Sustainability

Working together towards a sustainable future

Sustainability is central to VDL Groep. As a family business, we want to pass on a stronger, healthier, and more sustainable company to the next generation. That is why sustainability and circularity are fully integrated into our business operations. We embrace European sustainability legislation, such as the CSRD, and believe that transparency contributes to making business more sustainable.

New European rules stimulate demand for sustainable products and make the use of recycled materials more attractive. By investing in sustainable energy and infrastructure, we are reducing our energy costs and improving our production processes. In this way, we are accelerating the transition to clean technologies and making sustainability mainstream and profitable. We see European initiatives that reduce administrative burdens and stimulate sustainability as important opportunities. Our ESG strategy remains our guiding principle, with cooperation and quality as the foundation for sustainable growth.

To determine the right course, we conduct a double materiality analysis. We look at the impact of our activities on people and society and at the influence of external developments on our strategy. The most important ESG themes are the environment, employees, and social role. Working groups with clear objectives, in line with international sustainability goals, are active for each theme.

With more than 100 manufacturing companies, VDL Groep has a strong value chain, from raw material extraction to production, use, and recycling. The 9R circularity model forms the basis for this: refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, refurbish, remanufacture, repurpose, recycle, and recover. We supply sectors such as High Tech, Mobility, Energy, Infratech, and Foodtech.

Cooperation with stakeholders is essential to us. We maintain close contact with customers, suppliers, employees, and communities. Material topics are regularly reviewed with stakeholders, with climate change, circularity, and good employment practices often emerging as top priorities. We engage in this stakeholder dialogue on a structural basis through meetings, cooperation, and information exchange.

Sustainable Development Goals

At VDL, our ambition is to make a structured contribution to the UN sustainability goals. To achieve this, we have entered into a partnership with UNICEF, the United Nations children's rights organization. Together we map the different parts of our supply chain to ensure that the raw materials we use are free from child labor. In addition, UNICEF supports us in setting up a structure with which we can provide insight into the contribution that VDL makes to global sustainability objectives.

At VDL we are committed to building a sustainable future. By working with organizations such as UNICEF, we strive to fulfill our social and environmental responsibilities. Together we work towards a world in which the SDGs become reality, in which prosperity is fairly distributed and the planet flourishes.

Want to know more about our sustainability strategy? Download our Annual Report (page 62).