Sustainability strategy
Enable the circular economy
We want to be a driving force in the transition towards a circular economy, in which waste is no more but is turned into new products and materials.
Reduce carbon emissions and waste
We understand the need not only to reduce our footprint, but also to decrease the negative impact of carbon emissions and waste on wider society.
Care for people
We have a responsibility to deliver our employees home safe and well, to create a rewarding, equal and inclusive working environment, and to have a positive impact on our communities.
Sustainability is at the heart of our operations. Last year, we introduced our new sustainability strategy following a comprehensive multi-stakeholder process. This took place under the guidance of company experts specialising in sustainability and business. We are delighted to announce that, despite the Covid-19 crisis, we made progress in almost all themes. Our commitment was further strengthened by the launch of Mission75 – a pledge to boost our recycling rate to 75% by 2025. To achieve this, we must divert a further 1.3 million tonnes of waste away from incineration and landfill towards recycling, taking us further as industry leaders.
We identified three sustainability themes that fit with the fundamentals of our company: Enable the circular economy, Reduce carbon emissions and waste, and Care for people. We also established six bold objectives which underline these and which have a clear connection with six of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Per objective we designed a set of key performance metrics, each with ambitious targets.
This year we have worked tirelessly on rolling out this strategy internally and externally, and have identified a range of projects to help us achieve our objectives. We have kick-started new projects in areas that are underdeveloped. To take our strategy further, we have developed tailor-made approaches per Division and business line.
Each of our Divisions is currently preparing targets that fit with their specific business objectives. They have identified important stepping-stones in this journey and will integrate these into their business action plans. The next step is to start reporting against progress made and review it on a quarterly basis. In this way, the strategy will become more integrated into our day-to-day operations.