ENVIRONMENT

From the products we design and manufacture to the way we operate every day, our impact on the environment is far-reaching. In many cases, this impact relates to the operations of companies we work with; however, we acknowledge our accountability and work to influence their performance in environmental stewardship.

In a quest to better understand our overall environmental impact, we undertook a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) inventory of all activities led by Brooks and our business partners, plus a lifecycle assessment of two of our best selling products. As a result, we've begun to grasp our most significant environmental shortfalls and their sources. We now focus our performance improvement efforts on the following sustainability issues, which stem from activities undertaken in both our business operations and the different life cycle stages of our products:

• GHG Emissions
• Energy Use
• Water Use
• Materials Use
• Waste
• Hazardous Chemicals

PRODUCTS

Brooks is committed to creating best-in-class products that enhance the running experience—but it's not the only challenge we hold dear. Behind the scenes, we're dedicated to reducing the environmental impact of our products at every stage in their life cycle. Because our products account for 79 percent of our total GHG emissions, they represent our greatest opportunity to make meaningful change.

The environmental impact of our products is realized during the undertaking of the following activities on the part of Brooks, our business partners, and customers who encompass the design, manufacturing, and use of our products (including packaging):

• Materials Feedstock and Processing (GHG Emissions, Energy Use, Water Use, Chemical Use, Waste, Resource Use)
• Manufacture and Assembly (GHG Emissions, Energy Use, Water Use, Chemical Use, Waste, Resource Use)
• Use (GHG Emissions, Energy Use, Water Use)
• Disposal (Waste)

Read our 2009/2010 Corporate Responsibility Report to learn more on how we have been working hard to reduce our products' impact by continuously improving our designs, carefully selecting materials, advancing our manufacturing technologies, adopting our restricted substances policy, and pinpointing ways to streamline our packaging.

OPERATIONS

Our operational environmental footprint is realized through the production of GHG emissions, generation of waste, and consumption of energy and water during the undertaking of the following activities:

• Shipping
• Facility Operation (Offices and Distribution Center)
• Business and Fleet Travel
• Employee Commuting
• Waste Generation
• Paper Consumption

While these are essential business activities, we are actively working to reduce our impact in these areas as we manage and grow our business.

Learn more about our operational GHG emissions, our focus in reducing this environmental impact, and steps we've taken to improve our performance.