NAME : KYRA WHITTEN COMPANY : FLEX INDUSTRY : DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING JOB TITLE : VICE PRESIDENT , SUSTAINABILITY
The business of manufacturing doesn ’ t just impact environmental issues – such as climate change – but also has a leading role in helping address societal challenges , like community building , diversity and inclusion . Furthermore , it continues to drive stronger governance practices and transparency .
At Flex , stewarding sustainable manufacturing practices has always been at the core of what we do , however , we are in the business of manufacturing , which means we have an even greater responsibility to our employees , customers , shareholders and the planet to be as transparent about our sustainability progress as possible .
When addressing sustainability challenges , it ’ s important to look at each measure as part of a whole – how does meeting environmental goals affect communities , how do the communities where we operate influence our diversity and inclusion goals and how can our leaders at Flex act as sponsors and educators to empower the next generation ?
Building on nearly 20 years of experience , we have ingrained sustainability deeper into our business strategy and company values . That ’ s why we launched our most ambitious sustainability goals this year and joined the Science Based Targets initiative ( SBTi ) to help guide us in setting the greenhouse gas emission reduction targets required to limit global warming to 1.5 ° C above pre-industrial levels , as outlined in The Paris Agreement .
We don ’ t take our responsibility to sustainability lightly . With a network spanning about 1,000 customers and 16,000 suppliers , we aspire to leverage where we are in the ‘ value chain ’ with a view to encouraging good practices . We are collaborating with 50 % of our preferred suppliers to set their GHG emissions reduction targets by 2025 , while hitting 100 % by 2030 . We are also partnering with 70 % of
“ Our customers rely on us when working toward their sustainability aspirations . Many of them want to better understand their product lifecycle ’ s
environmental impact ”
KYRA WHITTEN VICE PRESIDENT , SUSTAINABILITY , FLEX
48 September 2021