Corporate Social Responsibility Report 2020

2020 was an exceptional year in many ways. It was the year in which the COVID-19 pandemic made a tremendous impact in society as a whole and in both our daily business and personal lives. COVID has made clear that the world is more connected than ever. It has exposed the many interdependencies and vulnerabilities in global supply chains. 

During the year, we also marked the milestone of our 60th anniversary. Since 1960, we have seen our organisation grown from a shipping agency to a global end-to-end supply chain solutions provider. Relying on our 60 years of heritage, we maintain our mission to create sustainable value for our clients in the supply and demand network, with a personal touch for our three areas of expertise: Warehousing & Distribution, Forwarding & Shipping and Breakbulk Terminals. 

For three consecutive years now our CSR report proves to be a tangible result of our efforts of 60 years of providing sustainable, transparent and responsible global logistics services. For this third-in-row edition all of our business activities in the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Czech Republic, China and India have been assessed according to the internationally renowned Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Sustainability Reporting Standards. 

Where in our previous reports the scope was our activities in the Netherlands and Belgium only, we have now added our international offices to get a complete picture of our Global Reach. It makes clear where we stand today and it empowers to continue on building better businesses together. Together because sustainability is a matter for all of us, for ourselves, our customers, our suppliers and all other stakeholders involved. 

Although it has been an exceptional year, we have continued to operate in a responsible manner. By acting as one global team, with our unlimited entrepreneurial mindset and our impact and solution-driven mentality, we are able to make a difference in today's ever complex world. 

Rik Pek (CEO) & Nicolas Parey (CFO)

          

 

We provide global logistics solutions through our locations in the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Czech Republic, China and India (see this page for more info). Whereas in previous CSR reports we only included our Dutch and Belgian locations, this report includes all of our international offices to get a full understanding of our entire company and of our global reach, using the GRI Sustainability Standards as well. As a result, we have extended the scope by 15 Indian offices, 4 Polish offices, 1 Czech office and 1 Chinese office.

Our international offices are part of our Forwarding & Shipping (F&S) division. Data related to the international offices has been accumulated in our F&S division. Corporate Social Responsibility is very important for our offices worldwide; for example our Indian offices fall under CSR government programs, which means that our offices have a CSR committee to carry out activities prescribed per OECD Guidelines and effectively monitor the progress of these activities.

The main direct climate impact of our offices is in the energy supplies (primarily electricity) for the offices and business travel. At the same time Broekman Logistics is aiming to reduce the impact by lowering energy consumption and looking at the possibilities of using renewable energy (e.g. solar energy) and electric vehicles. Indirect impact, for example CO2 emissions related to purchased logistics services provided by external parties, is part of our cycle of continuous improvement in which we want to get a better understanding of these emissions and reduce them by using more transport methods with a lower impact (e.g. more multimodal transport).

Energy, as the essential backbone of our operational activities in particular, must be used as efficiently as possible. We use the Trias Energetica as our strategic compass, whereby the first step is to reduce our energy needs, the second is to increase the rate of renewable sources and the third is to use any remaining fossil fuels as efficiently and cleanly as possible.

During the year, we finished the European EED* energy audit (part of EUs 'Fit for 55' package and it's Green Deal goals). We analysed in detail almost all Broekman NL locations in terms of energy efficiency and have planned various energy-saving measures for the period 2021-2024.

Looking at our 2020 total energy consumption (see below graphs), the two biggest chunks are electricity and diesel (operating assets), followed by natural gas. Our current green electricity rate is approaching 20% of our total electricity usage. We're constantly seeking to increase this rate, for example by looking at opportunities for solar energy. Our head office has already turned to green since 1/1/2021 by having 100% Dutch solar energy purchased.

Regarding our lease car fleet, we've a policy aiming to expand the rate of cars with high (A or B) energy labels, with current levels being 33% (A label) and 22% (B label). The FEV (fully electric vehicle) rate is 12%.

*Energy Efficiency Directive. A systematic EU approach to be carried out every four years.

We strive to understand our CO₂ footprint as completely as possible, not only with regard to our own direct operational activities, but also when it comes to indirect emissions within supply chains and services provided. We align our reduction initiatives with climate agreements and legislation, where the ultimate goal is to operate in a CO₂-neutral manner.

We have classified our CO₂ footprint into scope 1 and 2 as determined by the Foundation for Climate Friendly Procurement and Business (in Dutch: SKAO) with CO₂ emissions factors used from CO₂emissiefactoren.nl. The bar chart below shows the totals across our four-divisional company structure, which is the output of a detailed CO₂ analysis we did on a location and related business activities basis.

 

Considering our total CO₂ footprint, we notice that electricity consumption (with 55%) and operating assets (with 30%) are most impactful. Looking at our four divisions, big differences can be seen due to the nature of their business activities.

At our Breakbulk Terminals division, operating assets form the biggest part closely followed by electricity usage. Whereas at our Warehousing & Distribution division, electricity usage is the largest section with gas consumption having a second place. Within our Forwarding & Shipping and Corporate divisions, electricity and the fuel consumption of the car fleet are the two most CO₂ generating activities.

 

We ensure that waste is properly separated at source in our operations. Our goal is to minimise the residual fraction so that as much waste as possible is given a second life, where possible even by using it directly in the services we provide. In this way, materials remain in the cycle and less and less scarce raw materials have to be mined. A crucial step in building a circular economy.

Looking at the waste streams analysis below, we calculated that we have 76% separated at source during 2020. Paper and cardboard is the largest waste stream, mainly within our Warehousing & Distribution division, with unsorted commercial waste at the second place, closely followed by wood and metals.

