Corporate social responsibility
‘Practice what you preach’
“Royal Haskoning’s engineers, consultants and architects are always busy thinking of sustainable solutions for a wide range of clients. Sustainability sits in the heart of all our projects. That’s were we can make a difference for the challenges of today’s society. We advise companies, for example, on how to use their waste as raw material or how to reduce their water consumption. We also help governments by putting forward ideas as how they can set out requirements in their tenders that are more energy-efficient.
We introduced the Cradle to Cradle® concept into the way we work because we are inspired by its philosophy, it has a positive, workable agenda that we can apply easily to everything we do. This concept gives us a framework within which we can explore projects to find the best possible results for all concerned. By making economical use of resources and waste and introducing solutions that enhance society in the long term, as well as meeting our clients’ own commercial, compliance and social agendas- we are delivering over and above initial project objectives.
I am convinced that we consistently achieve the best results for society and the environment through our projects with clients, but at the same time I also find it important to focus internally on corporate social responsibility. Firstly is essential to explain the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility to your own employees in concrete terms, for example, by using our Code of Conduct, which defines in detail how we do business. What is acceptable and what is not: clarity is vital here. We also take a range of measures to reduce our carbon footprint, for example, by taking fewer flights and making better more use of video conferencing systems. We have invested considerably in this over recent years, in addition we have started a ‘green’ car lease arrangement and are reviewing our suppliers’ approach to CSR. In the end it’s all about one thing: Practice what you preach”.
member Board of Management
Henry Rowe