Arrow 2019 CSR Interactive

in Review

Arrow Electronics believes that technology can improve people’s lives. We collaborate with innovators to develop solutions that make life more fulfilling and prosperous. In doing so, Arrow does more than extend technology’s influence and grow our market share —

we become part of the humanitarian solution.

Our CSR Activities Around the World

Click each category below to explore all views

EMEA

Cambridge, MA

Hawthorne, CA

Denver, CO

Washington, D.C.

Guadalajara, Mexico

Norway

Spain

Kenya

Tanzania

ThE Americas

Topped our category for the seventh consecutive year,

including #1 in CSR

We believe the power of innovation makes life better, not just for the few, but for the many.

Mike Long

Featured Stories

Innovating Mobility: Arrow SAM Car

Innovating Tomorrow: 21st Century Ranchers

Arrow and supplier Analog Devices Inc. support nonprofit Close the Gap’s program to find young African entrepreneurs and help them scale digital solutions to community problems. The nonprofit organizes a semi-annual LEAP-2 competition for innovators to pitch their ideas. In 2019, 10 innovators received LEAP-2 seed funding and mentorship; half are women. The innovators test their ideas on the market through crowdfunding. Once they reach their funding requirements, they receive matching grants for technology development. Their proposals include coconut waste-to-energy systems; a tracking device to discourage motorbike theft; and a solar-powered, digitally controlled incubator to regulate chicken-egg hatching at reliable, commercial-scale intervals.

Innovating Communities: Silicon Savanna

Twenty years after an accident left him paralyzed, former IndyCar racer Sam Schmidt is driving again at speeds up to 192 mph. Arrow engineers modified a Chevrolet Corvette to create a semi-autonomous vehicle that he operates safely and independently with head controls. Sensors on a headset connect the driver to infrared cameras that detect his head motions for steering. A sip-and-puff device enables him to accelerate and brake. His voice commands other systems. Arrow makes its driving solution available to the innovation community for broader independent living applications. Says Schmidt: “I thought I would never feel this freedom again.”

In rural U.S. communities, one in three people lack internet connectivity and access to technology. Rural schools receive only 17% of educational funding nationally, even though they account for half of all school districts. High school students in the tiny ranching community of Eads, Colorado, aren’t waiting. With help from Arrow and the Nathan Yip Foundation, they developed a technology solution to make their families’ cattle operations more efficient and safer. A high-tech lozenge sits in the animal’s upper digestive chamber to collect and transmit temperature, pH, and other health measurements. The students use a commercial drone to locate and map free-ranging herds by their heat signatures. They manage the data in the cloud for analysis in the classroom.

In Africa, 600 million people live without reliable electricity. This reduces their access to three essentials for living a prosperous modern life: education, health care, and internet connectivity. Arrow helped social enterprise Close the Gap develop DigiTruck, a fleet of mobile, solar-powered tech classrooms in emerging tech markets. In 2019, 1,000 DigiTruck students in Kenya were certified in digital literacy, e-commerce skills, and electronic waste handling; 60% of the students were women. Eight more DigiTrucks operate in Tanzania, South Africa, and northern Europe. In Tanzania, nonprofit Neema International continues to operate an internet-connected DigiTruck classroom for 200 orphans on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. In 2019, we also collaborated with Tech Kidz Africa and Neema to donate STEMpedia development kits that help the students learn programming and robotics.

Cambridge, MA

Uganda

Watch on YouTube

Cambridge, MA

Arrow supported MIT’s student electric motorsports team.

CSR

Our Corporate Social Responsibility Pillars

Innovating

Lives

Innovating

Mobility

Innovating

Tomorrow

Innovating

Talent

Innovating

Community

Lives

Mobility

Tomorrow

Talent

Community

Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies

2019 Edison Gold Award for Social Innovation

Our CSR Impact by the Numbers

2.77

million

20.85

million

53,716

450

2.77 million

people helped (directly)

20.85 million

people helped by Arrow-supported organizations

53,716

students supported

450

ASIA

AUSTRALIA

Honduras

THE AmericaS

EMEA

Hong Kong

China

Philippines

India

South Korea

Taiwan

ASIA

Malaysia

Sydney

AUSTRALIA

Arrow supported the MIT Hyperloop II team, which won the coveted Innovation Prize and finished fifth at the international 2019 SpaceX finals.

Hawthorne, CA

Arrow sponsored the western regionals of the 2019 FIRST Robotics competition.

Denver, CO

Arrow sponsored the annual national Collegiate Inventors Competition with the Inventors Hall of Fame, including the annual Arrow Innovation Prize.

Washington, D.C.

Arrow employees donated food, clothing, and computers to a shelter providing essential services for women and children.

Guadalajara, Mexico

Arrow and the Posner Center for International Development sponsored a supply chain technology to help small coffee growers find markets in the U.S. and Europe.

Honduras

Arrow supported Revolve NTNU autonomous race car.

Norway

The Barcelona startup Promoteo won the IBM Call for Code competition sponsored by Arrow for its wearable device that warns firefighters of toxic smoke and chemical exposures.

