Trex publishes 2021 ESG report, celebrates year of record-high growth with focus on sustainability

Trex Co. (Winchester, Va., U.S.) a manufacturer of high-performance, low-maintenance and eco-friendly composite decking, railing and outdoor living products, and a national provider of custom-engineered commercial railing systems, has published its 2021 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report.

During a year in which sales reached an all-time high of $1.2 billion, Trex says it furthered its commitments to protect the environment, safeguard employees’ well-being, support local communities, deliver value to its customers and shareholders, and continue to do business with integrity.

“Collectively, our company achieved significant objectives in 2021,” Bryan Fairbanks, president and CEO of Trex, says. “As we added capacity and drove record sales, we remained focused on growing the business in a sustainable and socially responsible manner and accelerated our commitment to people and the planet.”

The company’s annual 2021 ESG report is said to highlight how Trex is “Building a Better Tomorrow Together” through a broad spectrum of initiatives to address its most material ESG priorities.

Highlights include:

• Investing to reduce environmental impact and advance sustainability. Trex’s composite decking is made from 95% recycled and reclaimed content. In 2021 alone, the company upcycled more than one billion pounds combined of recycled waste polyethylene film and reclaimed wood for use in its products. In addition, Trex reduced Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 33% compared with 2020.
• Prioritizing employee safety and career growth. While adding more than 400 full-time employees in 2021, Trex comprehensively updated its safety strategy and increased the size of the Environmental, Health and Safety (EH&S) team by more than 60% compared with 2020, including adding a new director of EH&S.

The company also continued to invest in employee learning and development in 2021, with employees completing more than 65,000 hours of leadership, safety, onboarding and professional development training.

• Nurturing a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace. Trex broadened its recruiting and promotion efforts to further increase diversity across all roles. In 2021, the company’s proportion of women and ethnically diverse employees in management increased 400 basis points each compared with 2020. In addition, all full-time employees now take diversity, equity and inclusion training.
• Conducting business responsibly through strong governance and ethics. The company built upon its foundational practices that guide employees at all levels in managing risks, ensuring business activities align with Trex values and fostering a culture of integrity. In 2021, Trex formalized oversight of ESG matters at the Board level, with the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee now including ESG matters in its charter. The company further ingrained sustainability as a top priority at its executive leadership level by naming Leslie Adkins as vice president, marketing and ESG development.
• Adding value to the communities where Trex operates. Trex reportedly supported a broad array of charitable organizations through donations and volunteering in 2021. Additionally, through its NexTrex community recycling programs, Trex enlisted more than 2,500 schools and civic organizations to help divert more than million pounds of plastic film from landfills in 2021.

“I would like to recognize and thank our employees, who continued to deliver great results throughout these times, and our channel partners, distributors and professional contractors, who are the best in the business,” Fairbanks says. “Together, their talent, hard work and innovation drove our success and ESG progress in 2021. I am confident this progress will continue, and I am inspired by what we will achieve next for the benefit of our company, customers and shareholders.”

Learn more in the full 2021 Trex ESG Report.