SDG #12: Responsible consumption and production
As a sustainable company we must look beyond our own activities. For example, we must determine whether the origins of the copper or steel in our cables or charging stations are sustainable. WAAK has always put a premium on sustainability but now it is time to develop a systematic overall approach. This means taking a critical look at ourselves as well as our stakeholders: workforce, suppliers, customers... To keep things running smoothly and also implement sustainability even more efficiently in our strategy, we have appointed a Sustainability Coordinator. Enter Rebekka Vanhamel.
Rebekka Vanhamel: Sustainability is embedded in our DNA
Rebekka Vanhamel has been working at WAAK for 12 years and she knows the organisation inside out. Until recently she was a full-time Project Developer in the Work Preparation department in Cable Assembly. It was becoming clear WAAK would increasingly be targeting the green economy and that is why in September 2022 the decision was made to appoint a Sustainability Coordinator. As the driving force behind the sustainable think tank Circular, Rebekka Vanhamel was the obvious choice for the newly created position. At the moment she is 50% project developer and 50% sustainability coordinator.
What is a sustainability coordinator?
“A sustainability coordinator ensures that a company is sustainable in all of its many facets. In that sense sustainability is defined very broadly”, Rebekka explains. It’s not just about what raw materials to buy, how taxing production processes are on the environment or how much CO2 your company emits; a sustainability coordinator also looks at things like HR and mobility policy and tries to make improvements in those areas as well. “In my role you might say I act as the guardian of sustainable actions and entrepreneurship”, says the newly appointed coordinator.
Sustainability as a strategy
Our current actions in the area of sustainability are still a bit ad hoc. Our intention is to take structural actions. Sustainability must be embedded in our business strategy. That is why Rebekka wants to start by raising awareness and creating goodwill for this: “WAAK must be infused with sustainability at every level. It is a concern that must be shared by everyone. The fact that I am the sustainability coordinator doesn’t mean that everyone in WAAK will start to act in a sustainable manner overnight. It’s a project that requires everyone to contribute: from management to shop floor. That is why my first major action is to kindle everyone’s enthusiasm. That is the foundation I will build on.”
A closer look at our partners
Much is already being done at WAAK in terms of sustainability but that doesn’t mean there are no more areas for improvement. Rebekka is identifying those areas as we speak. One of these aspects is our purchase policy. We can make our business activities even more sustainable by using raw materials sourced in a sustainable way. We must admit that this is still a blind spot right now: “At present we have no idea whether we are working with sustainable suppliers. I would very much like to examine this in detail. As a sustainable company, it is very important to work with raw materials that are obtained in a sustainable way. This is not just important for ourselves, we are also sending a signal to society and other companies. As a sustainability trailblazer we want to enter into a dialogue on the subject with our partners and suppliers as well as with customers who supply raw materials. This is how we want to bring about a change in mindset.” It is important to implement a holistic approach that looks beyond ourselves and that puts all our stakeholders in the picture.
Everybody benefits
The position of sustainability coordinator is new to our organisation so there is no established roadmap for Rebekka to fall back on. As a result, she will need to flesh out her approach as she goes along and map out her own itinerary: “What I definitely want to achieve in this role is to make people realise that sustainability can be fun. It’s not a millstone. Also, it’s not terrible expensive, as some like to say. I intend to show that it is useful and that we can learn things that can also be used at home. By striving for a more sustainable lifestyle you are not only helping the environment and the climate, it also helps you live in a better and healthier way. It creates a better future for ourselves and the generations to come. Convincing everyone at WAAK of this would make me very happy.”