Protecting the Planet
The success of our business is fundamentally connected to the well-being of our world, and we continuously look for ways to improve our environmental impact across our enterprise.
While we believe resource efficiency is great for business, our focus on protecting the planet is about so much more. To maximize our positive impact on the planet where we work and live, we focus on alternative energy, energy conservation, waste diversion and recycling, water conservation and supply chain sustainability. By leveraging our influence to make a positive environmental impact, we are creating a strong foundation that will have a positive effect on generations to come.
Download our 2021-2022 Collective Impact Report to find out more about how we are protecting the planet.
Our Commitment
We are leaving the planet better for future generations by:
- Conserving natural resources
- Minimizing our environmental footprint
- Motivating employees to take eco-friendly actions
- Engaging with local environmental initiatives
Cox Conserves: Minimizing Our Footprint
For more than a decade, our sustainability program established by Jim Kennedy, Chairman Emeritus and Chairman, James M. Cox Foundation, has been instrumental in driving meaningful progress toward environmental change.
2021-2022 Highlights
- Reached 87.8% waste diversion rate across our enterprise — 97.6% to our 2024 Zero Waste to Landfill goal
- Since 2014, Cox has an annualized water reduction and replenishment of ~ 181 million gallons a year
- Hosted a companywide Chairman’s Challenge where 1,465 employees took 9,480 actions to reduce personal carbon footprints
- Expanded our 2022 Cox Conserves Heroes award to three categories: Adult (18+), Youth (under 18) and Nonprofit
Driving Progress for Zero Waste Solutions
- Cox Communications reached Zero Waste to Landfill status two years ahead of schedule, making it the first U.S. telecom provider to do so.
- Seventy-seven domestic locations have achieved Zero Waste to Landfill status, and five new locations improved waste diversion by 50% or more through sustainable material management strategies.
- Thirty-four locations increased waste diversion rates by recycling more materials and continuing to reduce trash.
Water Conservation
Our goal to become water neutral by 2034 reflects our commitment to address water scarcity — one of the most significant environmental challenges of our time through a variety of technologies and investments.
Chairman’s Challenge
The Chairman’s Challenge is an opportunity for employees to think differently about ways to help Cox reach our environmental sustainability goals. With the encouragement of our chairman and CEO, the 2022 Chairman’s Challenge featured the launch of a new measurement tool for employees to calculate their carbon footprint and explore actions to reduce emissions related to their housing, food, travel and goods.
In 2025, nearly 3,800 teammates took thousands of actions on Cox Impact, our employee engagement platform, to reduce energy use and carbon emissions. Employee volunteers donated over 8,000 hours of their time, participated in more than 100 events and supported nearly 50 nonprofit organizations. Altogether, they kept over 2,000 metric tons of carbon from entering Earth’s atmosphere. Learn more.
Cox Conserves Heroes
Cox Conserves Heroes is part of Cox Enterprises’ national sustainability initiative, designed to recognize volunteers and nonprofits making a positive impact on our environment. These heroes are actively reducing or reusing carbon/energy and water, or are minimizing waste sent to landfills, in line with our company’s own sustainability goals.
Each year, Cox Conserves Heroes are selected in three categories: Adult (18+), Youth (under 18) and Nonprofit. The winners in each category receive $30,000 from the James M. Cox Foundation for the nonprofit of their choice.
Check out Cox Conserves Heroes to learn more.
Looking ahead
Forces Shaping our Business
- Acceleration of Sustainability Commitments
- Increased Transparency of GHG Emissions
- Rise in Renewable Energy Demand
Our Approach
- Enhancing our strategic partnerships, scaling our innovation efforts and successful pilot programs and putting strong integration plans in place for acquisitions
- Implementing procurement, consumption and infrastructure strategies to achieve our carbon neutral, water neutral and zero waste to landfill by 2034 goals
- Reporting on our Scope 1 and 2 emissions, including integrating acquisitions into our reporting when possible, and embed supply chain sustainability into operations that impact Scope 3 emissions
- Investing in new innovative and sustainable technologies to mitigate potential price increases in fossil fuels while reducing our carbon footprint