Spain

Arrow helped nonprofit Close the Gap field test its Solar Suitcase 3.0 technology in remote, off-grid clinics.

Uganda

Arrow’s DigiTruck mobile classroom provided technology education to rural students with Neema International.

Tanzania

Arrow’s DigiTruck provided IT and e-commerce training to 1,000 adult students with nonprofit Close the Gap.

Kenya

Arrow invited three charities to join 220 employees and their families at annual Family Day events.

Hong Kong

Arrow employees served as guides for sight-impaired runners in an annual race for blind runners at Beijing Olympic Park.

China

Employees in Manila donated sports equipment, clothing, furniture, and other essential items to a residential care facility for people with intellectual disabilities and neuro-developmental disorders.

Philippines

Employees in Bangalore supported 72 special needs children at a summer camp.

India

Employees in Seoul supported two children’s charities at a kimchee-making event.

South Korea

Employees in Taipei supported the Taiwan Guide Dog Association.

Taiwan

To raise awareness about disabilities, employees in Penang learned sign language and supported a special education school.

Malaysia

Employees in Sydney biked and ran to raise money for multiple sclerosis research and a children’s health charity.

Sydney

Spain

Uganda

Tanzania

Kenya

Diversity & Inclusion

Human Rights Campaign

Environmental Performance

Systems Certifications

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Recycling

In the last two years, Arrow’s commitment to inclusion and diversity has intensified, as evidenced by the significant increase in racial and ethnic diversity in the U.S. and women employed globally.

Gender Diversity

Racial/Ethnic Diversity in the U.S.

Diversity & Inclusion

Gender Diversity

Executive Leadership

All Other Employees

+13% Women

+3% Women

2017

2019

2017

2019

Racial/Ethnic Diversity in the U.S.

Executive Leadership

+11% Racial/Ethnic Diversity

2017

2019

2017

2019

+2% Racial/Ethnic Diversity

All Other Employees

Human Rights Campaign

For the second year in a row, Arrow received a perfect score of 100% on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2020 Corporate Equality Index and was designated a “Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality.” The Corporate Equality Index is the nation’s top benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to the LGBTQ+ workplace, including non-discrimination policies, employment benefits, demonstrated competency and accountability around LGBTQ diversity and inclusion, public commitment to LGBTQ equality, and responsible citizenship.

Arrow is committed to reducing its environmental footprint. Our approach includes the use of environmentally friendly technologies, avoidance of emissions, reducing waste, and the use of energy-saving solutions. In 2019, Arrow maintained a silver EcoVadis rating for our ESG/Corporate Social Responsibility achievements globally.

Environmental Performance

Arrow voluntarily complies with internationally recognized environmental management quality standards; 13 of our warehouses are ISO 14001-certified. Arrow sites in Germany and the U.K. are ISO 50001-certified for energy management.

Systems Certifications

Arrow’s telepresence initiative using Microsoft Teams is reducing travel, our single-largest source of carbon emissions. Employees using electric charging stations used 42,917 kWh of energy, displacing 8,583 gallons of gasoline and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 166 metric tons.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Benefits of Arrow’s decision in North America to recycle and purchase recycled products included:

Recycling

11,921

2,912

3,484

4,167,352

8,107,206

110,356

11,921

3,484

2,912

4,167,352

110,356

trees preserved/ planted

cubic yards of landfill space conserved

metric tons of GHG emissions avoided

kilowatt- hours of energy saved

gallons of oil saved

Innovating Tomorrow: DigiTruck

Innovating Lives: Belle’s Dragon

Innovating Communities: Silicon Savanna

Innovating Lives: Solar Suitcase

Innovating Mobility: Arrow SAM Car

Innovating Tomorrow: DigiTruck

Innovating Tomorrow: 21st Century Ranchers

Belle, age 13, lives with cancer. Her condition makes it impossible to have a pet. Undeterred, she asked the nonprofit Make-A-Wish for help. But not just any pet — a dragon! Arrow engineers are collaborating with customers and suppliers to prototype a companion robot in the form of a dragon. Based on her extensive interest in mythical creatures, Belle is advising the technology team on the dragon’s dynamic capabilities — movements, facial recognition, gestures, and interactions — as well as its appearance. The dragon’s primary role is to provide emotional support and engagement. But as a social robot, it could be programmed to provide additional help, including reminders, directions, and communications. Will Belle’s dragon fly and breathe fire? She’ll have to wait and see.

Innovating Lives: Belle’s Dragon

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Arrow helped nonprofit We Care Solar improve its groundbreaking Solar Suitcase technology. Worldwide, 300,000 women die in childbirth annually, often because remote health centers lack power. We Care Solar’s portable, rechargeable power unit brings renewable electricity to off-grid medical clinics. Arrow helped the nonprofit create a more affordable and powerful model that is easier to manufacture, install, and operate with minimal maintenance. The system now features medical-quality LED lighting, an improved battery charger, headlamps, and cellphone charging. Our collaboration received the 2019 Edison Gold Award for Social Innovation.

Innovating Lives: Solar Suitcase

Watch on YouTube

global locations of CSR programs

scholarships and grants

8,107,206

gallons of water conserved

CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO