Sustainability

Gispen’s best kept secret. That’s how Q Consultants, the company that advises Gispen about sustainable business, described how Gispen approaches Socially Responsible Business practices. For the simple reason that Gispen was already applying these principles before ‘sustainable business’ became a trend.

Back in the mid 1990s, Gispen put the environment at the top of its investment plan with the main limiting conditions. With that investment plan, Gispen was way ahead of its time and the company was also nominated for the Gelderse Milieuprijs [Gelderland Environmental Award]. The fact that Gispen was the second company in the sector to have very recently received the EMAS certificate, which goes beyond the ISO 14001 norm, is actually the result of its long term innovative policy. Sustainable business is not just about the Planet, but also about People and Profit. Gispen has one of the oldest works councils in the sector in the Netherlands, implements an ageaware personnel policy and strives for social engagement wherever possible.

Gispen recently decided to become climate neutral in all its business activities.
Conducting a business in a climate neutral manner means that we constantly investigate where energy savings can be made in the organisation. Furthermore, any residual emissions which cannot be reduced will be compensated through a climate project.

Socially responsible business practices are rooted in Gispen’s core values and mission: A better life at work. ‘We are convinced that striving to achieve sustainability, one of our core values, through social engagement is a continuous process’, says Peter Veer, general manager of Gispen. ‘You have to keep trying, raise the bar in everything you do. That’s what we understand by innovation. It is a challenge which reflects the identity of our company.’