As we all know, the construction industry bears a significant responsibility for global greenhouse gas emissions. At BESIX Group, we recognise that over 90 % of our environmental and social impact is intertwined with the goods and services we order from our suppliers and subcontractors. Procurement can thus play a pivotal role in reducing the emissions linked to scope 3*. An effective collaboration with our suppliers and subcontractors is therefore essential to drive our sustainability efforts.
To help you engage in fruitful discussions with your suppliers and subcontractors and communicate our sustainability vision clearly, the Procurement department has formalised our Group’s approach to sustainable procurement in this Procurement Sustainability Ambition document. This document is publicly available on the intranet.
BESIX’s sustainable procurement strategy focuses on three pillars: Planet, People, and Prosperity.
- Planet: our ambition is to encourage key suppliers to take rapid action in reducing their GHG emissions to become neutral by 2050. We also want to ensure that suppliers develop sustainable life-cycle programmes for waste-to-wealth, by increasing the use of recycled and reused materials, for example. We also promote suppliers that reduce their energy consumption and avoid all forms of pollution and waste of natural resources. One of the concrete actions in this direction is requesting key suppliers to provide accurate reporting on the percentage of their CO2 emissions or energy consumption.
- People: BESIX wants to promote fair labour conditions among the suppliers’ employees. Our ambition is also to promote suppliers which apply the best Health & Safety rules in their manufacturing processes. And we want to guarantee that BESIX key suppliers commit to the Procurement Code of Conduct. To reach these targets, we ask suppliers to share their accident statistics, their Diversity and Inclusion policy, and sign our Procurement Code of Conduct.
- Prosperity: we want to develop close collaborations with suppliers willing to generate a pipeline of sustainable short- and medium-term projects with mutual benefits. Our ambition is also to promote suppliers who include a socio-economic approach in their project. And we encourage suppliers to innovate by exploring green opportunities and solutions to develop sustainable business. To do so, BESIX requires key suppliers to provide a short-term roadmap for sustainable growth and innovation. Another concrete action is to ask suppliers to share their EcoVadis score and assessment or equivalent.
Recognising that sustainability and profitability are not conflicting, they must coexist for us to remain appealing to investors and clients in an increasingly sustainability-focused world.
Formalising our ambition in this document allows us to publicly articulate our intentions and the principles we aim to uphold. We encourage you to use this document in interactions with both suppliers and clients. Sharing and discussing it will reinforce our dedication to achieving excellence in crafting sustainable solutions for a better world.
*Scope 3 refers to the indirect emissions from purchased goods and services, their transportation (upstream), and their end-of-life treatment (downstream).