SOUTHFIELD, Mich., May 19, 2020 -- Lear Corporation (NYSE: LEA), a global automotive technology leader in Seating and E-Systems, has joined the United Nations (UN) Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate responsibility initiative. The announcement further demonstrates Lear’s commitment as a responsible corporate citizen that innovates and creates products that ensure comfort, well-being, convenience and safety.
Launched in 2000, the compact encourages companies to align their operations with ten universal principles supporting human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. In addition, signatories pledge to support 17 Sustainable Development Goals, including ending poverty and hunger, improving health and education, and supporting a clean environment.
“We are proud to join other companies in 166 countries in the largest corporate sustainability initiative in the world,” said Ray Scott, Lear President and CEO. “We believe that tackling the problems of economic well-being, education and environmental conservation can spur economic growth. We are excited to support these ongoing efforts with our commitment and participation in the UN Global Compact.”
Becoming a signatory to the UN Global Compact is just one aspect of Lear’s overall dedication to environmental stewardship, social responsibility and ethical governance. Other key examples of Lear's leadership in corporate giving and responsibility can be found in its actions during the pandemic, and its year-round sustainability and community giving programs.
Responsibility During the Pandemic
To support the global business community during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lear publicly shared its Safe Work Playbook, an 80-page guide to help safely restart operations. Since its publication on April 6, the Playbook has been downloaded over 25,000 times by numerous organizations from a wide variety of industries and is serving as a helpful resource to others who are preparing to resume operations in a world filled with new challenges.
During this time, Lear has donated critical supplies, including personal protective equipment, to communities in nearly every region in the world. The company quickly added capacity at several facilities globally to produce face masks for first responders, hospital workers and employees. To date, Lear has produced more than 2 million face masks. In addition to Lear’s support, employees have also donated their personal time, money and equipment to various causes in their local communities.
Sustainability and Giving Year-Round
Through Lear’s Operation GIVE, which stands for Grow, Invest, Volunteer and Empower, the company supports the local communities where it operates by volunteering employee time and financial resources to provide books and educational supplies for schools, food and clothing for the needy, and medical aid for the communities. Employees have planted trees, cleaned up forests and beaches, and recycled tons of waste otherwise destined for landfills.
Lear’s Focus on the Drive campaign builds awareness about distracted driving for everyone who sits behind the wheel, rides as a passenger, or walks or bikes on the road. To date, more than 25,000 people have pledged to keep their eyes on the road, hands on the wheel and minds on driving.
To learn more about the UN Global Compact, visit unglobalcompact.org. For more information about Lear’s environmental, social and governance efforts, please see the annual global Sustainability Report at lear.com/Site/ESG.
About Lear Corporation
Lear, a global automotive technology leader in Seating and E-Systems, enables superior in-vehicle experiences for consumers around the world. Our diverse team of talented employees in 39 countries is driven by a commitment to innovation, operational excellence, and sustainability. Lear is Making every drive better™ by providing the technology for safer, smarter, and more comfortable journeys. Lear, headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, serves every major automaker in the world and ranks #166 on the Fortune 500.