Sustainable Partnerships Award 2014

Sustainable
Partnerships
Award 2014
With the support of:
KAURI
Belgian meeting point
for global sustainable action
CONTENTS
Sustainable
Partnerships
Award 2014
p. 3 The Sustainable Partnerships Award: who is it for?
p. 5 Why the Sustainable Partnerships Award?
p. 6 The organisers and jury feedback
p. 7 The jury
p. 8 Selection criteria
p. 10 The winning projects
p. 16 The other projects
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AWARD 2014
The Sustainable Partnerships Award 2014:
the most inspiring cases of co-creation between
profit and non-profit organisations in Belgium
After the success of the first edition in 2013,
Business & Society Belgium and KAURI decided
to join forces again for a new Sustainable
Partnerships Award. With this competition, both
sustainability networks want to celebrate the best
co-creation efforts between Belgian companies
and civil society organisations. We hope to
inspire you and all our member organisations by
showing that the greatest value for our society
is the one we create together. Whether you have
a commercial, environmental, humanitarian or
regulatory agenda, this is a great opportunity for
you. Because, in an era where the real challenges
for our society are too big to tackle alone, the
collaboration model has now evolved towards a
true necessity for sustainable development.
The Sustainable Partnerships Award wants to
encourage a more co-creative and cooperative
society. The participants in this year’s edition
automatically apply for the European Social &
Business Co-creation competition by Ashoka. By
submitting one application, all partnerships are
evaluated on their innovation and impact by a
national and international jury.
All participants also have the exclusive opportunity to further optimise their co-creation process
at a ‘Pimp your partnership’ workshop in July
2014. During a short crash course, jury members
and partnership-building experts share tips and
tricks with the partners on how to develop their
relationship into a strategic collaboration. As
sustainability networks for both pioneers and
starters, we find it important to think beyond the
showcasing of best practices and also stimulate
co-creation efforts which are still in a more preliminary phase.
The Sustainable Partnerships Award:
who is it for?
The Sustainable Partnerships Award is open to
both SMEs and large enterprises, NGOs, public
authorities, the academic world, non-profit
associations, foundations etc. It rewards the
most innovative partnerships between businesses and various players in the way they provide
solutions to societal issues (environmental, social
or economic).
The projects should be created between 2008
and 2013 and should demonstrate specific
qualitative or quantitative results in terms of impact on the environment, society and economy.
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AWARD 2014
Why the Sustainable Partnerships Award?
• To explore partnerships between companies
and civil society that are finding collaborative
solutions to societal challenges.
• To share good practices and inspire your
stakeholders.
• To participate in the workshop ‘Pimp your
Partnership’, exclusively for participants in the
competition, to help them strengthen their
partnership.
The 33 cases and their contents are very representative of the diversity of the paths today’s
companies explore in their collaboration with
civil society. In terms of project partners, types
of partnerships, ways of involving employees
or stakeholders and societal objectives, we see
that the imagination is the only real limitation in
setting up projects.
We also note that many companies’ candidates
have already reached a stage of maturity in
the way they develop their social projects. The
sustainable dimension has now become a competitive argument and leads to a new analysis of
the complete and complex process chain with
external partners from the non-profit field.
Collaboration with civil society is not just about
making a humanitarian gesture any more. Instead it is about starting from the core business to
inspire a sustainable approach. Finally, companies have realised that they have a crucial role
to play through the leverage they can create by
pushing their customers, suppliers and competitors to adopt a more sustainable behaviour.
This year, there were more projects focused on
strategic partnerships instead of philanthropic
ones. Even though the award was open to
projects with an impact abroad, most projects
had a strong impact in Belgium.
Business & Society Belgium and KAURI are
happy to share this richness of vision and actions
through this brochure, which they hope will
serve as inspiration for other initiatives. The
message of all the companies who participated in
this year’s Sustainable Partnerships Award is very
clear indeed: “Collaboration between business
and civil society is doable!”
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AWARD 2014
“Working together in a smarter way changes
systems, creates value and allows us to do
more. The Belgian Sustainable Partnerships
gives an insight into the shift that is taking
place today, from a competitive model to a
cooperative one.”
David Leyssens
Network Director
KAURI
“No player – whether government, social
entrepreneur, non-profit, or business –
can address social and environmental
challenges alone. Ashoka deeply believes
that these societal challenges need to be
jointly addressed with a win-win approach,
going beyond the traditional tensions
between social-mission and profit-making
organisations by leveraging their complementary strengths and expertise.”
“A prosperous economy needs a healthy
society. Companies are looking more and
more to create Shared Value by addressing
societal needs and challenge. Companies
can not achieve this alone, but reach out
to actors from civil society to partner. So
does Business & Society by partnering with
Kauri for the second time for The Sustainable
Partnerships Award 2014 to promote the best
practices of Shared Value in Belgium.”
Sabine Denis
Change Executive Officer
Business & Society
Virginie Samyn
Representative
Ashoka Belgium
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THE ORGANISERS
The organisers and jury feedback
Business & Society Belgium and KAURI thank all
the organisations that have participated in the
award. Through this award they hope to inspire
others to start new partnerships with sustainable
impact or to further develop existing projects.
The projects’ variety shows how partnerships can
be created in every field of sustainability, such as
resource scarcity, mobility, energy, biodiversity,
social entrepreneurship, new business models,
sustainable supply chain, unemployment, poverty and healthy food.
Through partnerships, many different actors
start working together: companies, social entrepreneurs, academics, NGOs, suppliers, clients
etc. Borders are not obstacles to collaboration.
Thanks to transparent co-creations, the organisations learn from each other and improve their
projects. Many of them are very ambitious, in the
challenge they want to face and their long-term
objectives.
The jury identified five evolutions from last year’s
projects:
• There were 5 more projects compared with last
year. Sustainable partnerships are more and
more on the agenda. The quality of many
projects made the evaluation difficult and
there were a lot of potential winners.
• Several projects are still in a beginning phase.
We look forward to seeing their evolution
in the years to come. They have potentially
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important impacts thanks to replication or
scaling-up (e.g. energy savings and sustainable
supply chain management) and the jury really
encourages them to apply again next year.
• More projects were built through real cocreation processes. Each partner shares its
key competences, linked to its core business.
External stakeholders are also more and more
engaged from the beginning to identify the
needs, actors concerned and project steps.
• Many innovative projects were presented.
Some of them even led to new business and
governance models through the creation of
new structures or products. This is a big step
beyond the philanthropic starting point of
many CSR projects.
• This year, Belgian projects with international
impact could participate. Good examples of
how Belgian actors also have impact beyond
our borders and in developing countries, were
presented. Many of them are linked to the
organisations’ value chain. The jury wants to
encourage international projects to develop
further (wider scope through supply chain and
integrating North-South dimension in sustainability in a more innovative way).
As for the award’s next edition, sustainability
criteria will be further developed, to see how
projects create shared value through the three
pillars of sustainability: economy, environment
and society.
