice (social and environmental), advocacy and equality. When you purchase anything from Copernicus, please know that you are showing that you care about these things too. Hospital and School Support Since March 2020, we have donated over 400 products to teachers, parents and hospitals in need during the pandemic.
Some of the organizations we support
© 1986 Panda symbol WWF-World Wide Fund For Nature (also known as World Wildlife Fund). ® “WWF” is a WWF Registered Trademark.
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