I am pleased to re-confirm that Gossamer Crossing supports the ten principles of the Global Compact with respect to human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. Gossamer Crossing would like to re-commit to our stakeholders and clients to making the Global Compact and its Ten Principles part of our company policies and daily routine. We support the Global Compact in being a transparent company and support public accountability. We look forward to another year of being a Global Compact participant.
Benjamin Folger, President

Gossamer Crossing conducts its business outside the United States; therefore we deal with the local workforce on each project. We have taken Principle 1 and Principle 2 and applied them to each contract we complete. We treat each person on our team (whether they are a fulltime or temporary employee) with the respect and support they deserve. We adhere to the Global Compact standards above. Gossamer Crossing is making it our goal in the next year to ensure we are treating the local workforce with the respect and giving them the rights they deserve. At the same time we encourage local leader to do the same.

Gossamer Crossing has implemented a new program to educate current and new employees about our human rights policy. This program and its success are re-evaluated each year by the senior management.

Each month, senior management visits the work site to ensure all the policies regarding human rights are being followed. If not, proper action is taken and the problem corrected. Proudly, we have not had to deal with this issue as all policies have been followed to the fullest extent.

Gossamer Crossing has policies ensure employment discrimination does not happen. We work in East Africa and hire a local workforce that is paid above local standards. They are treated very well; meals and water are provided while they are working each day with us. We teach them many new skills that can be used in their country. We help them establish a solid skill set foundation in which they can build on. We uphold Principles 3-6 each day in our work and encourage the local government to do the same.

Gossamer Crossing takes pride in the support we give our team in East Africa. Whether it is the team we sent from the United State of America or the local workforce we hire. Proper meals, liquids, and medical care are provided for each member of our team. We have a medevac unit on site along with a local trauma unit. We ensure each member of our team is treated with the respect they deserved.

Gossamer Crossing has a Project Manager on each work site that is responsible for ensuring each person has what he/she needs and is being treated properly. This manager reports to senior management on a weekly basis. Senior management visits the worksite a minimum of once per month. As a team, we uphold, support and assist each other in upholding the standards set forth by Global Compact and our company.

It is very difficult, working in East Africa, to get any supplies into the worksite. We are strongly pursuing every opportunity to bring in environmentally friendly materials. To reduce debris, we have limited the amount of packaging materials used when transferring our building materials. We are pursing companies that are conscious of the environment when purchasing our work materials. Principle 7, 8, 9 implementation is being encouraged and improved each day on our site. Preserving the environment is our top priority as we aim to reduce the negative effects of our presence whenever possible.

Gossamer Crossing is developing an environmental awareness program for our employees. In this program they are taught about the environmental hazards of the equipment we use as well as the areas where we can minimize the negative impact to the environment.

We are developing a system to monitor the use of recycled materials and monitor which material is picked at the start of a project. Currently, this is one of our top priorities to improve. We recycle at our offices and use old forms for scratch paper (seems small but it adds up, no “post-its” here!). Electricity is minimal in East Africa, therefore, we have become very efficient conserving our energy. We would like to limit our negative impact on the environment wherever possible.

Unfortunately, in East Africa, corruption is everywhere and takes every precaution to avoid it on a daily basis. Anyone under our employment is required to avoid situations where bribery could possibly place. We have a strict policy against bribery to benefit the company.

When Gossamer Crossing hires a new employee they are informed of the potential bribery that takes place in East Africa. We also inform them that they are not to take part in it. Gossamer Crossing holds its staff to high standards regarding corruption and bribery.

Senior management regulates corruption and anti-bribery with regular checks to the work site to ensure our policies are being upheld in every situation. All of our employees are very clear on our company standards as we utilize the “zero tolerance” rule.