THE JURY
The jury
An independent
multi-stakeholder jury,
composed of representatives from profit and
non-profit organisations,
evaluated each project.
President
Jan Goossens
Artistic Director, KVS
Members
Brigitte Hudlot
Director, ICHEC
Jean-Marie Postiaux
Public Affairs Director Belgium, Solvay
Virginie Samyn
Representative, Ashoka Belgium
Benoît Derenne
Director, Foundation for Future Generations
Erik Tamboryn
Partner, Cheyron
Jochanan Eynikel
Project Manager Ethical & Inspiring Entrepreneurship
VKW Metena
Organisers
Danny Jacobs
Director, Bond Beter Leefmilieu Vlaanderen
Sabine Denis
Change Executive Officer
Business & Society Belgium
Patrick Kenis
David Leyssens
Benjamin Huybrechts
Network Director, KAURI
Associate Professor
HEC Management School - University of Liège
Dean, Antwerp Management School
Oriane De Vroey
CSR Business Partner
Business & Society Belgium
Lettemieke Mulder
Jan Ockerman
Carl Michiels
Communication Manager, KAURI
Director, Belgian Technical Cooperation
Partner, TheRockGroup
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SELECTION CRITERIA
Selection criteria
The jury evaluated the actions implemented by
companies in an “overall assessment” grid.
The following indicators were taken into account:
Collaboration
Impacts
Model of co-creation: 10%
Innovation: 20%
The quality of the co-creation model. How is the
partnership essential to the project? How does it
create value? Why did each partner participate in
the co-creation project? What are their needs?
In which sense is the solution innovative? How
does it make a difference?
What are the contributions of the partners in
the co-creation project? What resources were
available to the project (human, financial etc.)?
Stakeholder engagement: 10%
In which extent were stakeholder dialogues used
to establish the project? How were the different
stakeholders (employees, customers, suppliers,
NGOs, associations, etc.) engaged in the process?
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Societal impact: 30%
How was the programme beneficial to society as
a large (environment, social, economical)? What
is the project’s impact to date?
By societal impact, we mean the impact on
beneficiaries of the partnership and wider society
(community, environment etc.).
Impact on partners: 30%
How was this program beneficial for the profit
organisation and civil society (e.g. in terms of
human resources, image, work environment,
territorial anchoring, reduced costs, leverage to
mobilise other resources, creating a new vision,
new management practices, new skills and new
organisational structures)?
THE WINNING PROJECTS
The jury of the Sustainable Partnerships Award 2014
has rewarded three projects.
Changing the e-waste cycle
Innovate with a heart
Partnership for Biodiversity
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THE WINNING PROJECTS
Changing the e-waste cycle
The jury highly valued the international and local aspects of this project. “Changing the e-waste
cycle” integrates the full scope of sustainable development, addressing environmental, social
and economic issues.
DESCRIPTION
Access to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is still lacking in developing countries. Reused quality equipment is an affordable
option. But at end-of-life, ICT can pose serious
environmental and health threats. Therefore
WorldLoop, Recupel and some e-waste (electronic
waste) management organisations are developing innovative solutions to address the access
to ICT and the environmental risks posed by
e-waste in Africa. WorldLoop is an international
non-profit organisation committed to extending
positive impacts of ICT in developing countries
and offsetting the negative environmental impact
of its hardware. It was founded by Close the Gap,
a non-profit organisation bridging the digital divide by offering high-quality donated computers
to socially beneficial projects in developing countries. Recupel is the Belgian take-back system
responsible for collecting household electronic
appliances.
Together, they created a partnership with local
African organisations to develop sustainable
e-waste recycling centres in Africa, creating new
job opportunities for the local population. WorldLoop takes care of the training and coaching.
Recupel provides the necessary expertise, access
to industry leaders and start-up funding for
WorldLoop to perform.
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Local SMEs share their financial and organisational skills with the projects. Through the best
technologies available in Europe, they coordinate
the environmentally friendly recycling of the
computers’ resources. In Europe, the companies
giving their ICT software address international
social and environmental challenges with their
core business.
This combination of local e-waste collection and
recycling with international expertise, ensures
maximum resources are recovered and creates
green jobs. It is sometimes referred to as the
‘Best-of-both-Worlds’ (Bo2W) approach.
CHANGING THE E-WASTE CYCLE
RESULTS
TIPS
• This project led to the first ever e-waste recycling centre (the WEEE Centre) launched in
Kenya in 2011, recycling more than 274 tonnes
of metal and reaching 80% self-sufficiency in
2014.
• First develop a pilot, then replicate it thanks to
the expertise and lessons learned. WorldLoop
has replicated its model using Recupel’s expertise and lessons learned from the pilot project
in Kenya in nine other countries. Five more are
expected in 2014.
• The community benefits from job creation
(in Kenya, 30 jobs were created) with better
working and health conditions.
• There are also indirect economic advantages
via the formalisation of an informal industry,
which serves as inspiration for local governments to develop sustainable solutions.
• Look for the different competences needed and
gather them around the table.
• Think “glocal” (global and local), take what is
best from both worlds and combine it in one
solution.
• For the SMEs, this implies a continuous development of skills, a transatlantic knowledge
transfer and around 20% increase in financial
returns.
YEAR
Started in 2011.
PARTNERS
Business: Recupel (collection and processing of
materials), Galloo, Coolrec, Umicore (recycling
companies, operational strategic partners)
Civil Society: Worldloop (international non-profit
organisation in ICT), Close The Gap (non-profit
organisation bridging the digital gap), UNIDO
(United Nations Industrial Development Organisation)
CONTACT
Worldloop: Barbara Toorens, Business
Development & External Communications
(barbara.toorens@worldloop.org)
Recupel: Katrien Verfaillie, Communication
Manager (katrien.verfaillie@recupel.be)
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THE WINNING PROJECTS
Innovate with a heart
This project gathers various partners to tackle a key challenge in the social profit sector: create
synergies between the technological world and social organisations for a more sustainable and
inclusive society. The jury recognised the multiplier effect of this project, especially due to the
participation of students and to the collaboration between worlds that do not always have many
contacts together.
DESCRIPTION
Cera, the bank cooperative, and non-profit
organisation RVO Society which promotes
engineering among youngsters, create “Innovate
with a heart”. They bring social profit organisations (such as the social profit sector Verso
vzw) together with students in higher technical
education (Thomas More, KU Leuven and other
Flemish universities and colleges). The social
profit organisation formulates a real technological need and the student draws a solution
and works on that solution for his thesis/master
thesis. RVO Society coordinates and takes care
of the everyday operations. For exemple, they
connected the Dominiek Savio Institute with
bachelors in engineering to co-create toys for
children with cerebral problems. Cera, in close
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consultation with RVO Society, determines the
need’s priorities and strategic objectives.
Innovate with a heart differentiates itself through
a combination of two aspects:
• the strong bottom-up and demand-driven
approach: starting from ideas from the social
profit sector itself.
