2022 ESG REPORTCreating A
Better Tomorrow
Begins Today

CREATING A BETTER TOMORROW BEGINS TODAY
TOC

COMPANYSTRATEGY

GOVERNANCEPEOPLEACCO BRANDS 2022 ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE (ESG) REPORTTABLE OF CONTENTSABOUT ACCO BRANDS  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 2

PEOPLE .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 14

Company Values and Key Facts .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 3

Culture and Employee Experience  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 15

Brands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Building Organizational Capability  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 16

Message from Our President and Chief Operating Officer  .  .  .  .  . 5

Diversity & Inclusion  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

ESG Goals and 2022 Achievements  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 6

Employee Health & Safety  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 182022 Awards and Recognition  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 7

Labor Management  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 20

17

Community Engagement  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 21
ESG STRATEGY  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 8PLANET .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 22
GOVERNANCE, MANAGEMENT AND OVERSIGHT . . . . . . . . 10

Environmental Policy & Management Systems  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 23

ESG Governance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Climate Change & Energy Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Committed to Business Ethics  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 11

Carbon Dioxide Emissions .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 25

Code of Conduct  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 12

Waste Management  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 25

Enterprise Risk Management (ERM)  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 12

Water Use  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 25

Data Privacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Cybersecurity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

PRODUCTS  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 26
Supply Chain Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Raw Material Sourcing  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 28
Product Certification  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 29
Product Safety, Quality, Testing & Development  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 30
Product Packaging  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 31
IN SUMMARY  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 32
KEY METRICS  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 33
SASB Reference Table  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 34

1

PLANETPRODUCTSSASBAboutACCO Brands
ACCO Brands, the Home of Great
Brands Built by Great People,
started as a modest school andoffice product company. Today, we
are a dynamic, global consumerand end-user-focused company.
We create products and solutions to
help our consumers learn, create,play, organize and store, and enable
technology at home, at the office andeverywhere in-between. Our portfolio
of well-recognized brands includes
AT-A-GLANCE®, Five Star®,Kensington®, Leitz®, Mead®,
PowerA®, Swingline® and manyothers. Our products are sold in
more than 100 countries.
More information about ACCO Brands
Corporation (NYSE: ACCO) can befound at www.accobrands.com.

2

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COMPANYSTRATEGY

GOVERNANCE

COMPANY VALUESPEOPLE

PLANETPRODUCTSKEY FACTS

6,000

46

37

20K+

21

15

Employees

BrandsCountries

Customers

Manufacturing
PlantsDistribution
Centers

We are a winning team that:• Acts with integrity• Treats others with respect• Embraces diversity• Encourages creativity• Acts responsibly in our
global community•

Factories (21)

3

SASB

•

Distribution Centers (15)•

Offices 50+ Employees (7)CREATING A BETTER TOMORROW BEGINS TODAY
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COMPANYOUR BRANDS
Product Group

Product Categories

Tech Accessories

Video Gaming andComputer Accessories

Learning & Creative

Note-taking,Boards, Art Products
and Writing

Equipment

Stapling, Laminating,Tools, Shredding
and Wellness

Organization& Storage

Filing andOrganization, Storage
and Calendars

4

Key Brands

STRATEGY

GOVERNANCEPEOPLE

PLANETPRODUCTSSASBCREATING A BETTER TOMORROW BEGINS TODAYTOC

MESSAGE FROMOUR PRESIDENT AND
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICERCOMPANYSTRATEGY

GOVERNANCEPEOPLE

PLANETPRODUCTS

SASB

Welcome to ACCO Brands’ 2022 ESG Report. Last year, our Chief Executive Officer, Boris Elisman, asked
me to lead our ESG efforts to ensure they were fully integrated into our business strategy and operations.
With the help of every member of the ACCO Brands family, I believe they are, and I’m excited to share thestrategies and activities that drive our accomplishments.
An Overview of Our ESG Strategy
In reflecting on 2022, I am proud of the progress ACCO Brands made to further our ESG goals and objectives.
They play a pivotal role in driving our ESG strategy and helping us build a better tomorrow. Indeed, we havealways supported the fundamental principles of ESG through a commitment to our long-standing company
values: to act with integrity, embrace diversity and act responsibly in our global community.
When I took on leadership of our ESG efforts last year, one of the first things I did was create an ESG Steering
Committee composed of senior business and function leaders. I asked them to provide feedback on how we
could make our initiatives more impactful, accelerate our progress and ensure that our commitment to ESG
is reflected in our daily work. The result is an updated vision of our global ESG strategy that consists of threestrategic objectives:
1. Enable Exceptional Organizational Performance — PEOPLE
2. Reduce the Environmental Impact of Our Operations — PLANET
3. Deliver Innovative Products That Are Safe and Sustainable — PRODUCTS
Today’s Efforts Lead to Tomorrow’s Achievements
Throughout this report, you will read how we are “operationalizing” our ESG objectives to bring us closer to our2025 goals. We are pleased to announce that we have exceeded our energy efficiency goal, achieving a 13%1
improvement in energy efficiency over 2019.
We continue to work diligently and are making progress on our diversity and product goals as well. We haveincreased the percentage of Director-level-and-above females globally to 31.7%, which is up from our 2019baseline of 27%. We have also increased the revenue from products certified to third-party environmental
and social standards by 7.4 percentage points2 from our 2019 baseline.
Our company, employees, investors, and other stakeholders should be proud of our 2022 accomplishments. However, there are challenges ahead. The world remains uncertain. But, if we stay on course and continue our efforts
with integrity, focus and commitment, we will meet our business objectives while creating a better tomorrow.
Warm regards,

Tom Tedford

President and Chief Operating Officer
5

1: See page 24 for details regarding how we calculate our improvement in energy efficiency.
2: See page 29 for details regarding how we calculate our improvement in products certified to environmental and social sustainability standards.

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COMPANYSTRATEGY

GOVERNANCEPEOPLE

PLANETPRODUCTSSASB

ESG GOALS AND 2022 ACHIEVEMENTS

2025 GOALS
Increase the energy efficiency
at our facilities by10%
by 2025

Increase the percentage of
Director-level-and-above
female leaders to

33%
globally by 2025

Increase revenue from products
certified to third-party
environmental and social standards
by 10 percentage points
by 2025

10pp

PROGRESS
Exceeded our goal by
improving energy efficiency

13%

1

to date

13%

14%

98%

$1.42M

Reduced scope 1 andscope 2 CO₂ emissions
13% from 2021

Nearly doubled therenewable energy in ourelectricity in our factories,
distribution centers andoffices with 50+ employees
to 14% from 7.1% in 2021

Increased to

31.7%
in 2022

Realized a

7.4pp

2

increase in certified
product sales

1: See page 24 for details regarding how we calculate our improvement
in energy efficiency.
2: See page 29 for details regarding how we calculate our improvement inproducts certified to environmental and social sustainability standards.