See this article for a best practice on how Broekman Distriport operates an on-site recycling point, allowing, for example, wood to be reused when loading vessels.

Also our warehouse in India (Bangalore) maintains a 'zero' waste concept by reusing as much packaging materials as possible.

 

Having Operational Excellence by Digitalisation as one of our main strategic pillars, creating paperless supply chains is an ongoing endeavour, with having detailed insights in the actual consumptions as the first step for launching reduction initiatives. When looking at our total consumption, in 2020 9.135.000 million paper sheets have been printed. Converted to pallets and truck loads, this means 90+ pallets and about 3 full truck loads.

We are continiously seeking solutions to keep paper consumption to the lowest possible levels. For example, we implement applications and methods to replace and further digitalise existing paper streams, aiming to create synergy between our clients, IT and processes. Next to this, at current paper processes we provide every printing device with standardised settings (such as double-sided and black-and-white) to keep required materials as low as possible. 

Nice-to-know: Our ambition is to purchase the majority of the paper with environmental certification marks (EU Ecolabel for example). We measured that in 2020 68% of the total volume is environmentally certified paper.

 

Today’s success and position in international markets would not have been achieved without the right people, leadership and culture. Logistics is a people’s business, hence people are our most valuable resource. By continuous development of our employees and by applying the highest health and safety norms, we ensure that our people are fully equipped to unburden the needs of our clients.

Broekman Logistics employs a total number of 841 people across the Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Poland, India and China. 56% of the total workforce is working in the operational field (Warehousing & Distribution and Breakbulk Terminals). The total number of employees working at Broekman Logistics is higher compared to 2019 (which was 686), due to the fact that from this year onwards we included all of our international offices, which makes the reporting scope extended to the entire Broekman Logistics organisation.

In 2020, 77% of our employees are male and 23% female. Among the executive boards and managerial positions within Broekman Logistics 82% is male and 18% is female. This distribution of employed men and women can be seen throughout all divisions. Additionally, 88% of our total workforce has a full-time contract and equality of remuneration applies throughout our organisation.

The distribution of age in our workforce can be seen below. The largest group of employees is between 30 and 50 years old (56%). Looking at the distribution at our divisions, the age group < 30 years is relatively high at our Corporate and Breakbulk Terminals divisions, with the age group > 50 years being a slight higher at our Warehousing & Distribution division.

 

As a global supply chain solutions provider, we recognise the importance and feel the need to take care of the environment in which we operate. We support local initiatives and collaborate with many stakeholders in the local areas of our offices, terminals, and warehouses. Through a 'think global, act local' mindset, we actively work together to reach each other's goals and to create value for society as a whole.

When defining our Personal Touch, we often describe the attention and expertise we have for our customer’s products and end-market, but during the turbulent times of the pandemic we reinforced that the core of our motto is within our workforce. It is the People, who are at the heart of Broekman Logistics. This became very clear once again during the pandemic at one of our offices in India. The country and its people got severely affected by COVID-19, the priority of staying safe and healthy became evident and vigorous actions were needed. Here, we decided to support all of our employees in heavily affected areas with oxygen tanks, for them and their families. Practical and confronting at the same time, COVID-19 severely harmed families all over the world but seeing our workforce stand together and support each other in work and elsewhere certainly strengthened the heart of our company under unforeseen circumstances.

We commit to a transparent and trustworthy way of working together, maintaining an open and constructive relationship with customers, suppliers, governments and all other stakeholders. In addition to our efforts to report transparently on our sustainability initiatives, we strive to apply a continuous process of due diligence to identify risks regarding human rights, working conditions and the environment in our operations, supply chains and business relationships.

Our key areas of action regarding governance:

Operational Excellence by Digitalisation. It is our daily drive to do things better, every day again, by excelling in engagement, in order to deliver the best quality for our clients. We go for the highest level of compliance regarding quality, environmental awareness, safety, customs and security. We are always seeking opportunities to further digitalise processes, taking inefficiencies out of the supply chain and bringing extra value to our customers.

Sustainable Business & Innovation. We aim for the best solutions with real impact; for our clients and their customers, and for the broader stakeholder community as a whole. With our unlimited entrepreneurial mindset, we team up with our partners in the supply chain to develop sustainable and innovative chain initiatives. We offer multimodal and intermodal transport concepts, which contributes to making the logistics chain more sustainable.

Sustainable Procurement. We strive to make responsible investment and sourcing choices that take safety, health, environmental and quality criteria into account. It is our ambition to further integrate commitments and/or operational targets related to sustainable procurement into our procurement policies and standards. In this way, we ensure that our procurement processes enhance our mission to create sustainable value for our clients.

Click here to meet our senior management. Our Code of Conduct can be found on this page.

Reporting structure

This report has been prepared in accordance with the GRI Standards: Core option. The report content and topic boundaries have been based on a materiality assessment carried out at the beginning of the report preparation process. The material topics have been identified based on the two dimensions of the ‘materiality principle’:

• Significance of economic, environmental & social impacts;
• Influence on stakeholder assessments & decisions.

Reporting cyle and period

Cycle: Annual, period: 2020 (01/01/2020 - 31/12/2020).

Reporting scope

This report contains the business activities of Broekman Logistics for the Dutch, Belgian, Czech, Polish, Indian and Chinese locations under its management during 2020. 

Get in touch with our CSR project team!

Do you have a question about this report or would you like to receive the full GRI Content Index of this report? Feel free to contact our CSR project team at csr@broekmanlogistics.com.