• changing the vision of technological training:
show young people that engineers are not just
“computer nerds”, but that those courses can
lead to careers that focus on people and social
solutions.
INNOVATE WITH A HEART
RESULTS
Innovate with a heart realises four levels of
impact:
• Create awareness in the social profit sector
of the potential of technological innovation
through semi-annual calls within the sector for
project ideas, the (media) attention for results
of elaborated projects and the annual organisation of the Cera Award to attract attention
to the possibilities of technology in the social
profit sector (around 35 projects are submitted
per year).
• Facilitate co-creation for technological
innovation: “Innovate with a heart” wants to
identify and group all the actors of that sector
in Flanders. They will organise a networking
event in December 2014 to strengthen “working together”.
ner in co-creation projects around technology in
the social profit sector. Cera employees have been
involved, as a jury for the Cera Award or to visit
local organisations, allowing the cooperative to
be strongly positioned in the co-creation, specifically in social and technological fields.
The project has a European scope through
the European program on community service
engineering. The partners wish to create an
engineering discipline “Technology for inclusive
and sustainable society” in several European
countries (partners in the Netherlands, Portugal
and Sweden). The post-graduates will place a
strong emphasis on project work and co-creation
with stakeholders.
• Make engineers aware of the challenges in
their sector and give them the possibilities to
find concrete solutions. By doing so, engineering studies are becoming more attractive to
students.
• Develop new innovative products and services
for organisations in the social profit sector:
around 13 projects are realised annually.
TIPS
The partnership as source of great know-how
and multiplier effect. RVO Society was originally
known as an educational organisation. Thanks
to this programme, they are becoming more and
more experts and increasingly demanded as part-
YEAR
Started in 2006.
PARTNERS
Business: Cera, bank cooperative
Civil Society: RVO Society (promotion of engineering and science among youth), Verso (employers in the social sector), Flemish universities
CONTACT
RVO Society: Kristien Rombouts, Project Coordinator Technological Innovation for Social Profit
(kristien@rvo-society.be)
Cera: Stéphanie de Smet, Programme Coordinator (stephanie.desmet@cera.be)
13
THE WINNING PROJECTS
Partnership for Biodiversity
The jury was impressed by the local roots and the multi-stakeholder approach of this project.
Industry, agriculture and nature preservation reconciled their respective interests and created
shared value in the region of Hollogne-sur-Geer.
DESCRIPTION
In Hollogne-sur-Geer, the reservoirs of the sedimentation system originate from the beetroot
refinery of Hesbaye Frost (factory of production, freezing and packaging of vegetables). In
this country town, 230 different bird species
have been listed. When the refinery stopped its
activities, this ecosystem was threatened with a
complete drying up of the site, meaning the end
of this fragile mosaic of different eco-systems or
micro-climates. Besides, the cooperative of local
farmers Apligeer, facing a lack of water some
years, developed a system to draw the groundwater to irrigate the surrounding fields.
In 2011 the land was purchased by Hesbaye
Frost, nature preservation association Natagora
conducted a biotope inventory and the water
needs were identified. Together with Apligeer,
they wrote a Founding Charter to launch the
co-creation of the Nature Reserve of Upper Geer.
In 2012 they placed a pipeline from the factory to
the site, supplying water to the dried ponds. They
also initiated the first reserve management days
in partnership with schools, non-profit organisa-
14
tions and scouts. In 2013, they organised a walk
for the citizens, town farmers and Hesbaye Frost
staff members to introduce them to the societal
partnership. They set up the non-profit organisation Réserve Naturelle du Haut Geer (RNHG).
Today, the irrigation system has been inaugurated and they campaign for recognition as a nature
reserve.
The recurrent on-site nesting of uncommon bird
species in Wallonia and the opportunity to
sustain a site that has been renowned for its
great biological interest (BIMS) by the Walloon
Region, were determining factors in the commitment and support of stakeholders.
The partners met in a convergence of common
interests, encouraged by the strong willingness
of the town citizens and their elected representatives, in order to maintain a historical and
cultural heritage (the omnipresence of beetroot
refinery and beet growing in Hesbaye for many
years) and a natural one.
PARTNERSHIP FOR BIODIVERSITY
RESULTS
The impact has manifold benefits:
• For biodiversity, the Reserve being a very
attractive biological ‘Fishpond’ for avifauna
as nearly 230 bird species have been recorded
amidst large growing areas that are relatively
‘poor’.
• It plays an educational role, as most of the
site is permanently open to the public (about
10,000 visitors a year have been estimated),
and some guided tours are organised, which
reinforces the educational impact. The site is
renowned among ornithologists, entomologists
and photographers.
• Communicate on the projects to local citizens
by informing and inviting them. Schools, town
citizens and their elected representatives are
important ambassadors.
• Use existing projects as an example and
encourage other stakeholders to do the same.
This project could serve as an example and be
the driving force behind the takeover of the
nature reserve of Waremme, built on previous
settling basins and where the lack of water is
also a challenge.
• The reserve is part of a more global project,
in partnership with the Administration of
Geer city, with a long-term integration of wet
meadows, adjacent to the reserve and other
old settling basins located a few hundred
metres north.
TIPS
• When a company leaves a site, it is the opportunity to gather various local stakeholders
together to find innovative environmental
solutions.
• Regularly share the needs of the projects with
the partners to identify new solutions. This
approach assures the project is evaluated each
year to furtherly improve the site or find new
water sources.
YEAR
Started in 2011.
PARTNERS
Business: Hesbaye Frost (Production, freezing
and packaging of vegetables), Apligeer (Local
cooperative of vegetable growers)
Civil Society: Natagora (Preservation of natural
environments in Wallonia), Nature Reserve Upper
Geer
CONTACT
Nature Reserve Upper Geer: Alain Martens,
Curator (haut.geer@gmail.com)
Hesbaye Frost: Arnaud Crevits, Environment
Manager (arnaud.crevits@hesbayefrost.be)
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INSPIRING PROJECTS
Social Entrepreneurs Academy
Energy Saving Pioneers
The idea of the Academy of Social Entrepreneurs
is based on research by the Social Economy
Centre (HEC-ULg), identifying unmet management training and networking needs in social
entrepreneurs.
Energy Saving Pioneers is a Bond Beter Leefmilieu initiative, gathering a series of frontrunners
in energy saving. It consist of Studiebureau
Boydens, Viessman Group, Van De Kreeke,
Techcomlight, Stad Gent, Spirax Sarco, Siemens,
Rockwool, Recticel, Philips, PHP, OVED, Lightplus, Intellisol, Helia, Greenforce, ETAP, Emaze,
Climact, Bostoen.
The Academy of Social Entrepreneurs promotes
connections between different players: social
entrepreneurs as well as researchers, teachers, students, traditional entrepreneurs, etc. It
consists of 17 organisations, including HEC-ULg
and CBC.
