Social Responsibility
We Give Back
We’re passionate about sharing our success with the wider community and each year commit 15% of our profits to Australian charities through the Lyone Foundation.
The Lyone Foundation was created in 2013 as the legacy of the Lyone family after their journey from Egypt to Australia. The Foundation allows the family to repay the kindness and support they received on their arrival in Australia, providing them with a platform to thrive in their new country. The Foundation’s ultimate goal is to contribute $1 million to Australian charities each year.
COS’ success has allowed the Lyone Foundation to make a positive contribution to disadvantaged, vulnerable and marginalised people across Australia.
Dress for Success Sydney – Testimonial
11 November 2015
The Lyone Foundation has proudly donated $20,000 to Dress for Success Sydney in 2015 to assist in their employment of a new staff member. Dress for Success Sydney is a charity that improves the employability of women in need by providing, free of charge, professional clothing, a support network and career development tools. The donation has enabled Nicole, a woman with a criminal record to overcome the stigma associated with her past and realise her career dreams in a key administrative role with Dress for Success Sydney.
Here’s what Nicole had to say:“My record meant I was overlooked for so many jobs I applied for. For this role, my past wasn’t a barrier. Now, I am using my skills and growing professionally in a way I never dreamed possible. I feel confident and I love coming to work each day. I feel human again.”
Spinal Muscular Atrophy Association of Australia – Testimonial
3 November 2015
The Lyone Foundation has proudly funded three cough assist machines in 2015. SMA Australia provides support to sufferers of Spinal Muscular Atrophy, and their families. It is the sole peak body that represents sufferers of Spinal Muscular Atrophy in Australia.
Here’s what Alex’s Mum, Lina had to say:“The Cough Assist E70 is an invaluable device and gives me such peace of mind and our family some stability. It has been so beneficial in maintaining Alex’s quality of life and, more importantly, keeping him out of hospital.”
Spinal Muscular Atrophy Association of Australia
26 March 2015
This year the Lyone Foundation has proudly donated $30,000 to the Spinal Muscular Atrophy Association of Australia. SMA Australia provide support to families and sufferers of Spinal Muscular Atrophy and work in establishing a specialist pool of equipment to assist families ease the burden of the disease.
Dress for Success Sydney
26 March 2015
A BIG cheque for a BIG hearted charity. Another charity the Lyone Foundation is proudly supporting this year is Dress for Success Sydney. The foundation has donated $20,000 to DFS, a charity dedicated to improving the employability of women in need by providing, free of charge, professional clothing, a network of support and the career development tools to help them achieve self-sufficiency.
Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation – Testimonial
3 November 2014
The Lyone Foundation has has assisted ALNF to allow six carers obtain their certificate to support children with learning difficulties. ALNF programs span from early years learning through to adolescent and adult learning needs, and address the needs of a diverse range of individuals and communities, including Indigenous, refugee and migrant communities.
Here’s what ALNF carers had to say:“The children love the ALNF resources and strategies I have implemented into their activities. They are so enthusiastic! I would like to thank ALNF and the Lyone Foundation for their support.”
Cottage By The Sea – Testimonial
3 November 2014
The Lyone Foundation has proudly funded two camps held during 2014. The camps have made a real difference to the happiness and confidence of the children and their families.
Here’s what children who participated in the Cottage By The Sea camps had to say:“This camp was so much fun and we got to do so many new and challenging activities – archery, lazer tag, giant swing, obstacle course, the mud pit and Healesville Sanctuary. Thanks so much to Cottage by the Sea and the Lyone Foundation!”
Diversity
At COS we pride ourselves on living our values of cultural and social diversity. Our staff come from over 20 different ethnic backgrounds and around half are born in a country other than Australia.
The principles of respect and culture tolerance are embraced by COS staff, with acceptance of religious practices, flexible working arrangements for religious festivals and regular multicultural lunches. COS makes a real effort to attract the best talent and create a platform for sustainable innovation through the shared knowledge and experience of our diverse workforce.
Indigenous Engagement
As an active member of Supply Nation, COS® is committed to promoting opportunities for Indigenous business within Australia, ultimately supporting start up entrepreneurs to contribute to their local communities. We feature a broad, ever expanding range of Indigenous workplace supply products in a wide range of categories including office stationery, copy paper and kitchen supplies.
COS® is the exclusive distributor of the Muru range. Muru Group is a Supply Nation Certified business and is committed to creating a pathway for Indigenous prosperity, with the ultimate goal of forging a positive legacy for future generations of Indigenous people.
Indigenous businesses reinvest revenue in their communities. For every $1 dollar of revenue, Indigenous businesses create $4.41 of economic and social value (Source: The Sleeping Giant Report conducted by Supply Nation 2015).
