BNP Paribas’ CSR report of 2010 puts the main focus on the new durable structure implemented by the organization, in which combating climate change and preventing any form of exclusion are key issues.
The most important results of 2010, the company’s vision on CSR and information about the founding of the Climate Steering Committe are explained in detail in the downloadable report, which can be found here.
Melotte, a technology company based in Zonhoven, is the first to make use of the revolutionary Direct Digital Manufacturing technique: a manufacturing process which creates physical parts directly from digital schematics, eliminating interventions such as drilling, grinding or milling. The material waste and energy and water usage are strongly reduced.
A three-dimensional printer allows the desired objects to be constructed by robots layer per layer out of concentrated powder. This nano-substance contains all basic resources and can be processed with a laser-plasma technique.
This blue economy technique allows huge savings in terms of durability and a much smaller ecological footprint. The number of logistic steps is reduced from 20 to 3, the used land from 150m² to 30m² and the energy usage from 295.000 to 60.500 kWh. Also, a lot less silicone and water is being used.
At First, Melotte exported only 5% of its production to a couple of neighbouring countries, but now the number of foreign clients has grown 50% with markets in America, South-Africa and Australia. Airbus, NASA, BASF and Janssen Pharmaceutica are among them.
You can find more information about Melotte on their website. Another interesting website about blue economy can be found here.
PET-bottles are reusable plastic bottles fabricated from Polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Every year, these types of bottles are sold and consumed by the millions. However, during the last couple of years, more effort has been put in recycling. In 2010, 1.5 million tons of PET-bottles were recycled in Europe alone, which is 6.5% more than the previous year.
Coca-Cola, one of the pioneers when it comes to producing and recycling PET-bottles, invested 42 million Euros in recycling during the past year. This was done in 19 countries, totalling 79.000 tons of PET-bottles in 2010. On the long-term, Coca-Cola aims to recycle and reuse all its bottles. For additional information, you can consult the company’s online CSR report here.
Every year, the Belgian Development Agency organizes the ‘Be Fair and Be Sustainable Awards’. Does your company sell fair-trade and/or durable products? Then be sure to register and have a shot at winning 5.000 Euros and one of these four awards:
1.BE FAIR Award for a Belgian enterprise (or project for the start-up of an enterprise) that (among other things) sells fair-trade products and/or services;
2.BE SUSTAINABLE Award for a Belgian enterprise (or project for the start-up of an enterprise) that (among other things) sells durable products and/or services;
3.BE FAIR Award for an Southern organization that is active in the field of honest South-South trade;
4.BE FAIR Award for a Southern producers' organisation where women take a leading role.
The Belgian Development Agency wishes to reward companies that promote fair and durable trade. The 2010 awards were given to Fairytale (Fairtrade sugared almonds packaging and traditional gifts), ACP (durable textile and work clothes), Fair Trade South Africa (the umbrella organization of fair-trade in South-Africa) and UGPPK/S-Z (the union of women’s organizations from Burkina Faso that produces fair-trade shea butter). This year’s award ceremony takes places from the 5th until the 15th of October 2011.
For Belgian organizations, registrations are open until the 9th of September 2011 at 12:00. For more info, contact Evi Coremans (02/505.19.35, 0476/92.05.43 or evi.coremans@btcctb.org). Foreign enterprises must register before the 19th of August by contacting Steven De Craen (0032)2/505.18.83 or steven.decraen@btcctb.org).
You can read more about it here.
This year, the Bank of America was the deserved winner of the Sustainable Bank of the Year Award. Their dedication in the field of durability and their attention for social, environmental and financial values during their operations.
Since 2007, the bank invested over 11,6 billion dollar in the improvement of climate change, as part of their ten-year plan of investing 20 billion dollar. Bank of America is the first large American bank that invests in forest preservation, wind power, ecological housing and organization that combat global warming. You can read more about their strategies here.
