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Brother's CSR and charity activities: living our "At your side" ethos

04 maijs 2022
5 Minutes read

Raksta autors

Brother Nordics
Global Technology Solutions and Services Provider
Brother Nordic A/S

04 maijs 2022
5 Minutes read

At Brother, building partnerships with the communities we share is important. With hundreds of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities in place across Europe, our ever-growing list of initiatives underlines our commitment to our social responsibilities in the countries where we operate.

From saving the rainforest to raising money for cancer research, here are a handful of partnerships from our European offices that make a difference to thousands of people's lives.

Working together for a cooler Earth

Brother is extremely proud to be the longest-standing partner of award-winning charity Cool Earth. Since 2008, we have supported this non-profit organisation which works alongside indigenous people around the world to halt rainforest destruction.

Cool Earth provides local villagers with the support they need to earn an income from the forest without cutting it down. With Brother's support, Cool Earth has saved over 70,000 hectares of rainforest with the capacity to store over 37 million tonnes of carbon - protecting a wealth of biodiversity and empowering villages to keep their forest and their homes intact.

Brother's European offices contribute by collecting and recycling customers’ used ink and toner cartridges, which provides vital funding as part of our Cool Earth Eco-Rewards Initiative.

Investing in the future of green energy

Transport accounts for around one-fifth of global CO2 emissions. Fundamental change is needed and engineers the world over are seeking ways to harness alternative energy sources.

In 2021, Brother Belgium became a sponsor of the Agoria Solar Team, a team of passionate engineering students from KU Leuven who have built a solar car called BluePoint Atlas.

With the support of the team's partners, the car was tested in the 'Solar Challenge Morocco' - a five-day 2,500 km race against eight other solar-powered vehicles through the Sahara and the Atlas mountains - with the aim of not only winning, but changing people's mindsets on the potential for future low-carbon mobility.

Supporting the care of forest animals

Brother in Poland supports the Sowi Dwór Ośrodek Rehabilitacji Dzikich Zwierząt (Sowi Dwór Wild Animal Rehabilitation Center) in Jarocin. The main purpose of the center is to provide proper care for sick and injured wildlife and prepare them for a return to the wild.

As the animals inhabiting forests and meadows are affected negatively by human activity, Brother hopes to save more lives by providing a vital small-animal incubator with automatic temperature and humidity control, oxygen and nebulizer connectivity.

Helping young people enhance their skills

In the UK, Brother donated £2,000 to the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme’s Greater Manchester Team. The DofE programme helps young people develop their practical skills and self-esteem. The Greater Manchester Team encouraged sponsors in each of the region’s ten boroughs to support at least 100 young people.

The donation contributed to an overwhelming success. Of the 6,335 young people joining the scheme, more than a third came from challenging backgrounds. Together they provided an impressive 83,655 hours of voluntary service to community projects. 2,255 volunteers achieved Certificates of Achievement, 370 leaders completed virtual training, and 223 Gold Awards were awarded.

Seven office workers in casual business attire - four male and three female - are exercising with arm stretches in this scene on staff wellbeing

Working to improve people's health and wellbeing

Brother France is particularly committed to improving the health and wellbeing of its community.

They support 'A chacun son Everest' ('To Each their own Everest') - a charity that helps children suffering from cancer or leukaemia, and women in remission from breast cancer - to regain their confidence and enjoy a new start in life. They also contribute to 'Parrains par Mille' - which provides emotional and educational assistance to vulnerable children and families -and 'Si on rêvait' (If We Dreamed), which helps sick children rebuild their school, emotional and social lives.

Through its commitment to the French Parasports Federation’s ongoing collection of plastic caps for "Les bouchons de l'Espoir", Brother raises funds to provide disabled people with the adapted equipment they need for their daily activities and high-level sports.

Helping fight cancer worldwide

Brother promotes participation in charity events worldwide to support the global fight against cancer. Named 'The Golden Ring Project', our initiative not only inspires employees to take part in fundraising activities, it also creates a feeling of unity and shared purpose on a global scale.

In the UK, a team took part in the Heaton Park 5k and 10k runs to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support while, in France, Brother employees gather annually to take part in races organised by Odyssea, a charity which funds the research and prevention of breast cancer.

In Norway, Brother supports GoldenChild - a charity that raises awareness of childhood cancer, and to raises funds for cancer research and the provision of support for children with cancer.

In 2020 - in recognition of its long-running cancer awareness work - Brother received the Japan Cancer Society award, which is given to organisations who have made outstanding achievements in cancer awareness and prevention activities.

And, in 2021 , the Brother International Europe team took part the global charity event "Relay For Life" in which teams walk in relay for 24 hours to raise awareness and vital funds for their national cancer research charities.

The initiatives mentioned here are just a small number of the charity activities that Brother supports. Our community partnerships large and small are hugely varied and reflect the personalities of our offices across Europe - and we are truly proud of the passion, creativity and compassion that our colleagues show in support of so many good causes.

Find out more about Brother’s CSR story here. For more information, download our infographic exploring Brother's history with Cool Earth.