Navico, a division of Brunswick Corporation’s (NYSE: BC) Advanced Systems Group (ASG), announced it has joined the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) as a Supporter Member this month, becoming the first company focused on marine electronics to join the world’s largest industry coalition dedicated to corporate social responsibility in global supply chains.
“We are a strong believer in the vision and mission of the RBA, which continues to drive sustainable value for workers, the environment and business throughout the global supply chain,” said Tara Norton, Chief Sustainability Officer, Navico. “We joined the RBA due to their experience, extensive tools and member network, to support us as we begin our journey to influence the sustainability performance of our value chain.”
Navico announced sustainability as one of its three company core pillars in 2020 and first formed its sustainability department in February 2021, a month before unveiling its new sustainable packaging initiative to consumers using fully recyclable and recycled materials. This month, Navico also debuted its new Sustainability website hub and outlined its Sustainability Priorities and 2022 goals to the public at www.navico.com/sustainability, which will align with the Brunswick and ASG sustainability framework in the coming year.
On supply chain, Navico has integrated a Sustainable Procurement Lead role into its production workflow in Ensenada, Mexico, and Navico is working to develop its own sustainable procurement platform so 100% of suppliers are registered in the platform and sharing their data. The Navico Sustainability department now features a team of five, including the Procurement Lead, and a Sustainability Manager as part of product development in Auckland.
“We are absolutely committed to progressively align our approach with the provisions of the RBA Code of Conduct by looking for continued improvement across our global supply chains,” added Norton. “We are just at the start and we know there are big initiatives ahead.”
“It’s been two years since we added sustainability as one of our company core pillars and now one year since the establishment of our sustainability team at Navico,” said Navico President Knut Frostad. “The path is long but we have started mapping it out and are fully engaging our employees internally, and partners and customers externally, as well as working together with other companies in the Brunswick portfolio on converging and overlapping sustainability issues.”
About Navico
Navico, a division of Brunswick Corporation’s (NYSE: BC) Advanced Systems Group, is a leading global marine electronics company selling products under the Lowrance®, Simrad®, B&G®, and C-MAP® brands with over 240 years of combined heritage serving the navigation needs of both recreational boaters and commercial marine segments. Navico has over 2,000 employees globally and distribution in more than 100 countries worldwide. For more information, visit navico.com.
About the Responsible Business Alliance
The Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) is a nonprofit coalition of leading companies dedicated to improving social, environmental and ethical conditions in their global supply chains. The RBA has a Code of Conduct and a range of programs, training and assessment tools to support continuous improvement. The organization has a global footprint, with offices in North America, Europe and Asia. The RBA and its Responsible Minerals, Labor and Factory Initiatives have nearly 500 members with combined annual revenues of greater than $7.7 trillion, directly employing over 21.5 million people, with products manufactured in more than 120 countries. For more information, visit ResponsibleBusiness.org and follow @RBAllianceOrg.