The Academy brings together training, support
and networking. The purpose is to provide
different audiences interested in social entrepreneurship (entrepreneurs, students, researchers,
etc.) with a place to meet, strengthen social
entrepreneurs and foster connections with the
academic world.
CONTACT
HEC-ULg: Sybille Mertens, Professor (smertens@ulg.ac.be)
CBC: Sandra Circhirillo, Marketing and Communication
(sandra.circhirillo@cbc.be)
MORE INFORMATION
www.academie-es.be
www.hec.ulg.ac.be
https://twitter.com/HEC_ULg
www.facebook.com/HECULg
www.cbc.be
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It calls for a more ambitious transposition of
the European Energy Efficiency Directive, the
2030 Energy and Climate Package and national
policy, making ten recommendations to Belgian
policymakers.They ask for ambitious and binding
energy saving targets and implementing structural policy measures in building and industry.
The ESPs also showcase best practices in energy
saving plus facts and figures on social benefits,
emphasising the importance of an energy efficient economy.
CONTACT
Bond Beter Leefmilieu: Jonathan Lambregs, Project Manager
(jonathan.lambregs@bblv.be)
Studiebureau Boydens: Dirk Boydens, CEO
(dirkb@boydens.be)
MORE INFORMATION
www.bondbeterleefmilieu.be/
www.facebook.com/BondBeterLeefmilieu
http:// energysavingpioneers.be/
www.boydens.be
www.facebook.com/pages/Boydens/210666082316560
INSPIRING PROJECTS
Co-creation for a GoodPlanet
Discover Your Talent
GoodPlanet wants to reconnect teenagers and
kids with the earth. Through their (financial
and conceptual) partnership with the Spadel
Group, they make Education for Sustainable
Development attractive. They do this in a playful,
positive, innovative way. The 50 GoodPlanet
employees spend time with children, youth and
adults on a daily base, communicating the sustainability message with passion.
Many youngsters don’t have the skills to hunt
successfully for a job. Often they have no CV, are
unsure how to respond to job ads, don’t know
how to present themselves, generally have no
experience with the professional world or are
brought up in an environment without positive
role models.
The partners realised three educational poster
packages around forests, water and sustainable
development for all Belgian schools. 40 socially
vulnerable children were given an opportunity to
spend 5 days in nature and learn about sustainable living through games and adventure. In the
future, both parties want to focus on two projects
about biodiversity. One on bees, the other one on
the 5 “GoodPlanet actions”.
Discover Your Talent bridges the gap between
their world and the professional world, giving them practical tips on how to find a job. It
is a yearly event organised by a team of four
companies (this year it’s Freshfields Bruckhaus
Deringer, Elia, Accenture and Securex) with
Maks vzw and Business & Society Belgium.
About 60 volunteers at these companies help 80
unemployed youngsters from Brussels by sharing
their professional experience during a day of
workshops to sharpen their employability skills.
CONTACT
GoodPlanet: Jo van Cauwenberge, Director
(jo.van.cauwenberge@goodplanet.be)
Spadel: Ann Vandenhende, CSR Manager
(a.vandenhende@spawater.com)
CONTACT
Maks vzw: Gunter Vandeplas, Coordinator of Project Kurasaw
Tewerkstelling (kurasaw@gmail.com)
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP: Anneleen Straetemans,
Associate (Anneleen.Straetemans@freshfields.com)
MORE INFORMATION
www.goodplanet.be
www.facebook.com/GoodPlanetBelgium
www.spa.be
www.facebook.com/SpaBelgium
MORE INFORMATION
www.discoveryourtalent.be/discoveryourtalent/index.php/fr/
www.maksvzw.be/
www.facebook.com/kurasaw.tewerkstelling.1
www.freshfields.com
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INSPIRING PROJECTS
Embroidering for progress
Cambio: the missing link
In the Democratic Republic of Congo and the
Big Lakes region there is a lack of well-educated
adults. Many heads of families, widows, orphans
and sexually abused women are extremely
vulnerable. Over 90% of adults have no regular
salary. Belgian social enterprise Kisany gives
people work and raises education levels.
Belgium is known as one of Europe’s most
congested countries. Too many people want to
move in the same places at the same time. The
challenge was to offer people the insurance of
mobility at any time without their own car. That’s
why Taxistop and Public Transportation Services
developed combined mobility, by implementing
Cambio’s car-sharing stations close to public
transport.
Kisany teaches vulnerable women with family responsibilities embroidery and weaving, to create
exclusive products. In 2008, Belgian linen fabric
company Libeco began helping Kisany, providing
linen fabric at a very good price as well as work
and continuing education, giving team members
a better future and training some to manage their
own workshop. They accompany team members
for several years, so they can become leaders in
their community, regain dignity and give their
children a better future and education.
CONTACT
Kisany: Manuela del Marmol, Responsible for Sales and
Development of the Project (manueladelmarmol@gmail.com)
Libeco: Sarah Popelier, Marketing & Communication
Manager (sarah.popelier@libeco.be)
MORE INFORMATION
www.kisany.com
www.facebook.com/kisanyafrica
www.libeco.com/en/home.aspx
www.facebook.com/LibecoHome
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Cambio’s vision is to challenge the reflex of car
usage by promoting car-sharing and public transport as realistic alternatives to the private car.
To reach that objective, the partners focused on
users’ needs: in town, soft modes are sufficient
(PT, cycling, walking) and cars are reserved
for specific uses (e.g. shopping or weekends).
Their solution is to change mobility patterns and
enhance benefits for urban areas.
CONTACT
Taxistop: Frédéric Van Malleghem, CEO (fvm@taxistop.be)
STIB: Didier Dumont, Director Business Development
Operations (dumontd@stib.irisnet.be)
MORE INFORMATION
www.cambio.be/?l=fr
www.taxistop.be/language.html
www.facebook.com/taxistopbe
www.stib-mivb.be/index.htm?l=fr
www.facebook.com/lastib
INSPIRING PROJECTS
Engage Schools
Fair Trade in Belgium
Engage Schools is a cooperation between the
Notre Dame and St Joseph institutes, two private
companies (Accenture and Heidelberg Cement),
Business & Society and Beci. Youngsters demotivated by their studies or disconnected from the
labour market are coached by employees and
guided on factory visits.
Income uncertainty threatens the future of a
multifunctional agricultural sector. Therefore
Biosano, Vredeseilanden, Max Havelaar, Oxfam
and the Biomelk Vlaanderen/Biolait Wallonie
cooperative have developed a unique business
model: Biodia.
Through workshops on skills and tailored one-toone coaching with experienced consultants, the
youngsters gain insight, confidence, workable
tools and a successful approach to prepare for
professional life. They are invited to job interview
simulations with Accenture volunteers and CV
workshops. To complement this, Heidelberg
Cement hosts guided factory visits, giving the
students an idea of what work is really like and
how rewarding it can be, motivating them to
finish their studies.
