Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2018

At Broekman Logistics, we see that the logistics industry plays an important role in making the world more accessible, smaller and more closely connected. We actively play our role in creating a sustainable and durable supply chain. By being innovative and creative, and by engaging stakeholders, we create sustainable supply chain solutions for complex logistics challenges. This, with the right attention for people, planet and profit.

Transparency in our efforts is where in our view corporate social responsibility starts. That is why we launch this year the first edition of our CSR Report, and have assessed all our 2018 activities in the Netherlands according to the internationally renowned Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standard reference indicators.

For example, providing insight in the CO₂ footprint of our activities, enables our clients to make deliberate sustainable choices. By offering a range of multimodal transport alternatives, and by actively engaging ourselves in this conversation, we put our clients in the driver’s seat to realize their sustainability goals.

This CSR report provides some great insights in some of the dialogues we have with both our employees, our suppliers as well as our clients. We encourage all our stakeholders to join us in this essential conversation.

Raymond Riemen (CEO) & Diederik Günther (CFO)

The belowmentioned distribution of age in the workforce is represented per division. The bar charts show that both adolescents as well as elders are employed at Broekman Logistics, especially when considering the Warehousing & Distribution division. The employees aged between 30 and 40 years represented the largest group within the workforce, followed by the employees aged between 20-30.

The workforce has increased with 8% in 2018 compared to 2017. The growth has accelerated with 10% in both the Forwarding & Shipping division and Warehousing & Distribution division.

Our employees are our most valuable capital. Safety is therefore of high importance. In this way we try to minimize absence by sickness (4.2%) and the number of registered accidents (11). We follow through on this by daily toolbox meetings at the operational locations and a Health and Safety officer at all locations, responsible for the Risk Inventory & Evaluation (RI&E). We also have emergency response officers and our company physician can be consulted preventively or curatively on a weekly basis.

Pim recently joined the company’s one-year Young Potential Program. “We get together once every two months to analyse, discuss and present real-life business cases. You receive professional training and coaching and have the opportunity to learn from your peers, as well as from colleagues in other divisions and departments, and you get to design your own personal development plan. It certainly gives you lots of opportunities for growth.”

Plenty of opportunities at Broekman

His first job was at the Broekman Breakbulk Terminal (Distriport). “But I soon transferred to Broekman Logistics Breda (currently Tilburg), where we’re involved in Warehousing and Distribution. When I transferred again after seven months, to Warehousing & Distribution in Europoort, things really began to take off. Even though I hadn’t even completed my traineeship yet, I was offered a management position right away. If Broekman has confidence in you, things tend to go pretty fast! Given my young age, it’s great that the company has placed such trust in me: it’s a unique opportunity to learn a lot in a short space of time. I can tell you that there’s no better training than on-the-job training.”

Read the full interview with Pim here.

Nick joined Broekman as a temporary worker back in 2006, working on the company’s All-Weather Terminal. Having signed a temp-to-perm contract, he would be hired by the company if it turned out to be a good fit. As it happened, Nick has remained with Broekman ever since. He is currently a Shift Leader at Broekman Distriport, which is ISO-14001-certified.

He and his three fellow Shift Leaders regularly conduct QHSE (quality, health, safety and environment) inspections and ensure that waste is segregated based on a set of very strict rules. “We’ve been working on this for quite some time, but you’ll see that we’re raising the bar a little higher each time. We are constantly redefining the environmental KPIs and are proud to say that we ace every ISO audit every single time.”

Certificate for saving 100 tonnes of carbon

Those on the operational end of things also check continuously if they can find more environmentally friendly ways of organising things. “One improvement we’ve made is switching over to eco-efficient reach stackers. We recently received a certificate from Kalmar to help us save 100 tonnes of carbon. We also invested in an innovative Kalmar Insight system that allows our technicians to keep close track of the status of all reach stackers. In addition to improving the versatility of our assets, we are also reducing our carbon footprint, so it’s a two-for-one deal.”

Read the full interview with Nick here.

As a full logistics service provider we take care of everything that comes with global transportation, ranging from raw materials to finished goods. We always aim to shorten value chains and continuously unburden our customers in terms of transportation and the flow of documents. To this means, we apply international recognized standards: ISO 14001 / ISO 9001 / AEO / FONASBA / IATA / ISPS / SQAS and SKAL.

