Partnerships, water and sustainable development in the spotlight
How we contribute to getting water to people around the world, how we claim responsibility in our surrounding societies and continue our efforts to do business in an ethically sound matter. These are parts of the highlights in Grundfos’ Sustainability Report 2016.
It takes companies willing to claim responsibility to move the world to a better place. This is part of the learnings from Grundfos’ recently released sustainability report, which among other things looks at how we play an active part in achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
“The SDGs provide us with a common understanding and common language on how we can achieve a better future for everyone. We now embark on a journey to understand how we can link SDG market opportunities to our business strengths. We see the SDGs as a business driver that supports our vision to be a value-based, sustainable company,” says Pia Yasuko Rask, Senior Engagement & Responsibility Manager.
Grundfos has a special focus on the UN’s goal number 6, and there are several examples of where Grundfos is making a difference. One could be a partnership with the Danish Refugee Council to secure access to water and sanitation in some of the world’s largest refugee communities, and another is that we are spreading water in an urban settlement in Nairobi in a unique and innovative way.
“We need to try new partnerships to accelerate our contribution to the goals set by the UN. In this case, we have the technical expertise and our partners have context knowledge. The combination may be able to bring clean water to more people in new ways,” says Pia Yasuko Rask.
“But acting in a sustainable way is much more than water to Grundfos. We see it in a holistic perspective, and that’s why we also focus on the way we do business, the way we treat our employees and the way we interact with our surrounding societies,” she continues.
To stay in front when it comes to this, Grundfos has introduced an updated Code of Conduct, including an even stronger commitment to human rights and clear-cut anti-corruption initiatives, as well as continuing our efforts to claim social responsibility in our surrounding societies. This for instance exemplified by an initiative in Mexico, where our production company plays a key part in getting former criminals back in society through employment.
Important internal initiatives are also promoted, including the introduction of new health and safety standards and approaches, which e.g. has brought down lost time injuries by 34 percent.
Other on-going and successful initiatives can be found in our commitment to reducing our environmental impact. We have cut CO2-emission by 7.2 percent, our water consumption by 5 percent and our energy use by 2 percent last year.