Biodia stands for organic Belgian milk. Biosano
buys this from 24 organic farmers in Belgium,
producing milk and chocolate milk. Vredeseilanden has developed a process comparable with
Fair Trade. The price of the milk is calculated
based on production costs, wages and a margin
for investment. On top of organic production,
they give importance to durability, reducing the
proportion of soy in animal feed, using antibiotics and promoting biodiversity. Fairtrade-labelled
cocoa and sugarcane are used. Biodia also has inspired other new Fairtrade initiatives in Belgium.
CONTACT
Business & Society: Oriane De Vroey, CSR Business Partner
(oriane.devroey@businessandsociety.be)
Accenture: Joachim Wauters, ENGAGE coordinator
(joachim.wauters@accenture.com)
CONTACT
Biosano: Mieke Lateir, Project Manager Biodia
(mieke.lateir@biosano.be)
Vredeseilanden: Jan Wyckaert, External Relations and
Strategy (jan.wyckaert@vredeseilanden.be)
MORE INFORMATION
www.businessandsociety.be
www.accenture.be/
MORE INFORMATION
www.vredeseilanden.be
www.facebook.com/Vredeseilanden?fref=ts
www.biosano.be
www.biodia.be
www.facebook.com/pages/Biodia/216952855094993
19
INSPIRING PROJECTS
Green energy for more nature
The nature conservation organisation Natuurpunt and green energy supplier Lampiris work
together for more nature in Flanders. They share
the same values: a sustainable society with local
involvement and employment. Natuurpunt and
Lampiris promote green energy while achieving
more biodiversity in Flanders and their members
and customers share this green commitment.
Natuurpunt and Lampiris developed different
campaigns to raise funds for Lampiris’ green
energy. As an incentive, Lampiris promised to
invest in the purchase of a natural area or new
forest through Natuurpunt for every new client.
This approach quantified Lampiris’ commitment
and really made new clients’ contributions
concrete.
20
Gyproc C2C Product Innovation
The “Cradle to Cradle” (C2C)concept is becoming more and more popular in sustainability
thinking. The ideology states that products must
not end up in a landfill after use, but should be
recycled again and again. Besides the ecological
cycles we find in nature, the economy should
focus on developing technological cycles to limit
the negative environmental impact of our consumption. In fact, our ecological footprint could
even be positive. Aiming for eco-efficiency will
give way to the pursuit of products that contribute to the circular economy.
Existing Lampiris customers who are members of
Natuurpunt also save money for nature.
Gyproc Belgium is the only manufacturer of C2C
plasterboards, thanks to a collaboration between
Gyproc and the non-profit C2C Product Innovation Institute. This led to a redesign of the supply
chain and contributed to the development of a
real plaster cycle.
CONTACT
Natuurpunt: Chris Steenwegen, Director
(chris.steenwegen@natuurpunt.be)
Lampiris: Tom Vande Cruys, CEO
(tom.vandecruys@lampiris.be)
CONTACT
Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute:
Roy Vercoulen, Vice President (roy@c2ccertified.org)
Saint-Gobain - Gyproc Division: Tom Rommens,
Sustainability Manager (tom.rommens@saint-gobain.com)
MORE INFORMATION
www.natuurpunt.be
www.natuurpunt.be/lampiris
www.twitter.com/mijnnatuurpunt
www.lampiris.be/natuurpunt
www.facebook.com/LampirisBeNL
https://twitter.com/lampiris
MORE INFORMATION
www.c2ccertified.org
www.gyproc.be
INSPIRING PROJECTS
Housing Fast
Inspire young minds
Via the Housing Fast project, Infirmiers de Rue,
Kois Invest and Baita deliver a double social
impact.
Toekomst-Atelier de l’Avenir provides motivation
and voluntary additional social education. In
Brussels, one child out of three is considered disadvantaged in education. TADA provides a helping hand to education authorities and families in
disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Brussels, who
do not always have the expertise or time to allow
children to explore all facets of society.
They provide social reintegration for homeless
people, through housing in a building on avenue
Jacques Sermon in Ganshoren, where Infirmiers
de Rue has a dedicated room to provide them
with sustained care. The rest of the building
(about 50%) is dedicated to people who cannot
afford to buy or rent a house.
Kois Invest acts as an intermediary between the
real estate market and social rental market. They
buy and renovate buildings before leasing them
to Social Rental Offices such as AIS Baita.
AIS Baita ensures the project is socially and
financially viable, offering target groups housing
even if they have difficulties paying rent, so
investors receive interest on their capital.
CONTACT
Infirmiers de Rue: Emilie Meessen, Coordinator
(emilie.meessen@idr-sv.org)
Baita: Gert Van Snick, Manager (gert@baita.be)
Kois Invest: François de Borchgrave, Managing Director
(francois@koisinvest.com)
MORE INFORMATION
www.infirmiersderue.org/
www.straatverplegers.org/
www.koisinvest.com
www.housingfirstbelgium.be/pages/
six-implementations/bruxelles-infirmiers-de-rue.html
Through practical classes by passionate volunteers, TADA wants to widen their vision. CVC
Partners, AXA, Bain&Company and Ernst&Young
provide financial and in-kind support to the
project. Various schools support TADA in this
approach, via in-kind support or contact with the
families, for example. There is a similar project in
the Netherlands, IMC Weekendschool, that helps
TADA with pedagogy and didactics.
CONTACT
Toekomst-ATELIER de l’Avenir: Sofie Foets, Managing
Director (sofie@toekomstatelierdelavenir.com)
CVC Capital Partners: Geert Duyck, Managing Partner
(gduyck@cvc.com)
MORE INFORMATION
www.toekomstatelierdelavenir.com
www.facebook.com/ToekomstATELIERdelAvenir
https://twitter.com/ToekomstAtelier
www.cvc.com/
21
INSPIRING PROJECTS
microStart
microStart combats unemployment and social
exclusion in Belgian cities through microfinance.
They target entrepreneurs who fall outside the
traditional banking system: the unemployed,
underprivileged or (re)-starters. microStart
grants microcredits from € 500 to € 15,000, as
well as free tailor-made guidance from volunteer
experts for candidates to create their own jobs.
The “Association pour le Droit à l’Initiative
Economique” offers microfinance expertise,
specific grid analysis, an enthusiastic market
approach and excellent knowledge of the client
segment. BNP Paribas provides the project with
funding as well as process efficiency, risk control,
a pool of volunteer bankers and a connection
with a large existing network. The project has
granted 775 microloans since its creation in
2011.
CONTACT
ADIE: Emmanuel Landais, Managing Director
BNP Paribas: Alex Houtart, CSR Director
(alex.houtart@bnpparibasfortis.com)
microStart: Patrick Sapy, Director
(patrick.sapy@microStart.be)
MORE INFORMATION
www.adie.org
www.facebook.com/association.adie
https://twitter.com/Adieorg
www.bnpparibasfortis.be/portal/Start_BE_F.asp
www.facebook.com/BNPParibasFortisBelgique
https://twitter.com/questionbnppf
22
Mutuality of immigrants for
economic and social development
Coordinated by CAAD (Cellule Action d’Aide au
Développement), the project focuses on the African diaspora in Europe, helping emigrants manage resources from their country of residence to
family members in their country of origin. This
leads to more efficient use of remittances and
allows families’ needs to be better met.
