Crawford mpany : Giving laptops for schoolchildren

Crawford's recent donation of more than 50 used laptops to Birmingham schools marks the beginning of a fantastic new initiative with Birmingham Education Partnership (BEP) that will give schoolchildren the equipment they need to succeed while improving Crawford's environmental footprint and lives our sustainability value.

Crawford's use of laptops has risen significantly through the pandemic, which saw 1600 employees in the UK pivot to home working. Rather than disposing of or recycling used machines, all decommissioned laptops will now be donated to BEP - an organisation that supports all publicly-funded schools in Birmingham.

"Crawford believes in minimising our environmental impact and is taking meaningful steps wherever possible to ensure our processes are efficient and sustainable,"

says Lisa Bartlett, president, UK & Ireland. "A big step forward in our sustainability journey is the appointment of Crawford's first Corporate Sustainability Manager, Kate Prangnell."

Priorities include incorporating sustainability criteria into our purchasing policies, from selecting vendors that offer eco-friendly solutions to using fuel-efficient, lower emissions fleet vehicles. We have also implemented programmes to reduce energy consumption in our data centres and use audio and video conferencing to reduce travel impacts.

"Every administrative and operational process is carefully reviewed to potentially reduce our carbon footprint. We also want to ensure our business has a positive social impact by giving back to local communities," explains Lisa Bartlett.

"Employees were really keen to support families and children who have a need for laptops, so we listened and acted - donating the machines to BEP fits perfectly with our social and environmental aims."