DRIVEN BY SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability has long been a focus of Cintas. Doing what’s right for our people, our planet and our customers’ workday has long been at the center of our business services. We never stop thinking of new and innovative ways to responsibly solve for the challenges of today while preparing to overcome the challenges of tomorrow as they evolve. It’s this Shared Drive for Better that sets Cintas apart.
OUR ORIGINS
Our sustainable business model began almost 100 years ago. In 1929 during the Great Depression, Doc and Amelia Farmer collected dirty, discarded shop rags from Cincinnati area businesses. They took these home to be washed, then resold them to the same businesses. They created a local circular economy for shop rags — and established the foundations of spirit and ingenuity for which Cintas has become known. Since then, Cintas has continued to introduce new products and services that help customers keep their own facilities, employees and customers cleaner, safer and healthier — pushing Cintas to the company it is today.
We provide a host of products and services to help businesses open their doors with confidence. Our company portfolio includes a wide range of environmentally and socially focused products that promote a cleaner environment, an ethical supply chain, and the safety and health of the communities we serve.
WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO
Dick Farmer, who established modern Cintas in 1968, developed Cintas’ foundation with our values, standards and practices, and our Corporate Culture. He was ahead of his time, incorporating sustainability values in the company’s culture and operations long before the ideas of corporate social responsibility and sustainability were commonly articulated. His personal insights inspired the book The Spirit is the Difference, and that title has become a common phrase for employee-partners as they describe what makes the atmosphere at Cintas unique.
Our culture has three elements — our Principal Objective, corporate character, and our management system. In 1979, our Board of Directors established our principal objective as: “We will exceed our customers’ expectations to maximize the long-term value of Cintas for its shareholders and working partners.” Our corporate character is summarized by the ethical values, standards, and attitudes we aspire to exhibit to each other, to our customers, and to the communities in which we do business. And finally, our management system is guided by dynamic policies and procedures that help promote our ethical, operational, and cultural expectations for our business.
The idea of positive discontent is also at the core of everything we do at Cintas and continues to bring new meaning as our world changes and our customers’ needs evolve. The Spirit Is the Difference sets forward a concrete path that explains how we continually strive to prioritize long-term company value, keep our stakeholders involved and central to all our decisions and operate in an ethical, moral and compliant manner – and that path leads the way for our sustainability journey.
THIS IS CINTAS
Doc and Amelia’s ingenuity and environmentally focused activities of almost 100 years ago remain at the core of our company. As we’ve grown, we’ve enacted processes and policies to promote conducting our business with the highest ethical standards and keeping people central in all our decisions.
Cintas Corporation helps more than 1 million businesses of all types and sizes get Ready for the Workday® with confidence. Our products and services help keep our customers’ facilities and employees clean, safe, and looking their best. We do so by operating with a sustainable business model. We strive to minimize the aggregate environmental impact of our products and services, promote sustainability and a common respect, and manage our business in a responsible, ethical way.
We provide a host of products and services to help businesses open their doors with confidence. Our company portfolio includes a range of environmentally and socially focused products that promote a cleaner environment, an ethical supply chain, and the safety and health of the communities we serve.