62022 ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Suppliers audited
achieved conformancewith applicable standards
on 98% of all social
responsibility audit
check points

Made approximately $1.42
million in monetary andin-kind contributions tocharitable organizations
around the world

5%

Decreased total energy
consumption by 5%from 2021

86%

Recycled 86% of the
non-hazardous wastefrom our factories anddistribution centers

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2022 AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONSCOMPANYSTRATEGY

GOVERNANCEPEOPLE

PLANETPRODUCTSSASB

One of the many ways to measure the accomplishments of an organization is to view therecognition it receives. We received many awards and recognitions in 2022 that directly
relate to ESG, including:

BRANDS

Kensington®

Surface™ Laptop 4
Smart Card Reader

Slim NanoSaver® 2.0

Cosy Product Family

IQ AutoFeed

Good Design Awards

Good Design Awards

iF Design AwardNAOPA Best Product

TruSens™ Performance
Air Purifiers

TruSens™ N200/N300
Humidifiers

TruSens™ Smart
Air Purifiers

Microsoft
Product of the Year

Surface™ Laptop Riser

Kensington®

Kensington®

Leitz®

Leitz®

Leitz®

Leitz®

Designed for Surface

10Gbps Triple Video
Driverless Docking Station
Kensington®

Leitz®

Technology

Universal 3-in-1 Pro Audio
Headset Switch
Kensington®

SAFETY & ENVIRONMENTAL• ACCO BRANDS EMEA was awarded the Bronze Medal certification by EcoVadis, the world’s largest and mosttrusted provider of business sustainability ratings.
• Office Depot Italia s.r.l. awarded ACCO Brands Italy their Sustainability Award.
• RoSPA recognized ACCO Brands EMEA with the coveted Patron’s Award for 26 consecutive Gold Medals.
• Walmart recognized ACCO Brands North America as a Project Gigaton™ Giga-Guru.

WALMART
Project Gigaton™

• The National Safety Council recognized multiple ACCO Brands North American sites. The Million Hours Worked
Award was presented to the Booneville, MS site. The Perfect Record Award was presented to our Lerma, Mexico,
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, Ogdensburg, NY, and Sidney, NY.

Giga-Guru
ACCO Brands North America

2022

CORPORATECRAIN’S

Chicago’s
Most Innovative
Companies
2022

NACD

National Associationof Corporate Directors

OPI

NACD Directorship 100™

Top 50 Woman In
Business Products
World

ACCO Brands

EVP/President North America

2022

2022

GracielaMonteagudo

RoxanneBernstein• Crain’s recognized ACCO Brands as one of Chicago’s Most Innovative Companies 2022.
• The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) announced the 2022 NACD Directorship 100™—themost influential peer-nominated leaders in the boardroom and corporate governance community. Included
among this year’s esteemed honorees is Graciela Monteagudo of ACCO Brands.
• Roxanne Bernstein, EVP/President North America, was recognized by OPI in its “Top 50 Woman In Business
Products World.”

7

Our ESG
Strategy
DEDICATED TO ESG STEWARDSHIPACCO Brands is committed todelivering sustainable, long-termvalue to our investors andcustomers and to supporting
our employees and theircommunities through ourenvironmental, social and governance(ESG) stewardship. This commitment
is firmly anchored in our corporate
values which have been an integral
part of our culture for more than
100 years.

8

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COMPANYSTRATEGY

GOVERNANCEPEOPLE

PLANETPRODUCTSSASB

FOCUSED ON OUR STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
The foundation of our approach to ESG is built around three strategic objectives
that affect People, Planet and Products.

EnableExceptional
Organizational
Performance

ReduceEnvironmental
Impact ofOperations

Deliver Innovative,
Safe and
Sustainable
Products

PeoplePlanetProducts

Culture and Employee Experience

Environmental Policy &Management Systems

Supply Chain Management

Building Organizational Capability
Diversity & Inclusion
Employee Health & Safety
Labor Management

Climate Change & Energy Use
Waste Management
Water Use9

Product Certification
Product Safety, Quality, Testing& Development
Product Packaging

Community Engagement

Global Goal:
Increase the percentage of
Director-level-and-above female
leaders to 33% by 2025

Raw Material Sourcing

Global Goal:
Increase the energy efficiency at
our facilities by 10% by 2025

Global Goal:
Increase revenue from products
certified to third-party environmental and social standards
by 10 percentage points by 2025

Creatinga BetterTomorrow
THROUGH GOVERNANCE,MANAGEMENT AND OVERSIGHT
Ethical, active governance isessential to all that we do.
It is the framework on which wecreate the policies that support,
guide and protect all stakeholders.

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COMPANYSTRATEGY

GOVERNANCEPEOPLE

PLANETPRODUCTSSASB

ESG GOVERNANCE
Responsibility for overseeing ACCO Brands’ ESG efforts starts with leadership fromour Board of Directors. Our executive team and other key leaders throughout thecompany are accountable for executing against our three strategic objectives so
we reach our goals.
ACCO Brands
Board of Directors

Nominating,Governance andSustainability
Board
Committee

Compensation
andHuman Capital
Board
Committee

Executive Leadership

Together, the Nominating, Governance and Sustainability Committee and the Compensation and Human
Capital Committee of our Board of Directors oversee the Company’s ESG strategy, goals and risks, including
our climate-related risks. The full Board receives a quarterly scorecard tracking the Company’s progressagainst its publicly announced goals, as well as an overall update on ESG at least annually.
The Nominating, Governance and Sustainability Committee oversees management’s administration of theCompany’s corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability programs and its annual ESG
reporting. It also oversees the Company’s corporate governance policies and practices, including its Code of
Conduct and corporate compliance programs and training. The Nominating, Governance and Sustainability
Committee receives updates from management at least annually on all of these topics. These briefings arealso posted to the full Board.
Our Compensation and Human Capital Committee oversees the Company’s diversity and inclusion strategies aswell as overall Company culture and employee health and safety. Our Global Chief People Officer regularly updates
the Compensation and Human Capital Committee on the status of the Company’s diversity and inclusion and culture initiatives. She also reviews these initiatives at least once a year with the full Board.

COMMITTED TO BUSINESS ETHICS
Our business ethics are the foundation for our ESG strategy, driving our decisions, actions and reporting.
At its core, ESG is about ensuring that businesses act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.
We will always hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards so that the decisions we make are ethicaland lawful and respect the dignity of others.

Sustainability
Committee

11

D&I Council

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COMPANYSTRATEGY

GOVERNANCEPEOPLE

PLANETPRODUCTSSASB

CODE OF CONDUCTENTERPRISE RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM (ERM)

Our Code of Conduct is an essential guide to theway we conduct business. The collection ofpolicies, practices and procedures that comprise
the Code are intended to promote ethical, lawful
and transparent behavior in all aspects of businessfor employees, officers and directors and thirdparty agents. The Code articulates our valuesof integrity and respect for others, and ourcommitment to diversity and responsible behaviors
in the communities where we work and live. Above
all, it requires that the conduct of everyone
associated with ACCO Brands, including our
suppliers and other partners, is ethical, lawful andrespects the human rights and dignity of others.

Our Board is responsible for the oversight of our Enterprise Risk Management Program (ERM). Our senior
management has primary responsibility for managing enterprise risks, as well as the day-to-day risks associatedwith our business, including strategic, operational, financial, legal, regulatory, cybersecurity and technology,
environmental, social, governance, geopolitical, reputational and emerging risks.

We deliver Company-required training annuallyto all employees to ensure understanding of,and compliance with, our Code of Conduct,
Anti-Corruption and Anti-Bribery Policy and otherimportant policies. In 2022, 100% of our salaried
employees completed training online. Facilitators
lead our hourly employees’ Code of Conduct training in groups at all of our facilities and completed
training for 89% of our hourly employees.
In addition, we encourage the active involvementof our employees, officers and directors in thedetection and prevention of misconduct, including
the reporting of such activity to the employee’s
manager, another manager the employee trusts,
the Human Resources department, the Legal andCompliance department or ACCOethics.com,
a telephone and internet-based reporting systemthat can be accessed on a 24-hour basis and offers
an option to share concerns anonymously, wherepermitted by law. The Company prohibits retaliation
against employees for reports made in good faith.

