Our Positions
Overarching Statement:
The following views are intended to provide our customers, investors, policymakers, employees and other valued stakeholders with insight on our position regarding critical topics. While these views are carefully considered, we recognize there is always room for differing opinions and opportunity to adjust our views as needed.
People
Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging are not just words on paper; they are part of our core values and the way we do business. Through teamwork, professionalism, respect and inclusiveness, we create an environment where our people can achieve their goals and make our clients more successful. For over half a century, Xerox has strived to be a leader in this space and continues to be at the forefront of driving change within our company and our communities.
Promoting diversity, inclusion and belonging in our organization started a long time ago through the leadership of our first CEO and true champion of equal opportunity, Joseph C. Wilson. Thanks to his vision, the Wilson Rule was established to increase the representation of women and ethnic minorities within management and professional roles. Through diversity of backgrounds and perspectives, we gain the benefit of different ways of looking at our business, leading to innovative breakthroughs for our customers and more engaging work for our people. And we continue to learn and adapt every day. We build and sustain a global workforce and supply base that represent and connect with the different people and communities we serve. In today’s changing, connected world, our shared commitments to respect each other and listen to each other remain critical to our success. Xerox is committed to disclosing continuing progress in addressing diversity, inclusion and belonging.
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
Our nine Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) play a critical role in helping the company reinforce a culture of inclusiveness and belonging. Our first ERG, known as the National Black Employee Association (NBEA), was established in 1971 to support the advancement and representation of Black employees and continues to thrive today. Through the years the additional ERGs formed are Asians Coming Together (ACT), Black Women’s Leadership Council (BWLC), GALAXe, Hispanic Association for Professional Advancement (HAPA), The Women’s Alliance, Xerox Leadership Association, Xerox Young Professionals, and Veterans Service Members Association. As a global company, some of our ERGs are also represented in regions and countries beyond the U.S., including, Asia Pacific, Canada, Latin America, Netherlands, United Kingdom and Ireland. Each ERG is aligned with an executive sponsor to drive business impact and raise the profile of each group within the broader organization.
LGBTQ+
Our commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging extends beyond race and ethnicity. We support our employees who self-identify as nonbinary/gender fluid, lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, or transgender (LGBTQ+). We provide support to our LGBTQ+ employees with issues related to marriage equality and other nondiscrimination legislation proposed at the country and state levels. Our GALAXe ERG was established for employees who are, or who support, LGBTQ+ persons. The group aims to increase the visibility of its members within Xerox and beyond and provide a connection between its members, Xerox and other LGBTQ+ organizations. We believe in fostering workplaces where all people are equal, belong and thrive.
Second Chance Hiring
Second chance hiring is the act of employing formerly incarcerated individuals, people in recovery, or other applicants whose life choices and situations have disadvantaged them in obtaining stable employment. At Xerox, we are committed to giving individuals a second chance. We currently participate in the “Ban the Box” initiative and engage an internal committee to assess suitability for second chance hiring.
Community
Climate Change
Climate change, and its societal and environmental risks, is a critical global problem and an issue that Xerox is committed to address. Current science from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change informs our understanding of how greenhouse gases accumulate in the atmosphere and drive planetary warming, and science shapes our company’s response.
Xerox established its first greenhouse gas reduction goal in 2003 and has continued to set progressively more challenging targets upon achieving previous goals. Today, Xerox is committed to achieving third-party approved science based GHG reduction targets for Scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions by 2030 and net zero by 2040. Our strategy for success includes innovating new technologies, services and product designs to mitigate climate change risks, increasing renewable energy use in our operations and increasing the efficiency of our company fleet. Our approach continues to be metric-based, with a view across the product life cycle, value chain, industry partnerships and others to reach limitless possibilities. Our employees and partners are expected to integrate climate change considerations into their processes, products and services. The company’s five innovation areas—3D Printing and Digital Manufacturing, Artificial Intelligence (AI) Workflow Assistants, Internet of Things (IoT) Sensors and Services, Digital Packaging and Print, and Clean Technology—have the potential to reduce the world’s carbon footprint, among other benefits. Our journey to net zero will have the highest level of oversight from our Board of Directors, CEO and Executive Committee. The commitment of our Board of Directors and Senior Leadership Team is evidenced by their inclusion of climate change as part of executive compensation criteria.
