At Brown-Forman, we have long been concerned about social, environmental, civic, financial, and personal responsibility issues. Our company has, for decades, been a leader in moving our industry toward more responsible positions and behavior. We've been open to changes and have helped others see the value of change as well. Many of our brands, production operations, and people have shown consistent excellence on environmental and social issues, even if they've done so rather quietly.
In this, our first corporate responsibility report, we describe the corporate responsibility efforts undertaken by Brown-Forman and its many individual brands. We've worked hard to make a difference in our community, show respect for our consumers, treat our employees and business partners well, and protect the integrity of our brands, which includes what we term the "Brown-Forman" brand.
Writing this report helps us both celebrate progress and realize how much important work there still is to do. We acknowledge that this first attempt at such a report is just one step on a long journey, and there is much work ahead. But we have committed to this path, and look forward to improving.
Our intent in issuing this corporate responsibility report is to enrich the conversations within and around our company. We do so in the hope that these conversations will help us expand our understanding of these issues and embolden us as we deepen our resolve to "Being responsible in everything we do." Our primary intended audiences for this report are our employees, shareholders, and stakeholders who have a particular interest in our company or industry. We have aimed for ease of reading, in the hopes that you will take the time to review this report, learn about us and offer your feedback and ideas as we move forward.