Our ERM includes procedures designed to help identify, evaluate, monitor, manage and mitigate the major internaland external risks to our business, and to align risk-taking appropriately with our efforts to increase stockholder
value. The Board currently oversees our risk management primarily through our Board committee structure. The
Nominating, Governance and Sustainability Committee oversees the ERM procedures established by management,
and the Board’s standing committees provide direct oversight of our enterprise risks as set forth below, receiving
updates from management at least annually on their assigned risks. Management’s written presentations
regarding these high-priority risks are posted to the full Board, and the Board committees regularly provide
updates to the Board with respect to the risk areas for which they are responsible. Additionally, management
maintains an enterprise risk dashboard that is refreshed quarterly and distributed to the Board. In 2022,
management expanded the focus of its risk identification activities to specifically consider climate-related risks.
Enterprise Risk Oversight Responsibilities
Audit Committee•R eporting and Financial Controls—Including financial risks associated with the preparation of the Company’s financial statements
and financial compliance activities (including the adequacy of internal control over financial reporting (including business processcontrols and information technology controls) and disclosure controls and procedures). Oversees the Company’s Vice Presidentof Internal Audit regarding internal audit engagements and findings• Cyber Security, Information System Security and Data Integrity• Disaster Recovery and Preparedness, and Business Continuity• L itigation and Claims–Receives regular updates from the Company’s General Counsel regarding litigation, claims andregulatory matters

Compensation and Human
Capital Committee•E xecutive Compensation—Including ensuring that the structure of our executive compensation programs provides incentives
that appropriately reward executives for executing corporate strategy and growing stockholder value and does not encourage
excessive risk taking•A cquisition and Maintenance of Human Capital—Including risks related to the Company’s succession planning and management
development programs•S ocial—Oversees risks related to the Company’s social sustainability activities (the “S” in ESG), e.g., pay equity, diversity
and inclusion, employee engagement and employee safety, and monitors progress towards the achievement of goals

Nominating, Governanceand Sustainability
Committee

Finance and Planning
Committee•E nvironmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”)—Together with the Compensation and Human Capital Committee, oversees
risks related to the Company’s environmental, social and governance activities• Legal, Regulatory and Compliance• Capital Structure and Financing—Oversees financial risks with respect to the Company’s capital structure, investments, use ofderivatives and hedging instruments, currency exposure, retirement plans, financial resiliency, and other business andfinancing plans and policies• Macroeconomic Conditions

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COMPANYSTRATEGY

GOVERNANCEPEOPLE

PLANETPRODUCTSSASBDATA PRIVACYCYBERSECURITY

ACCO Brands is committed to protecting the dataof its employees, customers and consumers, as wellas ensuring that it handles that data in a fair andtransparent manner. As part of that commitment,
ACCO Brands ensures that individuals are aware of
how it processes personal data and the rights they
have regarding their data.

ACCO Brands is committed to cybersecurity and the protection of its assets, including its data, information andsystems. Our Audit Committee oversees the Company’s cybersecurity risks. ACCO Brands leadership and the
Audit Committee are briefed periodically by our Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer and Vice
President of Global Cybersecurity.

In 2022, ACCO Brands kicked off an initiative to
make its various privacy notices publicly available
so that employees, candidates and others canunderstand and check ACCO Brands’ privacy
practices at any time from any device. ACCO
Brands also incorporated privacy as a perennial
topic in its Code of Conduct awareness training.
In 2022, 100% of employees with an email
address completed privacy training.
With data protection laws across the globe
continuing to evolve, ACCO Brands believes that
guarding and using personal data appropriately is
crucial to protecting its brands and maintaining
stakeholders’ confidence in its business.
The company is a corporate member of theInternational Association of Privacy Professionals(IAPP), the world’s largest and most comprehensive
global information privacy community.

13

The ACCO Brands Cybersecurity Program follows a robust methodology informed by our annual cyber risk
assessment and cyber maturity assessment. The annual results are used to update and enhance our five-yearcybersecurity roadmap to ensure risks and maturity projects align with the cybersecurity goals and targeted
success. Currently, we are four years into the mapped journey. Additionally, we maintain cybersecurity insurance
coverage in an amount appropriate for our risk profile.
We have a cybersecurity team whose members have over 30 years of cybersecurity industry experience and holdnumerous cybersecurity, risk and privacy certifications. They deploy mandatory online cybersecurity training for
employees twice a year. In 2022, 95% of employees with an email address completed this training. Management
also regularly conducts “phishing” exercises to test the effectiveness of our training programs. Under certain
circumstances, employees who fall victim to the exercise are required to participate in additional remedial
cybersecurity training. The results of these exercises are reported to the Audit Committee.
A cybersecurity newsletter that includes current events and tips and tricks for staying secure in the office andat home is communicated monthly to employees. Employees also receive cybersecurity developments via
targeted email messages, as appropriate.

Creatinga BetterTomorrow
BY ENABLING OUR PEOPLE
As the Home of Great Brands Built
by Great People, we believe our
employees are the key to our success.
In alignment with our Vision, Values
and Leadership Promise, we strive tocreate a great place to work – onethat attracts and retains top talentand inspires and enables individuals
to grow and succeed. The Company’s
strategic plan for Human Resources,
the ACCO Brands People Plan, isgrounded in our mission to enable
exceptional individual andorganizational performance todeliver business transformation,
growth and success.

14

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HIGHLIGHT:
HIGHLIGHT
A Modern, Digital Platform toEnhance the Employee Experience
In 2022, the Global Human Resources teamworked with internal and external partners to
implement a new people management systemcalled HR Connect. HR Connect links all of ourglobal teams to a single, integrated humanresources system for the first time.
This change allows us to provide a better
employee experience, making it as easy as
possible for employees and managers tonavigate through HR activities, including goalsetting, performance management, recruiting,development planning and learning.
Feedback from managers and employees ispositive, citing the strength of the goal setting
functionality, the ease of finding organizational
information and the diverse learning librarywith more than 5,000 courses and learningjourneys in multiple languages.