Our services consist of:

• Forwarding & Shipping: providing freight forwarding services including transportation over 10 liner services for worldwide ocean transport as well as value added services such as organising the flow of documents (customs/VAT);
• Warehousing & Distribution: carrying out inbound & outbound distribution, import and export as well as value added logistics such as packaging, labelling and assembling of products;
• Breakbulk Terminals: handling, storage and packaging of breakbulk cargo as well as providing solutions in markets that require complex logistics. For instance, parts of wind turbines.

We strive to be an unique and outstanding business partner for all our customers, suppliers and other stakeholders, that is able to offer solutions to the complex logistical challenges of our clients.

Business wise, 2018 was for Broekman Logistics a successfull year where we realized a sustainable growth reaching the 200 million euro turnover milestone with a significant increase in bottom line results.

In the course of 2018, we celebrated various other successes and made some major investments:

•   Official opening of additional warehouse at the Maasvlakte, Rotterdam;
•   Start construction of warehouse in Venlo by Heylen Warehouses;
•   Expansion of available warehouses by opening in Tilburg;
•   Festive opening of our new office for Broekman Logistics Amsterdam;
•   Expansion of available warehouses by opening a new warehouse in Born, Limburg;
•   Acquisition of the BeNeLux' warehouse and VAL activities of the VLS-Group.

In 2018, we have also organised the first edition of the 'Broekman Business Bites', an event in which we invited our clients to see logistics in the Port of Rotterdam with their own eyes; providing awareness how our clients' business impacts the entire supply chain and to discuss how to mutally make the chain more efficienty, by optimizing our shared processes.

2018 was an eventful year: personnel safety and energy efficiency stand out in our new buildings.

Riwal, a customer of our International Freight Forwarding (IFF) department, uses our logistics forwarding services to transport Aerial Work Platforms, telescopic handlers and forklifts. 

Similarly to Broekman Logistics, Riwal applies the Triple Bottom Line (TBL): People, Planet and Profit in their CSR policy. Health, safety and personal development of employees, reduction of the ecological footprint to a minimum and continuously guaranteeing sustainable products and services are key components of Riwal’s CSR policy – “We believe that operating in line with a recognized CSR policy adds value to not only the customers but also to the organisation itself.”

“We expect Broekman Logistics to offer sustainable logistics services in terms of multimodal transportation by barge or rail whilst reducing the negative impact on the environment.”

Broekman Logistics offers multimodal transportation modes to reduce CO₂ emissions and is willing to contribute and partner together with Riwal to do not only good for the environment, but also to create a more sustainable relationship. 

- Wim van Meer, Group SHEQ Manager at Riwal Holding Group

MotracLinde is an important stakeholder of Broekman Logistics, providing Linde E-Trucks to our warehouses located in the Netherlands. The E-Trucks produce less CO₂, consume fewer electricity and ensure safety of our employees when handling materials in the warehouses.

“MotracLinde supplies 130 electric forklifts to Broekman Logistics and rationalises efficient logistical use of the warehouses.” 

Reducing negative impacts as well as offering sustainable and profitable solutions to customers as Broekman Logistics are key components of CSR within MotracLinde.

“MotracLinde experiences changes within the market; the need for more flexibility among customers as well as economic openness towards society. A sustainable relationship is key to improve environmental, social and economic performance by sharing knowledge and visions in terms of CSR.”

Both MotracLinde and Broekman Logistics emphasize the importance of sustainable development, being open to new technologies and product innovations in the field of warehouse and material handling optimisation. Safety and eco-friendliness are the two most important shared values within the sustainable relationship.

– Michael van Es, Key Account Manager at MotracLinde

Our impact on the environment can be divided into, on the one hand, business operations and on the other hand, the business operations of our (logistics, personnel or product) suppliers on the other.

Our circle of influence mainly affects our own operations. We hold both, and operate under, an environmental- and energy policy, which are evaluated annually during the (international recognized standards) ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 audits.

An Energy Efficiency Audit was drawn up in 2016 with 2015 as reference year, which resulted in an energy-saving action plan a period of 4 years (2015-2019). Many of these measures have been implemented since:

• Extensive Power Quality saving system at two sites;
• Energy monitoring system at all business unit locations that apply a EAN connection (large energy demand);
• One so-called energy officer per location;
• Partial implementation of transition to LED lighting; and
• Transition to electric rolling assets such as forklifts and reachstackers that produce less CO_2.