Muru Group
COS is the exclusive distributor of the Muru Group range of office stationery. Muru Group is a Supply Nation Certified business founded in 2012 by CEO Mitchell Ross, a Bidjigal man from La Perouse in south-east Sydney. Muru means “Pathway” in the language of the Bidjigal people and Muru Group is committed to creating a “pathway” for Indigenous prosperity, with the ultimate goal of forging a positive legacy for future generations of Indigenous people.
Muru Group was chosen as a COS supplier due to its commitment of giving back to Indigenous communities, with a substantial portion of Muru Group’s profits going towards Indigenous community initiatives.
Early Childhood Education
Indigenous children are 20-30% less likely to meet national reading and numeracy standards when entering school. Muru Group is proudly funding an early childhood development centre in Far North Queensland. Over 30 Indigenous children receive free access to the playgroup program with the aim to encourage their development through a structured, developmentally-based playgroup.
Computer Literacy Training
Muru Group has worked with Indigenous communities to help in developing sustainable employment opportunities.
Muru Group CEO, Mitchell Ross, has a strong background in IT and business and regularly conducts computer literacy and mentoring programs in remote Indigenous communities.
Supply Nation
COS is a proud member of Supply Nation, an organisation which connects corporate and Government bodies with Indigenous suppliers. As a member, COS is committed to increasing our engagement with Indigenous businesses through active networking and a proactive sourcing policy to further develop our Indigenous range.b The last four years has seen a significant increase in our involvement with Indigenous suppliers, with a current annual spend in excess of $1 million.
COS was recently awarded the Supplier Diversity Partnership of the Year Award at the Supply Nation Connect Awards. This award celebrates the success of COS’ partnership with Muru Group, and represents our commitment to support and promote opportunities for Indigenous businesses and communities throughout Australia
Eco-Conscious Products
COS has carefully selected over 2,500 eco-conscious products to help reduce the impact on the environment. We give priority to suppliers who demonstrate ongoing innovation and investment in environmentally friendly products to allow our customers to contribute to a more sustainable future.
Environmental Certification
COS has carefully selected over 2,500 eco-conscious products to help reduce the impact on the environment. We give priority to suppliers who demonstrate ongoing innovation and investment in environmentally friendly products to allow our customers to contribute to a more sustainable future.
Supply Nation
EU Ecolabel
Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA)
Australian Certified Organic
AFRDI
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
Fairtrade
Rainforest Alliance
UTZ Certified
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)
ENERGY STAR
CRI
Planet Friendly Habits
Frequency of Order – reducing how often you order not only increases your efficiency, it also reduces carbon emissions caused by transport
Planet Friendly Products – purchasing products that are more planet friendly ensures that the world’s resources are used more efficiently and the impact on the environment is minimised
Packaging – a products packaging can have an impact on the environment; why not consider a larger pack size, which results in less packaging disposal
Packaging Disposal – upon receipt of your delivery, consider the disposal of the packaging, can you reuse the carton? Is the packaging recyclable?
Product Use – maximising the life of products not only saves you money but also helps reduce impact on the environment. Simple habits e.g. printing double-sided or reusing lever arch files make a difference
Product Disposal – help the environment by disposing of your product appropriately, recycle wherever possible. Take advantage of the ‘COS Toner Recycling Program
Man
Materials
Machines
Mother Nature
Method
Ethical Sourcing
At COS, we place a high level of importance on the behaviour of our total supply chain, as we believe this is where we can make the most significant impact. A core focus of managing our relationships with suppliers is ensuring they share our commitment to social and environmental responsibilities.
COS places preference with suppliers practicing ethically responsible methods of sourcing and manufacturing whilst maintaining world best practice labour standards.
COS & the Environment
At the heart of the COS corporate social responsibility policy is a single, inspiring goal – that ultimately our day-to-day operations will produce zero impact on the environment. As we move towards this goal we are striving to make a greater contribution to sustainability by considering how we use our resources in the best interests of the community and the planet.
COS takes great pride in being the first organisation in our industry to receive accreditation for environmental management standard ISO 14001:2004. This means that we comply with the standards that frame world best practices for business in minimising environmental impact.
- Careful unpacking of incoming cartons to allow for re-use
- Purchase of cartons made from recycled material
- Recycling of plastic shrink wrap from pallets
- Sky lights to increase natural lighting and reduce use of electricity
- Mesh racking innovation allowing light to disperse across aisles reducing use of electricity
- Sensor lighting to help conserve power Internal KPI to manage waste to recycling per staff ratio
- Reduction of electric light wattage and increased introduction of sky lights
- Use of remanufactured toner cartridges for internal printing requirements
- Minimisation of air travel by increasing use of webinars and video conferencing
- Internal environmental training and participation in national environment awareness days
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