COMPANYSTRATEGY

GOVERNANCEPEOPLE

PLANETPRODUCTSSASB

CULTURE AND EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE
Ours is an innovative, inclusive, growth-mindset culture. We are focused on adapting
to the new ways consumers work, learn, play and thrive – leading to business growth.
We are intentional about creating an environment and experiences that foster andsustain a sense of belonging and drive engagement.
Aligned Total Rewards
Attracting and retaining top employees in this highly competitive global talent landscape requires more thancompetitive market compensation. Although we perform robust external benchmarking to ensure our wages,
benefits, incentives and other compensation elements are competitive in each individual geographic area, weintentionally structure our offerings to align individual, business and key stakeholder interests. Specifically, we pay
for performance, not effort. We link our incentive awards to achieving targeted short- and long-term businessoutcomes. Individual objectives are developed with clear line of sight to company goals, making it easy for highachievers to focus on the behaviors and actions that bring personal rewards and deliver stakeholder value.
We also offer programs that support our employees and their families at the various stages of their lives andprovide the needed time off so our employees can rest, recharge and focus on their priorities outside of work.
In most regions, we offer a wide variety of company-subsidized and voluntary benefit programs, including
vacation benefits; medical plans with prescription drug, dental, vision and critical care coverage; life insurance;
parental leave; disability insurance; education reimbursement opportunities; legal planning; and pet insurance.
In the U.S., we also offer a competitive 6% 401(k) match and long-term care insurance for employees andtheir partners.
Notably, we recognize work environment matters. Like many companies, ACCO Brands has implemented hybrid
working solutions to provide the work-from-home flexibility most of our office staff came to value during the
COVID-19 pandemic. Our global management teams have become adept at balancing the organization’s needfor in-person collaboration time with employees’ desire for remote working time to navigate personal obligations.
In 2022, we continued to refine our Hybrid Options for Working offering, with approximately 60% of our global
office employees working from home a couple of days a week.
Prioritizing Well-Being
In many of the countries in which we operate, we offer robust Employee Assistance Program (EAP) counselingand extensive online resources. We know a critical part of employee well-being is mental health, as evidenced
by an uptick in employee requests for support with mental health strains caused by increasingly complex postCOVID demands of home and work. As a result, we’ve prioritized mental health education by hosting webinars
and lunch-and-learn sessions for our employees.

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PLANETPRODUCTSSASB

BUILDING ORGANIZATIONAL CAPABILITYACCO Brands invests in our employees by providing relevant learning anddevelopment opportunities specifically designed to build capabilities required fordelivering business transformation and growth. From sessions focused on creatingstronger, more functional teams that facilitate better working relationships,
collaboration and outcomes, to change management sessions that enable ourleaders and employees to proactively manage change, to programs to build technicalexpertise, building organizational capability is a key priority.
Mentoring to Build a Leadership Pipeline
We believe one of the best ways to build new capabilities is through sharing experiences. That is why, in 2022,
we created a new Mentoring Program to connect employees in key roles to leaders who are committed to helping
them reach their full potential. Currently, 21% of our Director-level employees across all regions are actively
engaged in the program. With the overwhelmingly positive feedback from both mentors and mentees, 2023
will see an expansion of the program to Manager-level employees, creating more opportunities for leaders tochallenge each other, share best practices and advance development goals.
Preparing ‘People Leaders’We aim to have effective leaders at all levels. To that end, we foster managers who recognize that practicing“people leadership” is how they best impact the business and their teams. Rather than being solely focused on
business outcomes, “people leaders” prioritize leading by example, coaching and developing members of theirteam, and supporting and motivating their colleagues.
In 2022, we continued to deploy our flagship training programs virtually to provide leadership development
for employees worldwide. The program, “Raising the Bar on People Leadership,” includes:• Leadership Academy—People management training for Directors (61% of directors have attended)• Leadership Basecamp—People management training for Managers (34% of managers have attended)

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PLANETPRODUCTSSASB

DIVERSITY & INCLUSIONAt ACCO Brands, our core values include respecting the individual and embracing diversity. We believe thatdiversity, in all its forms, leads to more ideas and improved innovation, which is particularly important as we focus
on improving our reach with increasingly diverse consumer groups around the globe. When we are intentional
about reflecting the diversity of the communities where we live and work and the consumers who use our
products, we ensure we have full access to the talent pool in a highly competitive environment.
One of our transformation key measures of success is to achieve gender balance in our workforce, and we havedone so in our global office employee population. We also recognize the importance of ensuring that this balanceis reflected at all levels of leadership. By 2025, our goal is to increase the percentage of Director-level-and-above
female leaders globally to 33%, from a 2019 baseline of 27%. We made great progress in 2022, increasing global
female leaders to 31.7%, with a keen focus on including gender diversity in over 60% of our hiring slates. Further,since the beginning of our journey, we increased the female diversity of the Executive Leadership team from 10%
to 40%.

Women Directors+ Percentage
35
30

26.6

27.7

29.6

31.7

25
20
15
10
5
0
Baseline (May 2020)

Global Total
YE 2020

YE 2021

YE 2022

A primary component of our diversity and inclusion journey is to implement Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
at ACCO Brands. Thanks to the groundwork laid in 2022, in early 2023, we successfully launched our Women’s
Network – ACCO Women Partnering for Success (AWPS). This global Women’s network creates a platform toengage and inspire women at all levels within ACCO Brands and will serve as a foundation and structure for
additional ERGs in the organization. It is our intent that ERGs will become an integral part of our inclusive culture.

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PLANETPRODUCTSSASB

EMPLOYEE HEALTH & SAFETY
We believe in environmental, health and safety excellence at ACCO Brands. As partof our responsibilities to ourselves, one another, our customers and our community,
we work daily to maintain the highest level of safety for all our employees.
A Commitment to Employee Health and Safety
Each of our locations strives to achieve:• Zero occupational injury/illnesses• Zero notices of violations/complaint letters• Full compliance with local regulations and guidelines• An environment where all employees feel safe
To this end, each location designates a qualified individual responsible for safety, environmental and workers’
compensation efforts, and every operation sets annual goals to reduce or eliminate workplace injuries/illnesses.
In addition, health and safety training is required at each manufacturing and distribution facility on an annual
basis. Required topics include Lockout (Authorized and Effected), Emergency Evacuation and Shelter-In-Place,
Chemical Safety, Permit Required Confined Space, Ergonomics, Bloodborne Pathogens, Hearing Conservation,
Personal Protective Equipment, Fall Protection, Electrical Safety and Fire Extinguisher training.
Achieving safety goals is vital to any business’ individual and organizational health. To meet the changing needsof our business as we emerged from the pandemic, we undertook several key initiatives for 2022. Three examples
are listed below.
• Focused Training and Policies
We develop relevant training topics annually to cover regulatory requirements, facility procedures andemployee needs. In addition, we adjusted policies to applicable regional requirements to ensure we compliedwith all country, state and even local guidelines and employee preferences.
• Recruitment and Retention Through a Safer Workplace
Turnover and hiring remain challenging issues globally. We work diligently to attract and retain valued workers
and ensure safe onboarding and education for our new hires. Creating a safe environment, one where
employees know leadership cares about well-being, helps with retention.

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5

5
4

3.5

GOVERNANCEPEOPLE

PLANETPRODUCTSSASB

We recognize that our highly skilled and dedicated workforce is central to our success, so we work diligently
to retain workers and offer accommodations when needed. As the world’s workforce ages, adapting tasks
to abilities becomes a critical part not only of a safe workforce, but also an accepting and inclusive one.

4.6

3.6

3

STRATEGY• Meeting Employee Needs Throughout Their Careers Through Accommodations

ACCO Brands TCIR vs BLS TCIR By Industry
4.9

COMPANY

2.2

2

1.31

1.11

1

1.11

0.95

The ACCO Brands CESMP Audit: Our Strategy for Safety0
2 019
ACCO Brands

2 02 02 02 1
2 02 2
Stationery Product Manufacturing
General Warehousing & Storage*2022 BLS data not available at the time of publication
Total Case Incident Rate (TCIR) = (Number of injury or illness
cases x 200,000) / Employee total hours worked)

The best way to ensure worker health and safety is to monitor the work process and find ways to improve
it continuously.
ACCO Brands conducts annual Comprehensive Environment Management Plan (CESMP) audits at all
manufacturing and warehousing locations. CESMP audits assess the steps each location takes to prevent
injuries and ensure workplace safety, providing vital insights to managers throughout the organization. In 2022,
every operation and warehousing location within the company completed this audit. Most of these audits wereconducted by the safety leadership team with assistance from employees from other locations to promote
information sharing. The process includes gathering employee input via small-group, personalized reviews
organized by shift. In these settings, employees feel empowered to share concerns, needs and ideas. If safety
gaps are seen, we immediately develop targeted interventions, processes and/or policies.