In the context of the European Year of the Volunteer, the study group Employee Volunteering 2011 created an online survey.
The survey aims to chart the volunteering work in Europe and to inform the European commission about what is happening. This way, the commission can see on which points the policy can be improved. You can find the survey here.
Last month, thanks to Time4Society, 14 GSK Bio employees lent a helping hand to La Ferme de la Hulotte, a home for disabled children in Wavre.
Over the course of a whole day, the volunteers made an effort to construct a path of cobbles near the home, allowing the children to easily drive through the gardens in their wheelchairs, so they can fully enjoy the lovely summer weather.
Interested in weekly updates about projects that have taken place, fun facts about us and our partners? You can find it all on Facebook. You are also more than welcome to post interesting items on our Facebook page yourself.
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A couple of weeks ago, 10 Trendhuis employees helped construct a petanque court for the residents of nursing home De Regenboog. Now it was time for the official opening.
All the residents seemed really pleased with their new petanque court, so it was no surprise that a large number of them were eager to throw their first petanque ball and to thank the Trendhuis and Time4Society staff for their services. Clearly, the recreational facility is more than welcome, as the summer approaches.
Your company is socially responsible and you want everyone to know it? Then feel free to place a Time4Society banner on your company’s website. By doing so, you’re not only helping your own company, but you’re also aiding us to realize our socially relevant goals.
Interested? Contact us at info@time4society.com or 015/285.409.
Giving time seems to be addictive. Flemish prime minister Kris Peeters and 15 members of his cabinet have given time through Time4Society for the fourth time already. This time, non profit organization Borgerstein welcomed their helping hands. Borgerstein is an organization that takes care of handicapped persons, as well as the elderly.
On the 13th of May, Kris Peeters and his cabinet members helped move a number of nursing home residents to their new living quarters. Afterwards, the Time Givers and Time Takers said goodbye to one another, and the prime minister started contemplating what his next Time4Society project would be. To be continued.
On Thursday the 7th of April 2011, the employees of Zeelandia organised a cookie baking workshop for the children of special school Ritmica. Together, they baked and decorated loads of tasty cookies and cupcakes. A real treat for the children, who are already looking forward to another appetising project!
From the 9th until the 12th May 2011, 200 employees of the Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (FAMPH) will participate in several T4S projects:
- De Ark in Laeken will receive helping hands for their paintwork and spring cleaning.
- In the Alsemberg refugee centre the FAMPH-collaborators will carry out lots of chores and fun activities, such as cooking, arranging the adolescents’ rooms and the gym, playing games with the kids and teens, etc.
- The social restaurant and the sewing workshop of community centre de Vaartkapoen will employ some FAMPH-employees for one day.
- Homeless shelter ‘t Eilandje will give out some paintwork to the FAMPH employees
- And the school Koninklijk Instituut Woluwe will count on their helping hands in order to undertake a tandem bicycle ride and a visit to the museum.
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The following companies and organizations will be present at the CSR & HR colloquium on the 5th of March in the Antwerp County Hall: Delta Lloyd Life, Deloitte, Bekaert, Accenture, VUB, AMS, ... So, what about you and your company?
Register? www.peoplesphere.be/t4s
On the 5th of May, the CSR and HR colloquium will take place in the Antwerp County Hall (provinciehuis Antwerpen). What’s on the programme? A number of interesting CSR and HR themes that will be discussed in detail. A brief overview: ‘CSR becomes a strategic territory for HRM’, Christophe Lo Giudice, editor in chief Peoplesphere / ‘Investing time in society: why and how?’, Marc De Kegel, vice-chairman of Time4Society / ‘The Profit of Goodness: The link between a company's social responsibility and the creation of long-term value for stakeholders’, Dr. Ioannis Ioannou, Professor of Strategic and International Management at London Business School / ‘Companies in action invest time in society’, Kris Peeters, Flemish prime minister.
Mark this date in your agenda right now and register, if you haven’t already. Click here to register.
