Nation’s Largest Senior Living Provider Releases First Sustainability Report
July 26, 2016
As a leader in the senior living industry, Brookdale has released “Creating Enduring Value: 2016 Sustainability Report,” the first in what will be an annual summary of progress in making a positive impact on people, places and performance. The sustainability report comes after the company established the Brookdale Sustainability Leadership Council and developed a three-year roadmap for achieving its sustainability goals.
“The core of our business approach is simple, which is that Brookdale cares,” said Andy Smith, Brookdale’s president and chief executive officer. “The sustainability practices that we have developed are an extension of our mission of caring, and they reflect our efforts to create enduring value for our stakeholders. These practices will have a significant direct impact on our residents and their families, our associates and the environment, not just now, but for generations to come. As a leader in the industry and the first operator to establish this kind of initiative, we hope to offer a model for others to follow.”
The sustainability roadmap encompasses three focus areas with nine key priorities:
•People: Engaging residents and their families, company associates and suppliers.
•Places: Reducing water consumption, energy use and waste.
•Performance: Providing high-quality care and reporting progress and excellence through continuous improvement.
Among the highlights of the sustainability report are details on Brookdale’s development and implementation of the Brookdale Excellence Standards Tool, or BEST, which provides standards for excellence, consistency in delivery of services and enhances quality assurance processes at the community level. It also includes company insight into associate safety data, training standards and workforce diversity.
The report outlines the environmental impact of the company, which has more than 87 million square feet of building space across more than 1,100 communities in 47 states. The company has improved measurement capabilities, defined baseline performance and set goals for reducing energy use by 15 percent by 2019 along with cutting water consumption and waste. Suppliers have been engaged to procure superior products, improve processes related to product use and assist in managing waste and recycling.
As highlighted in the report, Brookdale generated and distributed a significant amount of economic value in 2015, including $5 billion in revenue, $1.8 billion in associate compensation and $362 million in net capital expenditures.
“We exist to serve our residents and their families,” said Smith. “We can only achieve the environmental and performance goals through the shared efforts and commitment of our people. We look forward to sharing the results of our sustainability journey and performance with stakeholders in the future.”