Making a positive difference: Coates’ commitment to sustainability

Material provided by Coates

Coates, Australia’s leading equipment hire and solutions company, firmly centres its ethos around community, as emphasised by Sheridan Jones, General Manager of Marketing and Communications. Demonstrating unwavering dedication to sustainability, disaster management, and community support, Coates has embarked on a journey of philanthropy, aiming to make a positive and lasting impact on the community.

Coates understands the importance of balancing people, planet, and profit responsibilities. Guided by their sustainability playbook, titled “Towards Sustainability, The Smart Way,” the company has charted a transformative path built on five pillars: Our People, Our Communities, Resilience, Eco-efficiency, and Greener Choices.

As Sheridan highlights, “We’ve established a range of goals and commitments that we are working through to make a positive difference for our people, our customers, and the communities that we operate in.”

At the core of their sustainability playbook, Coates takes pride in being a responsible corporate citizen. Demonstrating their commitment to social impact, the company established the Coates Foundation with a clear objective: to provide support to communities in need. In its inaugural year, the foundation exceeded expectations by contributing over $450,000 to national charity partners and community organisations. However, their dedication extends beyond financial assistance alone.

The Foundation’s volunteering program provides each employee one workday per year to donate their time to a Coates Foundation national charity partner or a local charity of their choice.

Sheridan highlights the success of the program, stating, “Since the launch of our Volunteering Program last September, the impact has been extraordinary. Over 500 hours of employee volunteering have taken place across our charity partners, which is pretty incredible and means so much to the charities and communities we are supporting.”

This engagement has gained significant traction, and Coates plans to expand their charitable efforts even further.

Sheridan shares the positive partnerships they have currently established: “We’ve partnered with organisations such as the Humpty Dumpty Foundation, Mission Australia, TIACS, Foodbank Victoria and the Clontarf Foundation, encompassing a wide range of causes that support babies, youth, mental health, and families.”

Sheridan recounts, “One of the best experiences was during Christmas 2022 when our leadership team visited a Mission Australia site in Sydney, providing a festive lunch and setting up Christmas decorations for the residents.  It was a humbling day spent with people who are facing some of life’s hardest times right now. Hearing their stories and sharing a meal with them led to some great conversations and an opportunity for Coates to offer someone a role at our company, which was meaningful for us and life changing for them.”

Moreover, Coates Foundation’s collaboration with the NRL (National Rugby League) and the Clontarf Foundation, a charity dedicated to empowering young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men, has created life changing experiences for many of the young people at Clontarf.

“The most rewarding aspect of these experiences, such as meeting influential people like Penrith Panthers’ coach Ivan Cleary recently in Bathurst, is how they inspire and motivate these young men,” explains Sheridan.

She adds, “Many of them have also engaged in work experience with us and visited our branches to gain firsthand insights into what Coates is all about, and our teams have actively participated in training sessions held at various Clontarf academies across the country. It’s an amazing partnership for our business and the foundation, and we continued to be encouraged by the positive outcomes and success stories.”

Sheridan also discusses Coates’ response during critical times like the Lismore floods and NSW bushfires. Coates’ teams quickly mobilised their resources, offering crucial support to affected areas.

Additionally, their partnership with the Humpty Dumpty Foundation has been instrumental in investing in life-saving medical equipment, benefiting children in various regional communities. Sheridan recalls the heart-warming moments when Coates’ teams visited hospitals and witnessed firsthand the life-saving impact of the equipment, ensuring the well-being of precious newborns.

Reflecting on Coates’ dedication to community support, Sheridan highlights an optimistic outlook for the future. With a genuine sense of excitement, she shares, “We’re really proud of what we’ve achieved so far, and passionate about being an engaged and constructive participant in the communities in which we operate.

To learn more about Coates’ journey towards sustainability, visit their website today at https://www.coates.com.au/.