ACCO Brands DAWC Rate vs BLS Rate By Industry

0

ACCO Brands’ Health and Safety program has been highly successful over the past five years, with consistentimprovements and measurable reductions in all key accident categories (e.g., loss time) for four of those five
years. Like many companies in 2022, some of our operations experienced an increase in accidents during theimmediate post-COVID return-to-work phase. While we are proud of our successes, as part of our Mission Zero,our goal is to achieve zero occupational injuries or illnesses, and we continue to strive in that direction.

1.6
1.1

1

High Goals and Higher Results

2.2

2.1

2

2

0.81

0.62

201 9
ACCO Brands

0.9

0.8

0.46

2020
Stationery Product Manufacturing

2021

2022

General Warehousing & Storage*2022 BLS data not available at the time of publication
Days Away from Work Case Rate = (Number of work-related
injuries or illnesses with days away from work x 200,000) /Employee total hours worked)

Our Total Case Incident Rate (TCIR) and Days Away from Work Case Rate (DAWC) continues to be well below theindustry averages reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for the Stationery Manufacturing andGeneral Warehousing and Storage Operations industry averages.
Our commitment translates into success. Highlights of our global program’s success include:• Europe RoSPA Patron’s (26 consecutive Golds) Award*The award is presented to organizations sustaining the high standards of the Gold level overconsecutive years.
• National Safety Council recognitions to multiple ACCO sites in the Americas awarded in 2023 based on
2022 injury statistics.

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HIGHLIGHT:
HIGHLIGHT
Responding to Feedback from Our
Engagement Survey
Based on feedback from our 2021 Employment
Engagement Survey in Europe, we evaluatedoptions to provide more flexibility in working hours at our German distribution sites.
This allows for a flexible start and stop to theworkday based on individual needs. Offering
this flexibility makes it easier for our employees
to balance the demands of home while maintaining exceptional productivity at work. ACCO
Brands is committed to providing a flexible
work environment for all of our employees. We
hope to expand this program to other locations
and countries dependent upon local legislationand collective bargaining and works council
agreements.

20

COMPANYSTRATEGY

GOVERNANCEPEOPLE

PLANETPRODUCTSSASBLABOR MANAGEMENTOur manufacturing and distribution sites are the heartbeat of our business. We work collaboratively with unions
and works councils and have not experienced a work stoppage or disruption in North America for over 45 years.
In fact, many of our union employees have transitioned into non-union, supervisory roles within our North
American facilities.
As of December 31, 2022, we had approximately 6,000 full-time and part-time employees worldwide, withapproximately 4,200 employees based outside of the U.S. Approximately 500 manufacturing and distribution
employees in our North America operating segment are covered by collective bargaining agreements. Outside
the U.S., we have government-mandated collective bargaining arrangements in certain countries, particularly inEurope and Brazil. There have been no strikes or material labor disputes at any of our facilities during the past
five years.
We have a long history and tradition of communication and collaboration with our workforce, formally throughlocal and centralized works councils and unions. We actively seek participation and input from our employees
to improve our processes in the areas of health, safety, ergonomics, energy savings and waste reduction.
Additionally, we further encourage the active participation of our workforce in hundreds of Kaizen improvement
workshops across all sites. We make these efforts because we believe that through the active involvement of
our employees, more ideas will result in better outcomes and safer work environments. For these reasons andmany others, we have employees celebrating significant service milestones at 10, 20, 30 and even 40 years ofcontinuous service. With those years comes a depth of knowledge about our products, processes and ourcustomers that is second to none.

CREATING A BETTER TOMORROW BEGINS TODAYTOC

HIGHLIGHT
City of Hope
For nearly 40 years, ACCO Brands has beena supporter of City of Hope, a U.S.-based
research hospital dedicated to discovering
innovative treatments for cancer, diabetes
and other life-threatening diseases and rapidly bringing them to patients. During the 2022
giving campaign, ACCO Brands raised $792,000
through employee giving and Company-sponsored events in the United States.

COMPANYSTRATEGY

GOVERNANCEPEOPLE

PLANETPRODUCTSSASBCOMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTACCO Brands is committed to making an investment in the communities
where we live and work by supporting the causes that matter to our employees
and consumers.
Many of our employees around the globe helped to make a difference in their communities by volunteering at
local homeless shelters, collecting non-perishable items for foodbanks and food pantries, providing schools withneeded materials, participating in blood drives, coordinating adopt-a-family programs during the holidays andmaking improvements to local parks and gathering places.
ACCO Brands contributed approximately $1.47 million in monetary and in-kind donations to nonprofit organizations in 2022. In addition to our overall corporate commitment to City of Hope and Kids in Need Foundation,
ACCO Brands and its employees supported many local charities and causes through volunteering, strategic
partnerships, product donations and financial contributions.
The commitment by our teams to make a difference is evident in the number of outreach efforts andcharitable giving initiatives they undertake. During 2022:• Our school products business in Canada continued to donate products to the Pinball Clemons Foundation,
which provides marginalized and racialized youth with educational resources and options to assist themin successfully entering the workforce and become gainfully employed in careers they desire.

Kids In Need Foundation• Our team in Brazil participated in a community awareness campaign to collect warm clothing for the needy
and donated clothing to 300 people.

Ensuring that every child in the U.S. is preparedto learn and succeed in the classroom is themission of the Kids in Need Foundation (KINF).
In 2022, ACCO Brands supported KINF with
$433,300 in monetary and in-kind donations.

• On the International Day of the Fight Against Cancer in Mexico, employees wrote letters of motivation thatwere handed out as a means of support for the women involved with the CIMA Foundation, an organization thatassists women with the physical and mental well-being needed as they work to overcome breast cancer.

21• The U.S.-based computer products team built 18 bicycles for children in foster care through its partnershipwith a community organization that works to improve the lives of youth in foster care.

Creatinga BetterTomorrow
FOR OUR PLANETACCO Brands is committed toreducing the environmental impactof our operations and having greater
efficiency in the procurement, use
and ultimate disposal of our resources.
We are actively focused on maximizing
efficient energy usage, reducing
emissions, minimizing water
consumption and maximizing
recycling waste, as these are the areas
where we can have the most impact.

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PLANETPRODUCTSSASBENVIRONMENTAL POLICY & MANAGEMENT SYSTEMSAs part of our responsibilities to ourselves, one another, our customers andour communities, we are committed to reducing the environmental impact of
our operations and complying with all applicable environmental regulations.
Our regional businesses each operate under their own environmental policies
and procedures which enable this commitment.
Environmental and Energy Management Certification
Fifty-three percent of our factory, distribution and office sites with 50+ employees have achieved ISO 14001
Environmental Management certification. ISO 14001 provides a systematic framework to reduce environmental
impact by integrating management practices with supporting environmental protection, preventing pollution,
minimizing waste and reducing energy and materials consumption.
Fourteen percent of our manufacturing, warehousing and office locations with 50+ employees have earned
certifications under the ISO 50001 Energy Management standard. ISO 50001 is designed to help an organization
improve its energy performance through better use of its energy-intensive assets. Improved energy performancemaximizes the efficient use of energy sources and energy-related assets, reducing both cost and consumption.