Education
We have had a long-standing practice of supporting efforts aimed at ensuring American students graduating from high school and college have the necessary skills to compete in the workforce. We are particularly passionate about programs that further American students’ access to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) curricula. Not only do these efforts help our society but they enable us to recruit a skilled workforce to compete globally. Over the years we have worked with Congress, several Administrations and states to reform higher education programs, vocational education funding and K–12 standards.
In 1992 Xerox became a founding partner of FIRST-For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. The mission of FIRST® is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders and innovators, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership. Xerox employees serve as mentors to many FIRST teams throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Environment
Our Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability governance policy forms the foundation of our environmental leadership program. We are committed to designing, manufacturing, transporting, and marketing products and processes to optimize resource utilization and minimize environmental impact.
Aligned with our mission to design sustainable products, we aim to launch all new eligible products with the highest Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) certification. EPEAT is composed of criteria spanning corporate and product requirements for product design, production, energy use, and recycling, with ongoing independent third-party verification. Xerox registers products in North America and is the only company to register printers and multifunction devices in Europe.
As an ENERGY STAR Charter Partner, Xerox helped the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency create its standards and still works with the agency today. Since 1993, more than 500 Xerox products have achieved ENERGY STAR registration. Since 2010, 100% of Xerox’s eligible new products have achieved ENERGY STAR registration.
We are working with the U.S. Department of Energy on technology that reduces energy consumption of air conditioners up to 80%. We are also collaborating with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) on the Ocean of Things (OoT), a project to expand what scientists know about the seas.
Learn more about Xerox’s innovative work to help the environment in our annual CSR report.
Business
Banknote Anti-Counterfeiting
We recognize that the risk of document counterfeiting is more prevalent as the quality of digital imaging tools and color printing technology grows. We support the use of appropriate anti-counterfeiting technologies and cooperate with appropriate government and law enforcement agencies worldwide, to assess and address such threats.
Corporate Taxation
We are committed to complying with all tax laws at the federal, state, local and international levels and ensuring that Xerox pays the correct amount of taxes owed to each authority whose tax laws govern our activity. We are committed to dealing with the various tax authorities in a transparent manner, to determine our legal obligations under the applicable tax laws and regulations.
Data Privacy
Xerox is committed to legal compliance with applicable privacy laws. Our Privacy Statement is available here: https://www.xerox.com/en-us/about/privacy-policy
Initiatives to Counteract Piracy and Fraud
We are committed to leading the charge against counterfeiting and other illicit market activities, both independently and collaboratively with other original equipment manufacturers. Every year, the global imaging industry—and the clients who use its products and services—suffer the loss of millions of dollars due to piracy and fraud. We are vigilant in our efforts to thwart both the use of our brand on counterfeit materials as well as “blending,” whereby counterfeit materials are mixed with originals.
The use of counterfeit supplies can result in poor equipment performance, low supply yields, inferior print quality, toner leakage, increased failure rates and equipment downtime – which can cost time and money. To avoid this risk, we advise our clients to purchase solely from Xerox or an authorized Xerox channel partner.
Intellectual Property
We actively support global policies and practices that combat theft of intellectual property by counterfeiters who manufacture knockoff products. Further, we oppose frivolous intellectual property litigation that imposes unnecessary costs on innovative companies. As a result of the U.S. Congress undertaking a serious examination of U.S. patent laws, we are undertaking a review of our patent policies to enhance the company’s ability to innovate, protect and monetize its intellectual property and seek reforms that would permit disputes to be adjudicated based on their legal merits rather than litigation economics.
International Trade
We support open markets and rules-based trade among nations. Policies that create a level playing field for international trade are important drivers of economic growth, opportunity and employment, as well as innovation, both in the United States and globally. We support intergovernmental dialogue and negotiation aimed at strengthening certainty for cross-border trade and increasing market access, both on a bilateral and multinational basis. Open markets offer important opportunities to showcase our products, services and business solutions to new clients. At the same time, we believe that all market participants must be responsible citizens of the countries in which they do business.