Two specific projects: a healthcare insurance
policy for the diaspora, supporting families’
health needs (through a monthly fee paid by the
migrant) and a social housing program involving
a bank in each country, combatting lack of housing and difficulties faced by migrants building
family homes. DB Immo will provide an account
and guarantee, as an intermediary between
the construction company and migrant buyer,
to begin payment services to families receiving
donations from migrants.
CONTACT
Cellule Action d’Aide au Développement (CAAD ASBL):
Pape Sene, President (pape.sene@caad.be)
DB Immo: Ndiaga Bane, Managing Director
(ndiagabane@yahoo.fr)
MORE INFORMATION
www.mides-transfert.org/sites.nova-technologies.com/
dbimmoniger.com/
INSPIRING PROJECTS
Mother and Child Hospital in Togo
SOS Children’s Villages, St.-Augustinus Hospital
and The Boston Consulting Group Brussels set
up a ‘tripartite’ to build up healthcare provisions
at the SOS medical centre in Kara, Togo. The
medical centre is now a cutting-edge “Mother
and Child” hospital. The result is better, cheaper,
faster and more accessible healthcare by improving the internal management of the hospital.
The St.-Augustinus Hospital provided transfer of
medical know-how and good medical practices
adapted to the field: training on the job, supply of
materials and providing a reality check. The Boston Consulting Group provided external advice,
expertise, management methodology and analytical skills. SOS Children’s Villages managed
the communication with the Boston Consulting
Group and supervised implementation of the
strategic recommendations.
CONTACT
SOS Children’s Villages: Tom Moons, Head of
Communications (tom.moons@sos-kinderdorpen.be)
Sint-Augustinus Hospital: Paul Leyman, Surgeon
(paul.leyman@gza.be)
Boston Consulting Group: Filiep Deforche, Senior Partner and
Managing Director (deforche.filiep@bcg.com)
MORE INFORMATION
www.sos-kinderdorpen.be/
www.facebook.com/SOSKinderdorpenBE?ref=stream
https://twitter.com/KINDERDORPEN
www.bcg.be/
www.facebook.com/TheBostonConsultingGroup?fref=ts
NewB
114 organisations and businesses and more than
46,000 citizens are building a new cooperative
bank in Belgium. NewB is value driven (transparent, sober, simple, participative, inclusive,
innovative, fair, local sustainable economy),
professional (partnership between bankers and
civil society) and responds to a real demand for
new financial tools, products and services for
investments and savings. It is to be an example
for mainstream banks.
In a first phase, they brought together a broad
range of interested businesses, bankers and
citizens and built up a first set of activities and
interactions in the financial sector. In a second
phase, they set up a new cooperative bank that is
transparent, sober, participative and exclusively
oriented to real and local economy. The actual
business model plans to start banking operations
in the course of 2015.
CONTACT
Réseau Financité: Bernard Bayot, Director
(bernard.bayot@financite.be)
Fairfin: Kristien Vermeesch, Director
(kristien.vermeesch@fairfin.be)
MORE INFORMATION
www.financite.be/index,fr.html
www.facebook.com/pages/Financit%C3%A9/18292336
1744574?fref=ts
www.8infini.be
https://newb.coop/fr
23
INSPIRING PROJECTS
Beyond your limits!
St. Gerardus offers care and education for
children and young adults with neuromotor and
motor impairments in Limburg. To do this in an
innovative way, they build concrete collaborations with companies to exchange knowledge,
relationships, media channels, mobilisation and
money.
Together with their partner companies (Samman, Carglass, SD Worx, IDEWE, Monard
D’Hulst) they have identified what they can
do for each other and how to strengthen the
exchange of money, mobilisation, media, people
and resources (5 Ps).
They came to the conclusion that the partnership
positively influenced the HR management of
both organisations. The way St. Gerardus treats
its staff and young people was an inspiration for
new HR tools for businesses.
They then worked with the companies to make
a mood film, a ‘making of’ for this film and a
manual.
CONTACT
St Gerardus: Ludo Vandewal, Director
(ludo.vandewal@sintgerardus.be)
Samman: Lieve Strappers, Managing Director
(lieve@samman.be)
MORE INFORMATION
www.sintgerardus.be
www.samman.be
www.facebook.com/pages/SAMMAN/582171038467610
www.facebook.com/RefLudo
https://twitter.com/RefLudo
24
Safer Internet Training
Children aged 10-12 are heavy users of new
technologies and teachers don’t always have the
skills to deal with internet security. Microsoft
and Belgacom work in partnership with Child
Focus to promote fun and safe internet use. Their
employees volunteer to go into schools twice a
year and provide these children with interactive
training. This interactive training (designed by
Child Focus) helps the Microsoft and Belgacom volunteers (330 per company) explain the
internet safety challenges kids face daily. It also
provides teachers with the tools to continue raising awareness through the educational material
provided at the end of the course.
Teachers are encouraged to continue teaching
about the subject. Initiated in 2009, this programme has already reached more than 66,000
children.
CONTACT
Child Focus: Nadege Bastianen, E-safety Programme
Manager (nadege.bastianen@childfocus.org)
Microsoft: Cécile Jabaudon, CSR Manager
(t-cejaba@microsoft.com)
Belgacom: Anne Catherine Doumont, CSR Manager
(anne.catherine.doumont@belgacom.be)
MORE INFORMATION
childfocus.be/nl/splash-nl
www.facebook.com/ChildFocusBelgium
https://twitter.com/ChildFocusFR
www.microsoft.com/nl-be/langswitch/default.aspx
www.facebook.com/WindowsBelgium?fref=ts
https://twitter.com/microsoftbe
www.belgacom.com
www.facebook.com/belgacom
https://twitter.com/belgacom_press
INSPIRING PROJECTS
Create employers to create jobs
Revalue Foundation
Faced with rising unemployment and periods of
economic recession, the original idea of Réseau
Entreprendre was to create new businesses to
provide new jobs and contribute in this way to
economic prosperity.
The Revalue Foundation brings Life Cycle Assessment closer to different stakeholders with a
management tool facilitating sustainable collaboration and reduced energy and resources. The
Foundation is a cooperation between the Colruyt
Group, the University of Ghent and 14 other partners from 5 countries in Europe. The practical
reduction advice output and the model can serve
as inspiration for all business models aiming to
realise collaboration within and between value
chains. The main business development lever is
now obtaining the mandate from all key stakeholders to become a reference as a European
platform stimulating reduction initiatives.
Bank Degroof took part in the creation of Réseau
Entreprendre International, an association
aiming to develop the Réseau Entreprendre
France model. Operating since 2009, this partnership has given rise to the development of RE
in Brussels, Charleroi, Geneva and Barcelona.
