The sustainability initiatives we are developing are highly diverse in type and scope. Initiatives are being implemented in various regions in the area of vehicle electrification, waste management, switching over to biofuels and energy optimization projects, such as installing LED lighting. There are smaller initiatives too. For example, Van Leeuwen Sweden, as well as head office in Zwijndrecht, each are keeping almost 50,000 honey bees, and several branches have installed insect hotels.
Transport
As a distribution company, we are constantly looking for ways to manage stocks closer to our customers, and make our transport more sustainable, for example by making use of transport by rail or barge. The trucks of our partner, Royal Dutch LV Logistics (Lensveld Transport), have been running on HVO100 renewable diesel since September 2022. Van Leeuwen France, in collaboration with its primary freight carrier, has introduced a biofuel Eco truck. Our company Kindlimann in Switzerland will also be driving an Eco truck in the near future. With this biofuel solution we expect to reduce CO2 emissions by 60%. In addition, we will switch over to electric trucks where possible.
Solar panels
Up to 2023, Van Leeuwen has invested over 6.5 million euros in green electricity on its own roofs, including in the Netherlands, Germany, Romania, Denmark and Australia. The goal is to further invest in solar panels over the coming years, so that we can fully provide all of our branches in Europe with in-house generated green electricity. Toward the end of 2023, we had installed 13,500 solar panels on our roofs with a 6 million kWh capacity.
Community engagement
Van Leeuwen demonstrates its involvement in local communities, through various donations, sponsorships and the social engagement of its employees. In 2023, Van Leeuwen organized various initiatives to donate money to good causes. Examples include: aid to earthquake victims in Turkey, an ambulance and medical supplies for Ukraine, a cheque for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), a sponsored run for a disabled young girl in the Czech Republic, and lots of support for local food banks in North America.
Sustainability governance model
In our company we manage sustainability on the basis of a governance model, whereby we ensure that everyone is involved. A sustainability officer has been appointed in each region, responsible for ensuring that the region and its local companies work on implementing Van Leeuwen’s sustainability strategy. Our Management Board and Executive Board are highly committed to sustainability, and our Supervisory Board is well-informed of progress in this area. A committed sustainability team ensures that all actions and initiatives are rolled out worldwide.
An important part of our sustainability strategy is to build up and share our knowledge about sustainability within our organization. In May 2023, the Global Finance days were held at our head office in Zwijndrecht. Important topics for discussion included the upcoming Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) directive, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) as well as our path toward CO2 neutrality. The global Van Leeuwen finance team plays a key role in reporting and making progress on ESG topics
Reporting
Reporting about our efforts in the area of sustainability helps us stay sharp in this area and achieve measurable progress. For example, we report to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CPD). This is a globally active non-profit organization focused on collecting and reporting environmental data from companies and cities, particularly in the area of climate change, water consumption and deforestation.
In 2023, we made preparations for the upcoming European Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), with as a first step the preparation of the so-called double materiality assessment. To comply with this new EU directive, we will be publishing a sustainability report over 2025, for the Group as a whole. We are also working on a sustainability assessment in accordance with the EU taxonomy criteria.
In 2024, we will be anchoring sustainability in our business operations. In 2025, we aim to participate in the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). This is a partnership between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, the World Resources Institute and the World Wide Fund for Nature. The purpose of this initiative is to establish scientifically validated climate targets.
