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Sustainability

Commitment to Responsible Business

Operating in a responsible and sustainable environment is important to BNED. As part of our commitment to being responsible corporate citizens, we make it a priority to understand and manage our social, environmental and economic impact on the world around us.This enables us to contribute to society’s wider goal of responsible corporate actions including environmental safety, sustainable development, supporting human rights and fair labor, and corporate giving.

Illustrations vector Protecting the Environment

Protecting the Environment

As a trusted partner at hundreds of college and university nationwide, we are committed to expanding our sustainability practices and integrating them into the programs and philosophy of each campus we serve. Our goal is to reduce negative impacts on the environment by working with our partners, peers and others to promote responsible environmental practices.

To meet our school partners' green goals and vision, our architects can help design LEED-certified buildings. These "low-impact" stores may also feature recycled floor coverings, eco-friendly carpeting, non-toxic paint, mercury-free fluorescent lights, and eco-friendly merchandising fixtures made with recycled particleboard and non-toxic glues.

Supporting Human Rights & Fair Labor

We are proud of our commitment to apply fair labor practices, and are committed to providing equal opportunity in all aspects of employment. As a member of the Fair Labor Association (FLA), we require vendors who supply products to our stores to adopt the FLA's Code of Conduct. This requires strict adherence to workers' rights, including no forced or child labor, a workplace free of discrimination, harassment and/or abuse, a safe and healthy working environment, respect for the workers’ rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining, proper compensation for overtime hours, and paying workers’ wages and benefits in accordance with the law. Through our partnership with FLA, our campus communities can be assured that the products sold in our stores were not created using unfair labor practices. To achieve greater transparency, the majority of our vendor partners openly disclose on their websites the factories used to manufacture their products.

Illustrations vector Fair Labour
Illustrations vector Giving Back

Giving Back to the Communities We Serve

We strive to understand and respect the values of the communities where we serve and actively support initiatives in these communities. This commitment is visible in our contributions of financial and volunteer support, from providing annual textbook scholarships, to supporting student clubs and organizations. In addition, every year we donate surplus school supplies to the Kids in Need organization, which distributes merchandise to centers across the country so local teachers can visit and obtain free supplies for students in need.