Now we are taking the next step. In 2014, we created the Airgas Sustainability Committee. The committee includes members from all key functional areas, from product stewardship, gas production and logistics to talent management and safety and compliance. Driven by the committee—with guidance and oversight from the Governance and Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors—we are becoming more proactive, accountable, data-driven and transparent about our sustainability aspirations, activities and progress.

In many ways, our goal is to create a sustainability program that is as embedded into our company culture as our safety program. Through years of effort and effective leadership, workplace and driver safety have become second nature at Airgas and are truly a part of who we are as a company. We enhance our tools, measure our results, increase our training and never say we are finished. That is the blueprint for all our sustainability endeavors, whether it's producing more bulk gas with less energy, lowering emissions of nitrous oxide, improving the efficiency of our distribution operations, or involving more associates in activities that enhance our corporate citizenship efforts.

We understand that our sustainability principles and practices must be tightly aligned with our business-building strategies. At the end of the day, we are a company that must grow revenues and create value for our shareholders in order to survive and thrive. But we are determined to do that responsibly because we know our success at integrating sustainability into all parts of our operations and culture will only make us a stronger company that is positioned for even greater growth in the future.

Andy Cichocki,
President, Airgas USA, LLC
Director, Airgas Sustainability Committee