Our commitments:
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Contribute up to 1% of EBIT* to Giving More initiatives around the world
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Double-match all employee-initiated Giving More fundraising
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Inspire all employees to take up to 4 days' paid leave for Giving More activities
Giving is one of Edrington’s four core values, along with Respect, Integrity and Excellence. Giving is woven into the history and fabric of our business in a way that is unique in our industry. This ethos was inherited from our principal shareholder – The Robertson Trust – Scotland’s largest independent grant-making trust. Since 1961, when the Robertson Sisters incorporated Edrington, the Trust has donated £301m to a variety of causes to advance its aims of working for a fairer Scotland, funded by dividends from the company.
In the UK, Edrington and The Robertson Trust continue doing good together, both matching the charitable fundraising of employees. Thanks to this support, £1 raised for charity by an Edrington employee in the UK becomes £3 after additional contributions from The Robertson Trust and Edrington. In 2020/21 the total raised and donated by Edrington employees to causes in Scotland was £268,514. With the obvious challenges to fundraising caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, our employees focused their efforts on volunteering and making a difference in their local communities. This included donating hand sanitiser in the UK and Dominican Republic, and supporting more than 170 charities that tackle inequality, poverty, and illness.
The value of giving is alive and well in Edrington’s international locations. As Edrington has grown internationally, the company has encouraged our people to contribute to the wellbeing of the communities in which they live and work. Across our international locations, our employees are supported in making a difference by championing causes they feel passionate about. To do this, Edrington sets aside 1% of pre-tax earnings each year for charitable giving by its employees worldwide, with their fundraising efforts being double-matched. Last year Edrington empowered its people across the world to make donations valued at £1.3m, bringing the total raised and donated by Edrington’s international employees to £13 million since Giving More was rolled out internationally in 2012.
Edrington sees participation in Giving More as a key ingredient of a healthy lifestyle and staying true to our heritage. A healthy lifestyle is as much about getting involved and contributing to the health and wellbeing of our societies as it is about personal wellbeing. That is why we encourage all our people to use their four days’ paid leave to volunteer in their communities. Employees are encouraged to make use of these days to give back and support local causes.