And many more: HR department uses digital paychecks to reduce the amount of consumed paper and at the ISO certified locations we set targets to reduce the amount of residual waste, consumed electricity, gas and water or to find reusable resources. 

When drawing up the CO₂ footprint, the classification of scope 1 and 2 as determined by the Foundation for Climate Friendly Procurement and Business (SKAO) was used. The total footprint of Broekman Logistics (Netherlands) is 8,245 tons of CO₂.

The Warehousing & Distribution and the Breakbulk Terminals divisions together produce the largest number of CO₂, which means that the two divisions are the largest contributors to the total footprint. This is in line with the facts that these divisions have the largest sites in terms of m2 and use machines that consume a high level of of energy such as cranes and rolling assets.

Considering our total CO₂ footprint, we notice that electricity and operating assets form the main causes of our negative CO₂ impact. The BreakBulk Terminals division represents similar percentages.

The Corporate division as well as the Forwarding & Shipping division are located in Broekman Logistics' headquarter which receives a Triple A (A+++) score considering energy. 

The largest contributors regarding consumption of fuel, considering Broekman Logistics'  CO₂ footprint, are the Corporate division (45%) and Forwarding & Shipping (19%) division. In 2018, the share of energy-efficient vehicles within the fleet was 74% (label A - 54% and label B - 18%). The choice for fuel-efficient lease vehicles has been encouraged earlier this year to further reduce CO₂ emissions from fuel consumption. A new mobility policy has been set up in 2018 and will be applied in 2019.  

The largest CO₂ impact comes from our logistics chain of air, water, rail and road transport. As this concerns the operations of our suppliers, this pertains our circle of concern. We acknowledge our limited degree of influence, and take our responsibility in putting CO₂ savings on the agenda. Offering intermodal transport concepts is our service to facilitate our customers to minimize the negative impact on the enironment of their freight transport. It is for this reason that the trail of Broekman Logistics Europoort has been put back into use. After all:

• A direct rail connection;
• One train carries as many as approximately 56 trucks;
• Transportation of 1 tonne of goods by train results in 80% CO₂ reduction, compared to 1 tonne of goods per by road.

In addition, we work with supplier assessments at the ISO certified locations: use of trucks with Euro 6 engines and/or being certified in CSR.

Corporate Social Responsibility means that you not only take care of what happens inside your operational boundaries, but also taking care of the environment in which you operate. Broekman Logistics intensively collaborates with many different stakeholders in various fields:

• We create employment opportunities in the (local) area and locally purchase different kinds of goods and services.
• We are an approved apprenticeship organisation and partner with educational institutions, such as the STC-Group, which offers studies in the field of shipping, ports, transport, logistics and port-related oil and chemical activities. In 2018, we provided operational work placements to 13 apprentices, and 58 interns were provided an internship. 

Broekman Logistics supports cultural and sports initiatives that positively affect the logistics industry, for instance, by:

• Contributing to the DeltaPort donation fund, which supports local initiatives within the area of Rotterdam;
• Actively support local sports events such as the Harbour Run and organising the Young Broekman Bootcamp for employees;
• Contributing to the local Sailer's house in Eemshaven;
• Being actively associated with the World Harbour Days organised in Rotterdam;
• Joining partnerships with various organisations that are associated with the municipality of Sittard-Geleen, Limburg.

“Taking responsibility and showing integrity is key for Broekman Logistics when implementing CSR.”

Commitment GRI
This CSR report is based on the latest generation guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). These guidelines have been applied at the SRS referenced level. The report was reviewed by the organisation itself and and verified by De Duurzame Adviseurs B.V. as external party.

Scope of the report
This report concerns the activities of Broekman Logitics in the year 2018, for the Dutch sites that were under their control throughout the year 2018. During the reporting year, no significant changes took place regarding the structure or ownership of the organization. Regarding the size, there was an acquisition of VLS at the end of 2018 (Rotterdam-Pernis and Antwerp - out of scope in 2018) and a start was made on the construction of the logistics campus in Venlo (also out of scope in 2018).

Frequency
It is our intention to present a CSR report on annual frequency and to expand the scope to all global activities.

Contact
For questions about this report contact the project manager of the CSR project group within Broekman Logistics; Rutger Bonsel, General Manager Marketing.