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HIGHLIGHT
EMEA Leads the Charge to Reduce
Emissions by Beginning Constructionof a Solar Park in Poland
Our Kozience, Poland, site has worked out an
arrangement with a third party to have a solarpark installed on their land. The 989 kW solarpark will provide over 1,100 MWh in renewableenergy annually. The land was prepared in
2022 and construction began in April 2023.

COMPANYSTRATEGY

GOVERNANCEPEOPLE

PLANETPRODUCTSSASB

CLIMATE CHANGE & ENERGY USE
As global citizens, we are concerned about the negative consequences of climatechange and are committed to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.
Energy Efficiency
Reducing the energy intensity of our operations – theamount of energy used to produce a given level of output
or activity – is a cost-effective way to reduce emissions,increase the energy efficiency of our facilities and support
our sustainability objectives. Our goal is to increase energy
efficiency at our factories and distribution centers, as wellas in offices with 50+ employees, by 10% from our 2019baseline by 2025. Since our most significant energy sourceis electricity, we are focusing largely on initiatives that
reduce our electricity consumption and have begun to
explore the use of renewable electricity sources in many
countries. Our total energy consumption decreased from2021 by 5%. In 2022, 14% of our electricity was generated
from renewable sources, up from 7.1% in 2021.

Index (MWH/million USD net sales)
50

47.72

51.94
44.92

41.74

40
30
20
10
0

2019 (Baseline)

2020

2021

2022

New energy reduction projects initiated in 2022 and ongoing projects included replacing lighting with highly
energy-efficient LED lights at multiple sites, continuing to update ventilation systems and reduce runtimes,
installing detectors to turn on/off lighting systems, optimizing compressed air links on lines, optimizing external
lighting times to save on electricity and replacing the graphite furnace in our Lillyhall facility.
We measure our energy efficiency improvement by calculating our total energy used (in MWH) in our manufacturing and distribution facilities and office locations as a percentage of our annual net sales in a given year andcomparing it against our baseline calculation for the 2019 year. We do not include energy consumed by any
third party that manufactures purchased finished goods we resell to our customers and, as a result, our totalenergy used may vary significantly depending on the mix of products we sell in a given year. Additionally, inorder to eliminate any distortion in this calculation from the impact on our net sales of year-to-year fluctuations
in foreign currency rates, we adjust our reported net sales for both the 2019 baseline year and the current year
to reflect a constant currency exchange rate. Based on this methodology, we realized a 13% improvement inenergy efficiency in 2022 relative to the 2019 baseline.
For location information included in our 2022 energy and emission data, click here.

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HIGHLIGHT:
HIGHLIGHT
Improving Recycling Process
Our employees in Alexandria, Pennsylvania,
identified an opportunity to not only increase
recycling, but also reduce labor and improve
the price received for recycled materials. Whilesmall paper waste generated from converting
operations is directly air handled into balers by
paper grade, all remaining larger paper waste
was being manually collected, segregated bygrade, and packed into gaylords. The teamcreated a baled waste system for large
wastepaper by purchasing a shredder andconveyors and integrating them with theexisting stand-alone horizontal baler. Thissystem has increased the prices received forrecycled waste and reduced housekeeping
and storage costs.

COMPANYSTRATEGY

GOVERNANCEPEOPLE

PLANET

CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONSCO2 Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions from ourmanufacturing, warehousing and office locations with50+ employees were down 13% from 2021 levels –a significant improvement. This reduction is due toseveral of our sites purchasing carbon-free electricity
to reduce their emissions and less energy consumption
overall.
Scope 1 emissions are emissions that come directly from ACCO
Brands’ manufacturing, warehousing and office locations. Scope
2 emissions are emissions that come from energy we purchaseto run our manufacturing, warehousing and office locations.

* 2020 was previously reported as 89%,
it is now known to be 86.6%

35,00034,031

30,00025,81225,00015,00010,000
5,000
0

2020

2021

2022

Recycled Rate
90%

86%

86%

87%

2020

2021

2022

80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%

WATER USE

* 2020 and 2021 data was updated from our previous report.

22,42020,00010%
0%While our operations are not water-intensive, we doour best to manage our water use responsibly andminimize consumption.

SASB

Scope 1 & 2 Carbon Emissions(Metric Tons of CO2)

WASTE MANAGEMENT
In 2022, 87% of the non-hazardous waste producedby our factories and distribution centers was recycled.
The recycling rate has been steady over the past three
years. We continue to look for more ways to increase
our recycling efforts with the goal of minimizing
our waste.

PRODUCTS

Water Consumption (Kiloliters)
100,000

95,557

101,299

93,15380,00060,000For location information included in our 2022 water andwaste data, click here.

40,00020,000
0

25

2020*

2021*

2022

Creatinga BetterTomorrow
THROUGH OUR PRODUCTS
ACCO Brands distributes products
in more than 100 countries and arecommitted to delivering innovative
products that are safe andsustainable.
We are committed to reducing theenvironmental impact of our products.
Our company is actively focused onincreasing products certified toenvironmental and social standards,
reducing plastics in our packaging andfinding more sustainable packaging
solutions, sourcing sustainable andlegally harvested paper, and ensuring
our suppliers are responsible.

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COMPANYSTRATEGY

GOVERNANCEPEOPLE

PLANETPRODUCTSSASB

SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

In 2022:

100% 98%of 239 strategic
in-scope supplierfactory locations
were audited

94%

of requested
suppliers certifiedcompliance with
ACCO Brands’
Supplier Code of
Conduct

95%

of ACCO Brandsinitiated, third-party
supplier audits
included Worker
Sentiment Surveysof all social
responsibility
checkpoints audited
indicatedconformance withapplicable standards

97%of requested
suppliers certifiedcompliance with
ACCO Brands’
Conflict Minerals
Policy165+

Suppliers completed
382 e-learning
lessons on various
compliance topics,
such as labor, healthand safety, security
and corrective action
plan management

We are committed to responsible sourcing, and we engage, support and collaborate
with our suppliers in pursuit of this objective. ACCO Brands is committed to ensuringthat its employees and contract workers are treated with respect and dignity,
working conditions in our own facilities as well as our global supply chain are safe,
and manufacturing processes are environmentally responsible.
We currently manufacture approximately 40% of our products in our own facilities located in the countries
where we operate, and source the remaining 60% from lower-cost countries, primarily in Asia.
We have a Social Responsibility Policy guided by the international human rights principles encompassed in
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Labor Organization’s Declaration on Fundamental
Principles and Rights at Work, and the United Nations’ Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
The core of our Social Responsibility Policy is our Supplier Code of Conduct, which establishes our standards
and expectations regarding working conditions, safety, security and environmental responsibility.
We conduct annual audits to evaluate our suppliers’ compliance with our Supplier Code of Conduct. All supplierswith spend over $100K that are located in a high-risk countries are subject to an annual audit and follow-up
activities as needed. Suppliers with spend under $100K are required to complete a supplier audit questionnaire.
Depending on the results, the supplier may also be subject to an audit. We also audit our own manufacturing
facilities against these same standards. All audits are conducted by a recognized third party that utilizes standard
audit criteria based on industry standards.
ACCO Brands works with its third-party audit firm to establish the scope of audits based on segmentation that
focus on risk, influence, corrective actions and workers’ sentiments surveys, which are a critical part of ouraudit process. If any failures to conform, or “non-conformances,” are identified during the audit, we require
the supplier to create a corrective action plan and monitor the progress until all major non-conformances areresolved. Our regional compliance experts provide local support to our suppliers with tailored training andcoaching on specific social, environmental and governance issues, capacity building, e-learning and sharing
best practices. Click here for details on audit non-conformances.
Conflict Minerals
ACCO Brands is committed to the responsible sourcing of 3TG (tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold), including fromthe countries covered by the U.S. Conflict Minerals Rule. In addition, ACCO Brands takes its regulatory obligations,
including under the U.S. Conflict Minerals Rule, seriously. ACCO Brands has adopted a policy in furtherance of theforegoing and as part of our efforts to encourage our suppliers to respect human rights and source products
and components in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. We partner with specialized third-party
companies annually to facilitate the collection of required documents to ensure compliance with the policy.

