We aspire to be a positive influence and conscientious corporate citizen within our local communities.
At OPENLANE, we believe that when our people and communities thrive, OPENLANE thrives. With operating locations across North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, the Philippines and Uruguay—and a customer base spanning about 40 countries—we have a global footprint. Every day, our people and products provide access to inventory and credit to thousands of dealers whose livelihoods depend upon a constant flow of used cars—ultimately connecting communities and fulfilling transportation needs on a global scale.
So we understand the importance of doing our part to be responsible corporate citizens. We actively seek opportunities to better our communities while ensuring our companies and employees are equipped to deliver on our customer and shareholder commitments. OPENLANE welcomes stakeholder feedback on ESG issues.
Environment & Sustainability
We aim to be conscientious stewards of the environment and natural resources, and vigilantly strive to ensure compliance with applicable environmental laws. We aspire to reduce our environmental impact and increase efficiencies through a variety of initiatives, and as our business evolves aim to continue implementing improvements that further reduce risks while optimizing economic benefits.
Our marketplaces play a vital role in the lifecycle of vehicles, ensuring that millions of used cars are upcycled and re-used each year and that used car dealers and consumers have access to a variety of affordable transportation options. OPENLANE helps facilitate the reduction of both the number of vehicles scrapped and the level of new vehicle production, thereby avoiding significant associated carbon emissions.
Our digital marketplace platforms help further decrease the carbon footprint associated with remarketing used vehicles by reducing transportation of vehicles, the operation of vehicles on sale days, and total miles logged by customers driving to and from physical locations. The sale of the ADESA US physical auction business in 2022 and conversion of ADESA Canada to a digital-only auction format in 2020 accelerated OPENLANE’s digital marketplace strategy and simplified our business model while reducing both OPENLANE’s physical and environmental footprints. And our dealer-to-dealer platforms—including BacklotCars and TradeRev—eliminate the need to transport vehicles to auction, further reducing emissions.
We have also implemented initiatives to reduce and responsibly dispose of non-hazardous waste across our locations—from elimination of personal waste receptacles to use of shared printers and more, including availability of recycling bins next to trash receptacles at our corporate locations. All printers are programmed to print double-sided by default to further reduce paper waste, and the company works with third-parties to responsibly dispose of electronic equipment waste including cell phones and computers.
OPENLANE continues to explore, develop and adopt digital innovations that further reduce our environmental impact. For instance, AFC converted 10 branches to digital branches in 2021, reducing the company’s physical footprint while also reducing carbon emissions associated with physical travel of both customers and employees to and from those branches. Similarly, OPENLANE’s self-inspect technologies enable dealers and lessees to conduct vehicle inspections wherever the vehicle is located, without an inspector traveling to the vehicle.
As our operating locations undergo modernizations, we strive to incorporate a variety of “green” initiatives as relevant and appropriate—from vehicle charging stations, lighting and occupancy sensors, daylight harvesting technology, solar-adaptive technology and climate control efficiencies to recycled rainwater and water reclamation systems.
People &
Community
Our employees are passionate about the work we do, the customers we serve and the communities we live in. They are the driving force behind our culture and how we engage with our customers and communities—so we understand the importance of ensuring we’re working together in lockstep, and providing a work environment that sparks personal and professional growth while being safe and welcoming to all.
OPENLANE sees value in each and every person. We are committed to providing a work environment that appreciates diversity and does not tolerate discrimination under any circumstances. We aim to foster a culture of open dialogue while providing resources and support for team members of all races, genders, sexual orientation, abilities and religions.
To help strengthen employee engagement and belonging across our diverse global talent pool, the company has established employee resource groups (ERGs) spanning a variety of affinities. The ERGs—which are executive-sponsored and membership-led—also create new pathways for mentorship, networking and professional development.
We are proud to partner with many organizations in our communities, providing them financial, in-kind and volunteer support. Our corporate giving and community involvement is fueled by our philosophy, “We believe in second chances for cars, people and communities.”
Our quarterly pulse survey and bi-monthly town halls provide employees an opportunity to share about their experiences, and help pinpoint areas for improvement while holding leadership accountable and gauging whether we’re on track. Employees may also share ideas and feedback anonymously at any time via our virtual ideas box.
We offer employees professional development opportunities, including access to hundreds of on-demand, multi-lingual training content programs to further their development goals.
Health & Safety
When it comes to safety, OPENLANE’s commitment to our employees, customers and communities is well known and well established. We adhere to industry-leading safety standards, and strive to go above and beyond with a “safety first” culture. We also believe safety should not be a proprietary issue, a competitive issue or an economic issue—but an industry responsibility.
With the divestiture of the ADESA US physical auction business and conversion of ADESA Canada to a digital-only auction format, the vast majority of OPENLANE employees are now desk-based—reducing occupational risk and further enhancing our safety profile.
OPENLANE remains committed to safety across our workplaces and, more broadly, to leading the way for our industry and helping it evolve to reduce occupational risk and attain higher standards of safety. OPENLANE launched our Safe T. Sam auction safety training program in 2013, and subsequently partnered with the National Auto Auction Association (NAAA) to bring the program to auction employees across North America. Now recognized as the industry standard in safety training, more than 130,000 auction employees have been certified or recertified since 2016.
Our latest product innovations and technologies are built with an eye toward further enhancing safety and minimizing risk while bolstering customers’ outcomes. Our marketplaces—including ADESA Canada, ADESA Europe, BacklotCars, OPENLANE and TradeRev—all provide customers with fast, simple, effective and safe options for selling and buying used vehicle inventory without running vehicles through auction lanes.
Governance
We are committed to high standards of ethical business conduct, data security and privacy as well as strong corporate governance practices. OPENLANE expects high standards of business and professional conduct—both internally and by those with whom we do business. This commitment is highlighted by the practices described below as well as the information contained in the Governance section of this site.
We understand that to be a true customer champion and to gain and preserve our customers’ trust, we must operate all facets of our business with integrity, from our Board of Directors and management to our workforce and our supply chain. All employees, regardless of geographic location, are expected to uphold the OPENLANE Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. Employees receive annual training on the Code and related policies, and employees are also trained and encouraged to use the OPENLANE Ethics Hotline for reporting potential policy, Code or ethics violations.
OPENLANE’s suppliers, vendors and other partners are required to adhere to our Supplier Code of Conduct, which outlines general expectations and requirements for behaving consistently with, and positively reflecting on, OPENLANE’s values.
As part of our commitment to leading the digital transformation of the auto remarketing industry, we understand the importance of safeguarding the privacy and security of customer data and personal information. Employees complete quarterly cybersecurity awareness training, and in 2021 OPENLANE launched Privacy Pam, an industry-first employee training program focused on ensuring compliance with evolving privacy protection standards. In 2022, OPENLANE partnered with the National Auto Auction Association (NAAA) to offer Privacy Pam training modules to all NAAA member auctions—helping bring the entire industry forward. Curricula topics range from understanding the difference between privacy and security to what personal information is located in a vehicle, as well as international privacy. Trainings are updated and more topics are added as new data privacy and security trends and threats emerge.
We maintain security and privacy controls aligned with frameworks developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the International Standards Organization (ISO), and conduct SOC1 reports for several subsidiaries. We carry comprehensive cyber risk insurance.
Our commitment to data security and privacy is demonstrated in our overall approach to governance. Our Chief Information Security Officer and Chief Privacy Officer incorporate security and privacy by design throughout the organization with strong support from management and our Board of Directors. Our Chief Information Security Officer reports quarterly to the Risk Committee of the Board on information security matters. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board of Directors provides oversight of ESG matters.