This strategic agreement for the two partners
combines the expertise of Réseau Entreprendre,
new networks and better knowledge of the entrepreneurial sector for Bank Degroof. In Belgium,
15 new laureates are selected each year and 57
projects have been mentored, generating 200
direct jobs since 2010.
CONTACT
Réseau Entreprendre: Véronique Baradel, Managing Director
(vbaradel@reseau-entreprendre.org)
Bank Degroof: Silvia Steisel, Philanthropy Advisor
(silvia.steisel@degroof.be)
CONTACT
Colruyt: Mieke Vercaeren, Sustainability and Regulatory
Affairs (mieke.vercaeren@colruytgroup.com)
University of Ghent: Steven de Meester
(steven.demeester@ugent.be)
MORE INFORMATION
www.ugent.be
www.colruytgroup.com
MORE INFORMATION
www.reseau-entreprendre-international.org/
www.degroof.be
25
INSPIRING PROJECTS
Steentjesbos
StreetwiZe
In 2013, the international communications and
PR firm Sustainability Consult and Belgian NGO
Natuurpunt launched a partnership to preserve
and improve the Steentjesbos, a 47-hectare wood
in Kampenhout, Flanders.
StreetwiZe is a talent development company with
two main clients: street youth and business leaders. They work in the slums of Romania, Greece
and Albania but also in the financial district of
Brussels. Mobile School empowers street youth.
StreetwiZe translates the skills, competencies
and attitudes they use to survive into top-quality
talent development programmes for corporate
clients.
As a 1% for the Planet member, Sustainability Consult commits 1% of its sales to local NGO Natuurpunt, which invests it in local nature reserves.
This project has made the area more accessible to
walkers, families and youth groups and provides
information on local biodiversity. The Steentjesbos is a vital link to a larger network of sites, so
the partnership project has also made these areas
more accessible. To highlight the fact that businesses can add value to society, an opening event
was held to demonstrate that business and civil
society partnerships can bring people together to
celebrate the local environment.
CONTACT
Natuurpunt: Petra Beeckx, Communication and Marketing
(petra.beeckx@natuurpunt.be)
Sustainability Consult: Kathryn Sheridan, CEO and Founder
(ks@sustainabilityconsult.com)
MORE INFORMATION
https://twitter.com/sustconsult
www.facebook.com/pages/Sustainability-Consult/279521648743327
www.sustainabilityconsult.com
https://twitter.com/MijnNatuurpunt
www.facebook.com/natuurpunt
www.natuurpunt.be
26
StreetwiZe helps organisations create meaningful and lasting change. Their educational
panels incorporate the kids’ daily reality: health,
creativity, trading, friendship, etc. They serve
as conversation starters and help increase the
self-esteem. The model focuses on the talents
and not the problems.
By participating at the programme, Nike EMEA
provided financial support and brought insights
to the R&D of educational materials. They gained
valuable knowledge and insights to improve their
own teams and the way their company works.
CONTACT
StreetwiZe - Mobile School: Arnoud Raskin, co-founder and
director (arnoud@mobileschool.org)
Nike EMEA: Rodney Brouwer, Talent Director Europe
(rodney.brouwer@nike.com)
MORE INFORMATION
www.streetwize.be/en
www.mobileschool.org/en
www.facebook.com/arnoud.raskin?fref=ts
www.nikeinc.com
INSPIRING PROJECTS
Sugarcane Copy Paper
Sustainable Port Development
We use too much paper, leading to unnecessary
deforestation. As well as reducing our paper
consumption, we can choose paper made from
bagasse: waste from sugar cane production (with
the nutrients already extracted). Replacing office
paper with this alternative could save 60% to
65% of trees from being felled.
The Antwerp Port Community has recently
published its second sustainability report. In addition to this latest report, a guide was launched
to enable individual companies to implement
sustainability into their daily management
practices. The guide deals with a variety of topics
and contains practical testimonials, port-specific
information, useful links and references.
Moonen Packaging and 15 schools partnered to
give children and teachers a sustainable way of
using their school’s materials and to make them
think about the origins of these materials. They
promote replacing wood-based paper with their
variant of sugarcane paper. Moonen Packaging
took part in the development of this product and
the packaging and now distributes it. The schools
will use this paper and actively propagate the
idea behind this choice in the context of their
sustainable philosophy.
CONTACT
Moonen Packaging: Paul van Dijk, Project Manager
(p.van.dijk@moonenpackaging.com)
Scholengroep 11: Ingrid Ronsmans, Financial Advisor
(ingrid.ronsmans@scholengroep11.net)
MORE INFORMATION
www.moonenpackaging.com
www.facebook.com/MoonenPackaging?ref=hl
https://twitter.com/PaulvanDijkMP
www.scholengroep11.net
www.facebook.com/Scholengroep11
The Antwerp Port Authority developed this guide
together with Flanders’ Chamber of Commerce
and Industry VOKA and the Left Bank Development Corporation (LBDC). The information
provided aims to show the benefits for the
company itself as well as for the port community
and society as a whole. The report helps putting
sustainability on the agenda of all stakeholders.
The sustainability report and guide will be used
as a basis to work out sectorial guidelines for
other ports, in Belgium and abroad.
CONTACT
Antwerp Port Authority: Eric De Deckere, Technical Manager
Environment (eric.dedeckere@portofantwerp.com)
VOKA - Chamber of Commerce Antwerp-Waasland - Alfaport:
Sofie Coppens, Advisor Environment and Sustainability
(sofie.coppens@voka.be)
MORE INFORMATION
www.sustainableportofantwerp.com/en/
www.portofantwerp.com/language
www.voka.be/antwerpen-waasland/alfaport
27
INSPIRING PROJECTS
The FOOD Programme
The Green Link
The FOOD programme was initiated as a pilot
in 2009. Public and private entities in six EU
countries, including Belgium, teamed up to
promote healthy eating among employees
and restaurants. The Belgian partners are the
company Edenred, SPF Santé Publique, CIRIHA
(Lucia de Brouckère School) and the company
NutriChallenge.
The Green Link (TGL) is a deliveries and pick-ups
business in Paris with a fleet of 100% electric
battery vehicles. The Green Link also works for
elderly people, delivering home meals ecologically. They operate 3 green hubs and a fleet of 50
electrically assisted cargo bikes and electric vans.
The 3 hubs are supplied outside rush hour by
truck and/or boat. The parcels are consolidated
in the hub before being optimised into rounds
and delivered using exclusively clean vehicles.
Saveurs et Vie provides the Green Link with 600
daily diet meals, which will be delivered exclusively by electric cargo bike. This partnership
also includes the city of Paris and the Institute for
Sustainability (ITS), an organisation supporting
sustainable city logistics projects across Europe.
The work of the FOOD programme is twofold. It
aims to educate and inform two complementary
target groups (workers and restaurateurs) to
change their diet habits. The programme then
connects employee demand for a balanced diet
and restaurants’ offers, through a network of
restaurants following recommendations set by
national experts. The third target group is the
company, which plays a role in its employees’
welfare and health.
