We at DNS Belgium have been working on a sustainable strategy since 2016. The related sustainability policy is based on four pillars: an inspiring workplace, leader in security, digital awareness and sustainable chain management.
Care for the environment is of course an important part of our sustainability policy and our pursuit of a sustainable chain. We have accordingly taken a number of CO2 saving measures. For instance, we switched to green electricity for our office and are trying to bring about a mobility shift.
The lease bicycle and the blue bike
Belgium is known as the country of company cars. The impact on the environment is self-evident. We are therefore trying to change that situation with our custom cafeteria programme. Under that programme, our employees are given the opportunity to trade in their company car for a lease bicycle. They can also exchange their reserved parking place partially or fully. A little more than half of our employees have opted for a lease bicycle in the meantime. They can choose from all sorts of bikes, from an e-bike to a city bike, a racing bike or a mountain bike. We moreover compensate the cycle mileage of people who come to work by bike.
We also encourage our visitors to come by public transport. Our offices are within cycling distance from the Leuven train station and there is a comfortable and safe cycling path along the entire route. Our visitors can request a blue voucher to hire a blue bike free of charge for this ride from the station to our office.
Finally, we regularly take part in sustainability actions such as Bike to Work Summer Challenge, the national homeworking day, sustainable mobility day, the national applause day for cyclists, the Car Free Day, etc.
Win win win
We do so because we are convinced that we as a sustainable organisation can bring about a change in mentality and a mobility shift. This leads to a win-win-win situation:
- We as a company win in the long term because we have healthier employees – absence due to illness has already dropped effectively – and because petrol card costs are going down.
- It is naturally a win for our employees because they are healthier and more relaxed when they come to work. They are also better off financially because we compensate their cycle mileage.
- And of course the environment wins because we emit less CO2.
With this article, we support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.