See what we’ve been accomplishing in our ESG journey

download 2021 ESG REPORT

 

 


A solid foundation of sustainability and social responsibility

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles aren’t new to Cintas. They’ve been engrained in our company since the beginning.

 

Our environmentally focused origins started almost 100 years ago, when Doc and Amelia Farmer gathered dirty shop rags that local factories had thrown away, brought them home to wash them, and sold the clean rags back to companies. Doc and Amelia didn’t realize it at the time, but they were creating our sustainable business model that has remained intact to this day.

 

Over the years, we’ve never lost sight of that recycle, reduce and reuse mindset — even as we’ve expanded our business lines to include uniform rental and direct sales, facility services, first aid and safety, and fire protection.

 

Our commitment extends beyond sustainability. We’re also dedicated to social responsibility, making sure our employee-partners feel engaged and supported in their careers and professional growth, fostering diverse and inclusive work environments, and maintaining world-class safety standards. And just as important is our strong and ethical governance approach — upholding good business practices and complying with laws and regulations that preserve the integrity of our company.

 

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A vision for the future

Today, Cintas is embarking on a bold sustainability journey that will take us into the future. By evaluating our operational processes and exploring new ways to reduce the natural resources we use, our ambition is to achieve Net Zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050.

 

We’re extremely proud of the progress we’ve made so far, but our spirit of positive discontent is inspiring us to aim even higher. Through our ongoing innovation and ESG-related initiatives, we’re driven to make a more positive impact on the world around us.

 

We know this is an ambitious vision, especially in our industry. It will require us to continually refine our environmental stewardship goals and implement new technologies into our business, many of which are in development or are just conceptual at this point. But we are up to the task.

 

As we’ve proven through the years, making improvements in our thinking and our processes not only improves our business — it has made us a good corporate citizen.

 

 

"Our Net Zero ambition will challenge our entire company to think even more critically about our business and create more sustainable ways to help our customers get Ready for the Workday®."

 

Todd Schneider
President and Chief Executive Officer

2021 HIGHLIGHTS

  • Reduced our total energy usage by 6.9% from FY20
  • Lowered our water consumption by 5.1% from FY20
  • Diverted 94.4% of our waste from landfill through various reuse and recycle efforts
  • Spent $387.7 million with diverse suppliers, representing 16.9% of our total supplier spend – both company records
  • Lowered our employee-partners’ Total Recordable Injury Rate (TRIR) to 1.70, the company’s best-ever mark
  • Donated $3.8 million worth of PPE and other safety products to local communities to support
    COVID-19 programs
  • Ranked No. 410 on the 2021 Fortune 500, our highest ever ranking
  • Recognized as one of Forbes’ “Best Employers for Diversity”
  • Ranked No. 6 on Selling Power’s “50 Best Companies to Sell For” list
  • Named a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” by the Disability Equality Index

ESG VIDEO

Watch the video below to learn more about our Cintas ESG journey and our vision of where we believe we are headed.