CONTACT
SPF Santé Publique: Olivier Christiaens, Expert
Communication (olivier.christiaens@gezondheid.belgie.be)
Edenred Belgium: Fanny Charpentier, Communication and
CSR Manager (fanny.charpentier@edenred.com)
MORE INFORMATION
www.health.belgium.be/eportal
@be_gezondheid
www.edenred.be
www.facebook.com/EdenredBelux
@EdenredBelgique
28
CONTACT
Institute for Sustainability: Stella Okeahialam, Coordinator
(stella.okeahialam@instituteforsustainability.org.uk)
Saveurs et Vie: July Burgy, Operational Director
(julie.burgy@saveursetvie.fr)
The Green Link: Michael Darchambeau
(michael.darchambeau@the-green-link.com)
MORE INFORMATION
http://instituteforsustainability.co.uk/
www.saveursetvie.fr/
INSPIRING PROJECTS
Voluntario
Variable Speed Drive
Compressors for Life
Cofely Services, which provides technical
solutions to companies, launched the Voluntario
project in partnership with Time4Society, which
makes the link between volunteers and charities.
In addition to every two days employees give to
society during their free time, they can use one
working day for the same purpose.This can be for
an organisation they were already volunteering
for or they can choose an organisation or project
on the Cofely platform (in co-operation with
Human Business). Teams are encouraged to
replace their traditional team-building event
with a Voluntario project. They will spend a
half or whole day volunteering for an organisation chosen by them. Time4society provides
a proposal for each team – in the desired area,
for the desired target group and fitting the skills
and size of the team. 112 Cofely employees have
participated in 17 different projects.
The industrial company Atlas Copco launched
its VSD for Life campaign to highlight their most
energy-efficient compressors, but also to make an
impact that will last for generations through the
WeForest project in Burkina Faso.
CONTACT
Time4Society: Benjamin Demarcin, Project Manager
(benjamin.demarcin@time4society.com)
Cofely Services: Karolien Vandersteen,
Social Development and Training Manager
(karolien.vandersteen@cofelyservices-gdfsuez.be)
MORE INFORMATION
www.time4society.com
www.facebook.com/pages/Time4Society/159439097446940
www.cofelyservices-gdfsuez.be
Variable Speed Drive (VSD) compressors not only
save energy and money. They also bring life to
the desert. For every kW sold, a tree is donated to
the Burkina Faso ecosystem.
The VSD for Life campaign kicked off on October
the 1st 2013 and lasted for 6 months, until April
2014. Atlas Copco donated one or two trees,
depending on the compressor model purchased,
to WeForest.
On top of that, there was an energy recovery option, giving a bonus of 10 extra trees. The goal is
to have a forest of 225,000 trees (which is almost
the size of Central Park in New York) at the end
of the campaign.
CONTACT
WeForest: Marie-Noelle Keijzer, CEO
(marienoelle.keijzer@weforest.org)
Atlas Copco: Elke Van Overbeke, Product Manager
(Elke.Van.Overbeke@be.atlascopco.com)
MORE INFORMATION
@VSDforLife
Facebook URL: meetatlascopco / atlascopco
www.atlascopco.com
@WeForest_org
www.facebook.com/WeForest?ref=hl
www.weforest.org
29
INSPIRING PROJECTS
Women’s schools in Africa
Chronically ill
but still going to school
In 2013, French cosmetics brand Sisley decided
to provide long-term support to Kisany, a Belgian
social enterprise training vulnerable men and
women in the art of embroidery and weaving.
Sisley offers work and education, giving each
worker a better future. The embroiderers (women) and tailors (men), produce fully handmade
high-quality household linen and exclusive products. They receive a complementary education in
the fields in which they believe they can improve
their skills. From going back to high school to
accessing university, computer training, literacy,
family planning and improvement in French.
Kisany accompanies the workers over years, so
those who were first vulnerable become leaders
in their community, regain dignity and can give
their children a better future and education.
Bednet connects long-term and chronically ill
children aged 6-18 and living in Flanders with
their own class using the internet. Bednet is free
for children and schools and is gradually being
expanded to all chronically ill children living
in Flanders. Belgacom, the telecommunication
company, offers an internet connection allowing
the sick child to follow the lessons live in their
own living room.
CONTACT
Kisany: Manuela del Marmol, Responsible for Sales and
Development of the Project (manueladelmarmol@gmail.com)
Sisley: Simon Dufeigneux, Directing Manager Belgium /
Luxembourg (simon.dufeigneux@sisley.fr)
MORE INFORMATION
www.kisany.com
www.facebook.com/kisanyafrica
www.sisley-cosmetics.com/be-fr/
www.facebook.com/sisleyparis
30
Using special software, students will watch their
teacher and classmates on a laptop screen. Every
Bednet project is supported by an ICT helpdesk
available at all times, so inconvenience to the
class and student due to technical problems is
minimised. Furthermore, the sick child and the
school will receive guidance from a regional facilitator which ensures smooth communication,
introduction to and monitoring of the process.
CONTACT
Bednet: Els Janssens, Director (els.janssens@bednet.be)
Belgacom: Xavier Dekeuleneer, Head of CSR
(xavier.dekeuleneer@belgacom.be)
MORE INFORMATION
https://twitter.com/belgacom_press: @belgacom_
press
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KAURI
Belgian meeting point
for global sustainable action
KAURI is the Belgian multistakeholder network for sustainability. We gather
a broad range of companies, civil society organisations, governments,
academic institutions and other associations to think, act and collaborate on
sustainability challenges.
To make this happen, we yearly develop a series of networking and
inspirational events for and together with our members. Next to these live
events, our members can use our online community to build ecosystems on
those sustainability themes that are most relevant to them.
As a pioneer on the Belgian sustainability scene in the 90ies, the network
focused on linking NGOs and companies in international business and fair
trade. Anno 2013, we believe more than ever that multistakeholder interaction
is the most powerful driver towards a sustainable environment, society and
economy.
KAURI, de Fiennestraat 77, 1070 Brussels
www.kauri.be
Business & Society is a business network with over 85 companies
and business associations from various sectors, who wish to integrate
CSR in their strategy and operations. As a reference point of CSR in
Belgium, we provide business with supporting tools by sharing best
practices, developing new CSR solutions and engaging dialogue with the
stakeholders on various CSR dimensions.
Business & Society Belgium, Stuiversstraat 8, 1000 Brussels
www.businessandsociety.be
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Edited on June the 2nd of 2014.
Copywriting: Jan Ockerman, Oriane De Vroey, Clara Perles, Magelaan
Layout: www.magelaan.be
Responsible editors: David Leyssens, de Fiennestraat 77, 1070 Brussels
& Sabine Denis, Stuiversstraat 8, 1000 Brussels
31
Sustainable
Partnerships
Award 2014
With the support of:
KAURI
Belgian meeting point
for global sustainable action