Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: A) today announced the launch of its 18th annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report which discusses sustainability activities and progress.

The publication summarizes the many ways that Agilent delivers on its commitment to key UN Sustainable Development Goals, best-in-class product innovation, environmental impact reductions, and ground-breaking philanthropic initiatives. 

"At Agilent, we have a longstanding commitment to advancing the quality of life," said Mike McMullen, president and CEO of Agilent. "This is our 18th annual CSR report, and we are proud to say that our purpose drives every aspect of our business: our products, practices, people, philanthropy and our impact on a shared planet. We believe being a good corporate citizen is a huge responsibility and we take it very seriously. Every year, we strive to deepen our positive impact."

The 2018 report includes updates on the Company's business, environmental and social progress as well as compelling stories of inspiration, passion and commitment. Some of the stories found in Agilent's CSR report include:

  • Funding Research to Fight Food Fraud: Half of the world's population depends upon rice as its premium staple food. However, as rice has become increasingly popular in Africa, so has food fraud. Good rice is adulterated with sometimes dangerous substitutes like bleached moldy rice, or plastic pellets milled to look like rice, and sold to unsuspecting consumers. The results: sickness and possible death. The Agilent Foundation provided a grant to the Fingerprinting Rice program, a global initiative led by international food fraud expert Professor Chris Elliott, Director of the Institute for Global Food Security at Queens University, Belfast.
  • Volunteer Time Off in Kenya: Pedro Parreño, a call qualifier in the Service Contact Center at Agilent Technologies Spain, is one of hundreds of employees who took advantage of the company's Volunteer Time Off (VTO) benefit. Last August, he packed his bags and headed for Turkana, Kenya, where he taught math in a Cooperation Project in Saint Patrick's Nomadic Girls Center.
  • Keeping Inspiration Alive: Last year, 21 Agilent China employees traveled 186 miles across the China countryside to inspire disadvantaged students at the Wusihe Junior Middle School to set goals and achieve their dreams. Agilent China employees worked with teachers to develop a series of activities for these students focused on setting goals and achieving personal dreams.
  • Providing Possibilities for Australia's Indigenous Students: Today, the Indigenous people of Australia make up only two percent of their total population. They have a shorter life expectancy, higher rates of infant mortality, poorer health, and lower levels of education and employment. Dr. David Bradley, Agilent manager of academia and collaborations in South Asia, Japan and Korea, recognized the opportunity to collaborate with the University of Melbourne and help Indigenous students through funding from The Agilent Foundation. The result: a three-year program to develop student interest in education and increase the number of Indigenous students pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and math.

Agilent has established nearly two decades of CSR achievement and has been transparent on issues that are material to the company. In 2018, the company's CSR highlights included work supporting the planet, products and services, people and philanthropy.

Planet

  • Named Industry Leader for Life Sciences Tools and Services by Dow Jones Sustainability Rankings.
  • Established Agilent's Sustainability Forum, an internal cross-functional group.
  • Increased investment in sustainability initiatives from $4M to $7.4M.
  • Achieved environmental progress in areas such as:
    • 8% reduction in greenhouse gases since 2014;
    • 4% energy reduction with $2.5M saved since 2015; and,
    • 93% of waste diverted from landfills.

 Products and Services

  • 678 active published patent applications and 1,970 issued patents.
  • Launched 135 new products, including:
    • The 8700 Laser Direct Infrared (LDIR) Chemical Imaging System, bringing greater clarity and speed to pharmaceutical, biomedical, food and materials science; Analytical Scientist magazine ranked it among 2018's top innovations;
    • The Cary 3500 UV-Vis system, providing the first significant advancement in UV-Vis architecture in decades; a major breakthrough in both chemical imaging and spectral analysis; and,
    • The development and launch of the first software to support the Allotrope Data Format, a standardized data format for the pharmaceutical industry that allows labs to transfer and share data across platforms, speeding up scientific collaboration and discovery.

People

  • Signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ pledge.
  • Recorded 50,000 employee volunteer hours in 28 countries.
  • Agilent Denmark found ways to make it easy for employees to come to work via bicycle by developing the Biking@Agilent program, earning Gold Level Accreditation as a Cycle Friendly Employer.
  • Partnered in the Santa Clara, CA community with Hope Services to provide employment for the developmentally disabled and also supported the Wusihe Junior Middle School to provide inspiration and motivation to challenged children in China.
  • The Agilent Volunteer Time Off program continued to see employees take their allotted six days of paid time off to volunteer for activities with charities and organizations.
  • When many companies introduce automation and robotics, they try to do "more with less people." At Agilent, the company seeks to do "more with the same people." The Agilent mantra: "no one left behind."   

Philanthropy

  • Donated more than $9 million through The Agilent Foundation.
  • Provided grants to non-profits working on food safety, cancer solutions and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education initiatives.
  • Matched employee giving in communities where Agilent has a presence.
  • Conducted community outreach activities around the world through Agilent After School, Agilent's global STEM outreach program for students, implemented by employee volunteers.

To view the complete CSR report and learn more about Agilent's CSR initiatives, please see the report on the Agilent website.