The Lexmark Cartridge Recycling Initiative for Babies (CRIB) initiative continues to grow, with the company posting a massive growth in the number of days accrued for the same period last year.
The half-year figures for the period between January and June 2005 amount to 3 890 Baby Days for Cotlands, compared to 2 594 days tallied in the same six-month period last year. The programme, which was started by Lexmark as part of its Siyphambili Initiative in April 2002, continues to grow from strength to strength.
Says Hans Horn, Managing Director of Lexmark South Africa: "It gives me great pleasure to see these numbers grow every year, as it is a direct indication of the value our partners attach to the lives of those less fortunate children housed at Cotlands."
CRIB encourages Lexmark customers to return used and empty cartridges to Lexmark for recycling. Lexmark, in turn, donates money to its CRIB fund, which is paid over to needy charities such as Cotlands in the form of Baby Days. A Baby Day equates to the costs of clothing, feeding, housing and care of a child housed at Cotlands for one day. Lexmark has to date managed to raise more than 20 000 Baby Days through this CSI initiative.
Lexmark`s Siyphambili Initiative, an umbrella name given to the company`s various initiatives in which it aims to make a direct contribution to South African communities, in turn also shows continuous strong growth. Some of the most notable elements of the Lexmark Siyaphambile CSI initiative include its employment equity plan and its affirmative procurement objectives. As things stand, more than 50% of Lexmark`s workforce is drawn from previously disadvantaged groups and more than 60% of its discretional spend is channelled through previously denied organisations.
Another significant part of the programme includes its skills transfer and learnership programmes, Lexmark currently sponsors six learners with the Information Technology Training Academy (ITTA). While the learners complete their learnership at ITTA, they receive hands-on experience within the different departments in Lexmark on a rotational basis. This hands-on experience is not only limited to the IT-related field, but includes human resources, finance, sales and marketing, logistics and technical exposure.
"While it is important for each Lexmark subsidiary to give back to the community in which it operates and partake in local initiatives, we are also very proud of Lexmark`s global initiatives and strategies. Our customer`s support is critical to the success of our Siyaphambili and other global initiatives, and we are once again faced with the difficult task of expressing our heartfelt thanks for their participation," ends Horn.
For further information, please contact Louisa Craig at telephone (011) 244 2650; fax (011) 244 2629; e-mail louisa.craig@lexmark.co.za
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Lexmark International, Inc makes it easier for businesses and consumers to move information between the digital and paper worlds. Since its inception in 1991, Lexmark has become a leading developer, manufacturer and supplier of printing and imaging solutions for customers in more than 150 countries. Lexmark reported $5.3 billion in revenue in 2004, and can be found on the Internet at www.lexmark.com.
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