It is less than three years ago that Axcentive decided to join Ecovadis – a global partnership offering companies a structural benchmark approach to corporate social and environmental activities. In the meantime we are proud to have received the Gold Medal Award. With confidence I can state that our team has become addicted to the creative strive towards a positive environmental and social impact. We continue to reduce our electricity consumption, despite increases in staff. Our paper consumption continues to go down thanks to more and more electronic processes. Soon our solar power generation should start up; other staff initiatives reduce our waste such as our re-useable lunch boxes or even small initiatives such as the re-use of waste by improving the soil with used coffee grounds. We turn our consumption to more ‘bio’ by buying fresh bio produce locally.
Going beyond our own impact, we continuously try to get our suppliers addicted to this same energy boost. Some are in an advanced stage such as our road transporter DSV who is extensively reporting on continuous improvements in CO2 emissions with their trucks.
For sea shipments the choices are still limited. Several sector initiatives are ongoing (e.g. alternative fuels, slow steaming) but for a company such as ours, the transport chain is long and it is still difficult to actually favour the lower impact option.
Our manufacturers are making a real impact, though coming from far. Boosted by ever more stringent limits on air, liquid and solid waste and directives on safe and healthier working conditions, significant investments – some of several millions of Euros – are made by those that have the resources. Others are forced to close down.
One example shows a moderate size factory having reduced its SO2 and NOx emissions to less than 25 % of the reference. Another site even reached 40 % less gas emissions. Yet another plant has re-vamped its biological waste water treatment installation, allowing to send the sufficiently clean water to the municipal waste water treatment installation for final treatment. Sometimes it is about installing a warning system when emissions are exceeding a limit in order to react quickly.
Over the past few years we have significantly concentrated our purchases with those manufacturers that fully comply with our Code of Conduct and that have active policies on Health and Safety, Environmental and Sustainable Supplies.
Axcentive is performing regular supplier audits on environmental measures taken. Also we ask difficult questions about health, safety and ethical issues such as bribery. We are extremely happy to see the willingness of our suppliers to cooperate with this. Even if for some of them this topic is relatively new. Our suppliers worldwide recognise the importance of awareness and reporting on CSR topics.
“For 2020 Axcentive is committed to have a significant positive impact. You – our suppliers – play a crucial role here. Creative improvements on all aspects under your control are possible and needed. If necessary Axcentive will insist on such further measures and ask a reasonable effort in relation to waste emissions, working conditions or ethical behaviour. Our concerted efforts will reflect on the reputation of our companies (and our people!) and the positive impact they make in this world.”
