Gaming, hotel and resort company Caesars Entertainment Corporation released its sixth annual Corporate Citizenship Report, Inspiring Citizenship, this week. The company achieved most of its 2015 targets early and has established new interim targets for 2020 in accordance with their goals for 2025.
Highlights of environmental progress include:
- 21 percent energy reduction per air-conditioned 1,000 square feet since 2007;
- 23 percent greenhouse gas emissions reduction per air-conditioned 1,000 square feet since 2007;
- 17 percent water use reduction per air-conditioned 1,000 square feet since 2008;
- 44 percent of all waste diverted from landfills in 2014 (9 percent more than in 2013); and
- 30 properties Green Key Eco-Rated throughout North America.
All Caesars’ hotel properties in North America now have the Green Key Certification, and all newly built and expanded properties are LEED-certified. Given this success, Caesars set interim environmental targets for 2020 as it continues to pursue its longer-term goals for 2025, which are as follows:
- Reduce (fossil fuel-based) energy consumption per 1,000 air-conditioned square feet by 30 percent by 2020 and 40 percent by 2025, based on a 2007 baseline.
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions per 1,000 air-conditioned square feet by 30 percent by 2020 and 40 percent by 2025, based on a 2007 baseline.
- Reduce water consumption per 1,000 air-conditioned square feet by 20 percent by 2020 and by 25 percent by 2020, based on a 2008 baseline.
- Divert 50 percent of total waste from landfill in 2020 and 60 percent in 2025.
“As hard as we are working to achieve results through our citizenship efforts, we are also working diligently to be more transparent in our reporting,” said Jan Jones Blackhurst, EVP of Communications, Government Relations and Corporate Responsibility for Caesars. “In addition to using the GRI [Global Reporting Initiative] G4 guidelines for the second year, we are the only company in our industry to participate in CDP’s water reporting and supply chain management program.”
The company calculates contributed value based on a social monetization white paper published by VeraWorks'Bea Boccalandro. Each categorical contribution from Caesars far surpassed the average for U.S. corporations, including $81,000 in combined giving to non-profit community groups compared to the average $13,000. Employees contributed nearly 200,000 volunteer hours in their communities.
“We are constantly striving to improve our performance across a wide array of metrics,” said president and CEO Mark P. Frissora.
On the social impact side, Caesars reports:
- 41 percent of management positions held by women;
- 57 percent of employees from minority groups;
- 3.5 million hours invested in employee training and development;
- 100 percent perfect score in the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index for the 8th consecutive year;
- More than $550,000 reimbursed to employees for education and tuition;
- Nearly 200,000 hours volunteered in the community by Caesars’ employees; and
- 56th truck donated to Meals on Wheels through the Caesars Foundation
“We are energized by the contributions our company can make through our citizenship activities,” Frissora said. “Our efforts are demonstrated in the value we generate for our employees and communities, which is three times the average of U.S. corporations. In 2014, Caesars generated $5.9 million in contributed value, which includes salaries and benefits, taxes, charitable giving and volunteering, for every $10 million in revenue.”