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PLANETPRODUCTSSASBRAW MATERIAL SOURCING
Paper is the single largest raw material we procure for our own manufacturing sites, so sourcing paper fromtimber that is grown sustainably and is harvested legally is extremely important to us. Our locations that
manufacture paper and wood-based products hold various third-party certifications. These certifications
establish that the paper and/or wood-based materials included in the products are from legally andresponsibly managed forests.

THE FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL™ (FSC™) is an international organization whose mission is to promoteresponsible management of the world’s forests. The intent of the FSC system is to shift the market to eliminate
habitat destruction, water pollution, displacement of indigenous peoples and violence against people and wildlifethat may sometimes accompany logging. For more information, visit http://www.fsc.org.

THE SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY INITIATIVE® (SFI) program is based upon principles that promote sustainable
forest management, including measures to protect water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, at-risk species
and forests with exceptional conservation value. For more information, visit https://forests.org/

PEFC/21-31-260

THE PROGRAMME FOR THE ENDORSEMENT OF FOREST CERTIFICATION (PEFC) is an international non-profit,
nongovernmental organization dedicated to promoting Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) throughindependent third-party certification. It works throughout the entire forest supply chain to promote goodpractice in the forest and to ensure that timber and non-timber forest products are produced with respect
for the highest ecological, social and ethical standards. For more information, visit http://www.pefc.org

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HIGHLIGHT:
HIGHLIGHT
GreenPathTM by Cambridge® Launched
to Meet Eco-conscious Demand
The Cambridge team launched GreenPath™
by Cambridge® to encourage users to makean eco-conscious choice in planners andnotebooks. The paper in the new productline is made with 100% post-consumer wastematerials, and the covers are made with 30%
or 100% post-consumer waste materials,
depending on the color selected. The wire is
uncoated and can be recycled. The planners
and notebooks are 100% recyclable.
In addition to the materials in the productbeing eco-conscious, the product also features
tips to help promote a sustainable andenvironmentally friendly lifestyle.

COMPANY

GOVERNANCEPEOPLE

PLANETPRODUCTSSASBPRODUCT CERTIFICATION
Certification to environmental and social sustainability standards is an indicator of a product’s safety, reliability,
quality and authenticity. In 2020, we set a goal to increase our revenue from products certified to third-party
environmental and social sustainability standards by 10 percentage points by 2025. Similar to how the impact
of FX affects our performance measurement for energy efficiency, it also affects our certified product goal. In
order to eliminate any distortion in this calculation from the impact on our net sales of year-to-year fluctuations
in foreign currency rates, we adjust our reported certified product sales and net sales for both the 2019 baseline year and the current year to reflect a constant currency exchange rate. Our 2019 baseline of gross sales ofcertified products is now adjusted to 31.8% of global net sales, which is due to a previous over-reporting error ofcertified products in the baseline year. In 2022, we realized a 7.4 percentage point increase in certified productsales over our 2019 baseline.
We grew our sales of some existing certified product lines, including Five Star Recycled®, GreenPath™ by
Cambridge®, and our EMEA Ergo range. We continue to pursue opportunities to add environmental and social
sustainability certifications to our products where it makes sense and adds value.

CERTIFICATIONSThe ACCO Brands products that are identified as being certified are included if they arecertified by international, regional or country-based organizations. Our certifications include:
Environmentally
Responsible Production

Responsible
Forestry

Health and Safety

Recycled

CarbonNeutralAustrian Eco Label

Forest StewardshipCouncil™ (FSC™)FSC-C111069
FSC-C106700
FSC-C003148
FSC-C007274
FSC-C116493

Art and Creative
Materials Institute(ACMI)
Approved ProductBlue Angel

Carbon Neutral

Good Environmental Choice
Australia (GECA)

Programme for theEndorsement ofForest Certification(PEFC)
PEFC/21-31-260
PEFC/16-37-2358

Geprüfte Sicherheit

UL Recycled
Content

Nordic Swan

Sustainable Forestry
Initiative® (SFI®)

Institut für Gesundheit
und Ergonomie (IGR)

UL Greenguard

29

STRATEGY

Furniture Industry
Research Association(FIRA)

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COMPANYSTRATEGY

GOVERNANCEPEOPLE

PLANETPRODUCTSSASBPRODUCT SAFETY, QUALITY, TESTING & DEVELOPMENT
Product Safety
ACCO Brands aims to provide customers with safe products that meet or exceed their expectations for quality
and safety, and are designed to comply with all applicable laws, standards and regulations. Our product safety
program defines core requirements that include minimum product composition and safety standards, based onhuman health and environmental safety factors. All electrical products are designed to meet applicable productsafety, chemical composition, energy efficiency and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements and areassessed and recertified, when necessary, to ensure compliance to the latest regulatory requirements.
• Our school products are evaluated to ensure they meet all required local child health and safety standards.
• Our line voltage electrical products for the U.S., Canada and EMEA have been tested and certified by anappropriately accredited third party, such as UL or TUV-SUD.
• Higher-risk products, such as lithium battery powered products, are subject to a more stringent level of laboratory accreditation requirements, and we often obtain third-party certifications that involve factory inspections.
In addition, nearly all products developed in-house are subject to Design Failure Mode and Effect Analysis(DFMEA) and Hazard-Based Safety Engineering (HBSE) assessments during the development cycle to identify
and appropriately mitigate potential risks before launch.
We monitor internal and external data to identify potential safety incidents with our products. A cross-functional
committee, consisting of business managers, product compliance, quality, risk management and legal meetsregularly to discuss compliance or product safety risks, incident investigations and corrective actions.
Chemical and Safety Hazards
ACCO Brands takes a three-stepped approach to chemical management.
Step 1. The publication of the Restricted Substance List (RSL), which outlines our expectations regarding
chemical compliance. Global chemical regulatory activity is closely monitored through several third-party tools,
ensuring that the RSL remains up to date with the changing chemical landscape.
Step 2. Communicating and monitoring supplier compliance to the RSL. Our suppliers are notified of any
RSL revisions as those revisions occur.
Step 3. Chemical verification testing program. For high-risk products, verification testing is performed for key
RSL chemical substances, including PFAS, Phthalates and heavy metals. We use accredited third-party laboratories
with a global footprint to implement and manage our verification program.
Click here for more information about Chemical Management.

