Vinçotte adopts CSR policy, in line with Kiwa’s CSR Route 2025

In November 2022, our family members at Vinçotte in Belgium and Luxembourg adopted their very own Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy. Their commitment to a sustainable, safer and more efficient society nicely aligns with Kiwa’s CSR Focal Points. 

“The adoption of this corporate social responsibility policy is important”, stresses Bernard De Cannière, CEO of Vinçotte. “We had to take a strong stand for ourselves, our internal talents, our clients and society.”

Adds Christelle Binamé, Internal Communication & Sustainability Manager and one of the four driving forces behind the project: “We just had to take action! In my job, I have the opportunity to interact with colleagues from all walks of life: I am either faced with colleagues who want to see if we can support a good cause or with colleagues whose client products and projects are related to sustainability. Our desire for sustainability is very strong and Vinçotte has long been active in the field of sustainability – but a global framework, a structure, was lacking.”

Kurt Gutschoven, Head of Transformation, concurs. “If you look at the dna of Vinçotte, our activities related to safety and efficiency fit perfectly with CSR. We set up a working group to add a vision, a concrete policy.”

Enthusiastic colleagues

So, the group, also comprising Manuel Plateau, Operations Manager, and Evert Vermaut, Teamlead and Consultancy Manager, went to work. After several meetings, a policy and a list of actions emerged, based on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. 

“I had already had several informal conversations with Christelle and Kurt about my desire to start making things happen”, says Manuel. “Privately, I am very committed to sustainable development. One of the topics close to my heart is gender equality. We have a large majority of male colleagues, but it is important to make our company attractive to female talent.”

Adds Evert: "in our division, we work on products and services to help our clients with their sustainability challenges. CSR is not only my area of expertise, but also something I live and breathe in my daily life. I find it important that we help Vinçotte reduce its ecological footprint.”

“Mapping our carbon footprint was one of the first actions taken after defining our main lines of work”, says Christelle. “Kiwa wants to be CO₂ neutral by 2035, but at Vinçotte we aim for 2030. Thanks to the results of a study, the entire Vinçotte community has become aware of this. I think it was an ‘eye opener’ for many managers.”

Concludes Filiep Spinnewyn, Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) and sponsor of the CSR project: “I am very happy with CSR as a goal. The corona crisis delayed the process, but luckily it also allowed us to easily align our preparatory work with the Kiwa guidelines, which are very much in line with our proposal. I enjoy the passion and dedication among colleagues, and I’m really looking forward to what is ahead of us.”

Photo: left to right: Filiep Spinnewyn, Christelle Binamé, Evert Vermaut, Kurt Gutschoven and Manuel Plateau.