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In 2017, upon the request of employees, VELUX Belgium (V-B) decided to establish a “Green Team”, comprised of a group of colleagues from the different departments, determined to limit V-B’s impact on the environment through concrete actions. Although the team is small, for Sabine Pauquay, Public Affairs Manager and Green Team coordinator, the initiative has been a success. “We were lucky that our employees’ enthusiasm in acting locally was met with a lot of benevolence on our management’s side,” says Sabine. “Concrete actions, even when they are at a small scale, trigger a sense of pride in our employees. And it does not always cost more to be sustainable!”
Here is a glimpse into V-B’s actions so far:
Reforestation & biodiversity
What V-B has made a 10,000 euro donation to two Belgian nature NGOs. Why Because of Covid security measures, V-B was not able to organise a real celebration in 2020 for the launch of the 2030 Sustainability Strategy. It was the decided to allocate the foreseen budget to reforestation and biodiversity projects in Belgium, in partnership with local nature NGOs. Result V-B’s first donation of 10,000 euros has been used to plant trees in Flanders and buy reserve land in Wallonia. Both NGOs have organised webinars to explain the projects to our employees. Considering the extremely positive response to these projects, an additional support for 2022 has already been decided.
Bulk Bar
What V-B avoided the use of plastic snack packaging by installing a bulk bar for the dried fruits and nuts snack. Why The bulk bar was an easy win to reduce the amount of single-use packaging in their snack area and a great way to show employees that small sustainable changes are available everywhere. Results Besides turning into an attraction in the kitchen, the Bulk Bar has managed to save 10 plastic packages each week.
Sourcing locally
What When possible, V-B switched to organic food and local producers. Why By switching to organic produce, V-B was able to invest in the local community and support local businesses, while also reducing transport emissions and support sustainable farming practices. Result All the fruits, vegetables and soup ordered for our employees are now organic. Local producers (e.g. for ice-cream) are now also preferred for small celebrations.
Waste sorting
What V-B invested in improving waste sorting, resulting in 6 different waste container options. Why We knew there was the option to better handle our waste and knew that a little investment, could go a long way. Result On top of improving their recycling efforts, the waste sorting has actually decreased the cost of waste handling at V-B.