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CREATING A BETTER TOMORROW BEGINS TODAYTOC

HIGHLIGHT:
HIGHLIGHT
Flagship Swingline® Staplers Get an Upgrade
Our stapling team decided it was time to giveour four flagship Swingline® staplers a fresh
modernized look and improve the packaging
to make it more sustainable. Previously, thestaplers were housed in a plastic PET clamshell.
For many of the products in the line, they wereable to replace the plastic with corrugatedboxes. In some cases, such as value packs
with bundled items, the clamshells remainednecessary to protect the products. However,for some of those product lines with clamshells,
they were able to convert from PET to Bio-PET.
Bio-PET is identical in every way to PET, but it ismade from 30% bio-based waste product. Like
PET, Bio-PET is a widely recyclable plastic.

COMPANYSTRATEGY

GOVERNANCEPEOPLE

PLANETPRODUCTS

SASB

Quality Management and Continuous Improvement
The Company has quality management teams that are responsible for the identification and resolution of productquality issues. ACCO Brands’ suppliers and manufacturing locations strive to follow industry-best practices toensure the quality of our products. As a result, 60% of our factory, distribution and office sites with 50+
employees have achieved ISO 9001 certification.
During production or before shipment, inspections are performed to confirm that aesthetic, function, packaging
and labeling meet our specifications. If a defect is found, the cause is immediately investigated and corrective
action taken.
Our quality management processes include periodic system and process audits performed either by
Company personnel or third parties. Deficiencies found during the audits are addressed through root cause
analysis and corrective actions to improve processes. Performance of the quality management system ismeasured and monitored utilizing key indicators defect rates and customer satisfaction. When key indicators
do not meet our standards, we initiate an investigation and improvement actions are implemented. Design issues
are addressed through engineering changes, and process issues are resolved through corrective actions.

PRODUCT PACKAGING
We strive to use consumer-friendly and environmentally responsible packaging
where possible. We are focused on strategic opportunities to reduce packaging,increase recycled content and consider material substitutions to lower ourenvironmental impact.

33

31

In Summary
As our 2022 ESG reportdemonstrates, ACCO Brands remains
committed to achieving the goals set
forth for our People, Planet andProducts and to ensuring we arefaithful to our company values.
To date, we have reached meaningful milestones and are preparing thepath for greater results in the future.
Our accomplishments were achieved
through the efforts of Great People
who remained focused on the tasks
at hand, despite the uncertainty andnoise in the marketplace. Theircreativity, knowledge and dedication –through every level of our organization– will ensure that we continue to do
all we can to fulfill and accomplish
our ESG goals and create a better
tomorrow.
ACCO Brands looks forward tocontinuing its ESG journey andreporting our accomplishments toall stakeholders.

32Key Metrics
ACCO BRANDSSUSTAINABILITY ACCOUNTINGSTANDARDS BOARD (SASB)
REFERENCE TABLEThe Sustainability AccountingStandards Board (SASB) is an independent, private-sector standards-settingorganization dedicated to enhancing
the efficiency of the capital markets
by fostering high-quality disclosureof material sustainability informationthat meets investor needs. This tablereferences the standards for Multiline
and Specialty Retailers & Distributors
and Toys & Sporting Goods industries,
as defined by SASB’s Sustainable
Industry Classification System (SICS),
with the location of that informationin ACCO Brands’ 2022 ESG Report oraccobrands.com.
Because ACCO Brands is a diversified consumer goods
manufacturer, the nature of our business does not fit
squarely within one industry as defined by the SICS. We
focused on the Consumer Goods sector standards toidentify which topics are material to our business andidentified five within the Multiline and Specialty Retailers
and Distributors and Toys and Sporting Goods industry
standards.

33

CREATING A BETTER TOMORROW BEGINS TODAY
TOC
Topic

Accounting Metric

EnergyManagement

Data
Security

Labor
Practices

Workforce
Diversity& Inclusion

Product
Sourcing,
Packaging &MarketingLabor
Conditionsin theSupplyChain

34

Category

COMPANY
Unit ofMeasureSTRATEGYCode

PEOPLE

PLANETData
305,411 GJ

Total energy consumed
Percentage grid electricity

GOVERNANCE

Quantitative

Gigajoules (GJ)

CG-MR-130a.1

Percentage renewable

84%
14%

PRODUCTSSASB

Reference
ESG 2022:
Climate Change, page 24
https://www.accobrands.com/compliance-center/data-security-privacy/

Description of approach to identifying andaddressing security risks

Discussion
and Analysis

N/A

CG-MR-230a.1(1) Number of data breaches, (2) percentage
involving personally identifiable information(PII), (3) number of customers affected

Quantitative

Number,
Percentage (%)

CG-MR-230a.2

We will report any material data breaches as
required in our periodic reports filed with the
SEC.

(1) Average hourly wage and (2) percentage of
in-store employees earning minimum wage, byregionQuantitative

Reportingcurrency,
Percentage (%)

CG-MR-310a.1

Not applicable as we do not have any in-store
employees.

(1) Voluntary and (2) involuntary turnover rate
for in-store employees

Quantitative

Rate

CG-MR-310a.2

Not applicable as we do not have any in-store
employees.

Total amount of monetary losses as a resultof legal proceedings associated with labor law
violations

Quantitative

Reportingcurrency

CG-MR-310a.3

We will report any material losses as a resultof legal proceedings as required in ourperiodic reports filed with the SEC.
Global Management: Women 36%, Men 64%.
All other global employees: Women 42%, Men 58%.
Ethnic Minorities in U.S. Management: 20%.
Ethnic Minorities all other U.S. employees: 18%.

Percentage of gender and racial/ethnic grouprepresentation for (1) management and (2) allother employees

Quantitative

Total amount of monetary losses as a result oflegal proceedings associated with employment
discrimination

Quantitative

Reportingcurrency

CG-MR-330a.2

We will report any material losses as a resultof legal proceedings as required in ourperiodic reports filed with the SEC.

Revenue from products third-party-certified
to environmental and/or social sustainability
standards

Quantitative

Reportingcurrency

CG-MR-410a.1$795.5 million(gross USD sales @ 2019 budget rate)

Discussion of processes to assess and manage
risks and/or hazards associated with chemicals
in products

Discussion
and Analysis

N/A

CG-MR-410a.2

https://www.accobrands.com/
compliance-center/chemical-management/
ACCO Brands is committed to using
consumer-friendly and environmentally
responsible packaging. A significant
amount of our packaging contains
recycled content and/or is recyclable.
ESG 2022: Packaging, page 31

Percentage (%)

CG-MR-330a.1

ESG 2022:
Diversity and Inclusion, page 17(Management includes Managers andabove. Data as of Dec 31, 2021)

ESG 2022:
Products Certified to Environmental
and Social Sustainability Standards,
page 29

Discussion of strategies to reduce theenvironmental impact of packaging

Discussion
and Analysis

N/A

CG-MR-410a.3

Number of facilities audited to a social
responsibility code of conduct

Quantitative

Number

CG-TS-430a.1

253 facilities

ESG 2022:
Social Responsibility Program, page 27

Direct suppliers’ social responsibility audit(1) non-conformance rate and (2) associatedcorrective action rate for (a) priority nonconformances and (b) other non-conformances

Quantitative

Rate

CG-TS-430a.2

Priority non-conformance rate: 0.4%
Priority non-conformance corrective action rate:
100% Other non-conformance rate: 2% Other
non-conformance corrective action rate: 90%
within 60–90 days

ESG 2022:
Social Responsibility Program, page 27

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