Airgas acts for a sustainable future and builds meaningful relationships in our workplaces and with the communities and customers we serve

Our commitment to social and climate responsibility focuses on helping our customers environmentally optimize their processes while reducing our own carbon footprint; ensuring a reliable, efficient, local supply of essential molecules to all customers, including healthcare providers; engaging a diverse and inclusive workforce; acting safely with business integrity and making a meaningful difference by creating a sustainable future.

Airgas is taking climate actions now

With our customers, we are acting for a clean industry by developing low-carbon solutions, helping customers reduce their direct emissions, boosting customer processes to achieve better energy efficiency and providing gas and other products that have been produced and supplied using a lower carbon footprint.

In our company, Airgas is reducing our emissions and contributing to Air Liquide’s commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050, with key milestones in 2025 and 2035, by increasing the share of renewable electricity in our energy purchases, improving the energy efficiency of our production units and reducing the carbon footprint of our operations, assets and product transportation.

For our planet, we are contributing to the development of a new, low-carbon society with acceleration in hydrogen development, contributing to the decarbonization of industry ecosystems, developing a circular economy with Air Liquide through biomethane production and usages and developing carbon-free hydrogen usages, for clean mobility, renewable energy storage and industrial processes.

Increasing the share of renewable electricity in our energy purchases:

  • Airgas Air Separation Unit in Cleburne, Texas Adds Wind Energy to Power Mix  Learn more

Helping customers reduce their direct emissions, boosting customer processes to achieve better energy efficiency:

  • Producing a sustainable future for the food industry  Learn more

Converting to a lower-carbon fleet:

  • Airgas is accelerating its transition to alternative fuels and more efficient vehicles and trailers while optimizing routes

Recent and ongoing Airgas efforts

Community engagement and corporate governance

Airgas takes an entrepreneurial approach to community engagement efforts. Company-wide initiatives include our Citizen at Work program, our High School Welding Education Initiative, and our ongoing support of Operation Homefront.

  • Airgas associates volunteering through the Citizen at Work program contributed over 1,100 hours to activities in their local community last year
  • As of 2023, the Airgas High School Welding Education Initiative has supported over 117 schools throughout the United States
  • Celebrating 15 years of support for Operation Homefront in 2023
  • 100% of ethics complaints are investigated and closed
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Citizen at Work

Airgas’ Citizen at Work program empowers all associates to engage in volunteer activities and give back to their communities. With a focus around four themes — Professional Integration and Entrepreneurship; Youth Education; Healthcare and Safety; Access to Energy and to a Clean Environment — Airgas associates have the opportunity to volunteer and organize local activities to make a positive impact on their community.

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High School Welding Education Initiative

While the welding industry is currently facing a shortage of skilled labor and STEM graduates, the field of welding is also undergoing a rapid transformation and evolution in manufacturing technologies. According to the American Welding Society (AWS), there are 336,000 new welding professionals projected to be needed by 2026 and an average of 84,000 welding jobs to be filled annually between 2022 and 2025.

Since the start of the Airgas High School Welding Education Initiative in 2012 with a pilot program in Philadelphia followed by a national expansion in 2018, Airgas has assisted over 8,100 students, 556 teachers, and 117 schools with the help of 381 Airgas associates. In 2023 alone, Airgas’ high school welding program supported over 3,950 students, which is nearly more than the previous four years combined! We’re also excited to announce that 808 students from the class of 2023 obtained welding jobs after completing high school, bringing this total number to 1,071 jobs obtained since we began tracking this metric in 2021.

Participating programs receive a customized mix of hands-on professional development training or continuing education for welding teachers, welding consumables or equipment, safety PPE and other resources.

High School Welding Education Initiative
Report card — cumulative view (2019–2023)

Operation Homefront

Metal workers pouring molten metal into molds
Airgas and Operation Homefront have been supporting military families for over 15 years.

Since 2008, Airgas has supported Operation Homefront, a non-profit organization providing military families with programs that offer relief, resiliency and recurring support during difficult periods. The company has donated nearly $1.5 million in the 15 years of partnership. In addition, thousands of Airgas associates across the country have been involved in local activities and fundraisers to support the organization, including donation drives, golf and bowling tournaments, and more.

  • 84,892 Back-to-school Brigade Backpacks
  • 5,852 family members impacted by the Critical Financial Assistance Program
  • 12,733 meals serving 52,205 family members through Holiday Meals for Military
  • ~$1.5m 2008 to date Airgas Lifetime Giving Cash and In-kind donations

Messages of Thanks

Through our "Message of Thanks" campaign with Operation Homefront, Airgas associates can send messages of gratitude to the military service members and their families who are supported by the program. This campaign is one way our associates can share appreciation for our 900+ Airgas military and veteran associates and all military families.

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