Sustainability at ELCEE
- Buildings and facilities sustainability
- Electrification of company vehicles
- Network efficiency
- Recycled packaging
- Supplier assessment
- And sustainability certificates
Buildings and facilities sustainability
Sustainability is a very important element at ELCEE therefore we ELCEE make all our buildings and facilities as sustainable as possible. As of 2021, ELCEE’s facility in Dordrecht is equipped with 5,148 solar panels that provide the energy for all the activities at this site. The office location also uses LED lighting and climate controls that improves the energy efficiency of the offices. Additionally, as some facilities close and others switch to renewable energy sources, in conclusion the percentage of green energy used globally rises in the near future.
Electrification of Company Vehicles
ELCEE aims for 90 to 100% electrification of its car fleet. This mainly means that we replace leased diesel and petrol cars by electric or hybrid models at the end of the lease contract. As a result, the share of electric vehicles in the company’s fleet already increased from 18 to 28% between 2020 and 2021.
Network Efficiency for Sustainability
Consolidation of container shipment: ELCEE’s size allows us to ship full containers of products to from production sites to our warehouses. This ensures optimal utilisation of transport capacity and therefore CO2 efficiency.
Shipment consolidation: A large part of ELCEE’s total CO2 emissions is indirect and come from subcontracted transportation. One way to reduce these emissions is by ensuring network efficiency. ELCEE’s largest outbound forwarder is partnered with the logistics group TransMission, which is a collaboration of 12 freight forwarders in the Netherlands. The purpose of this group is to consolidate shipments and reduce the kilometers driven.
Logistical planning: We will also maintain low numbers of express shipments through careful supply chain management. Because the fewer last-minute shipments to our customers needed, the less CO2 emissions is generated. The reason for this is that smaller courier vans and planes emit more CO2 relative to the weight and transported distance than larger trucks and ships.
Recycled Packaging
All our freight is transported on Euro pallets, which is based on a global exchange system that continually reuses pallets – that means, they are trading them between users in the supply chain. This measure saved 70%, compared to using new pallets.
Supplier assessment
In our assessment of suppliers, sustainability is an important factor. We assess various aspects such as working conditions, raw material use, material recycling, co2 emissions, etc. In this way, we ensure that we only work with companies that meet our sustainability criteria. Moreover, we contribute to the sustainability awareness of the production partners.
Sustainability certificates
EcoVadis: EcoVadis is an organization that rates companies on their CSR compliance. ELCEE is rated with a bronze medal for 2021 based on our performance in the areas of environmental practices, green energy, labor rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement, which results in a place in the top 50% of the companies assessed by EcoVadis. Consequently, we strive to implement the improvements suggested by Ecovadis to continuously strengthen our commitment in these fields.
BREEAM Certificate: The BREEAM certificate is a standard used to indicate a sustainably built environment and is used in more than 80 countries worldwide. In Dordrecht, the ELCEE location in Dordrecht received the rating EXCELLENT from the agency. Above all several factors contributing to this include the solar panels on the roof of the building that provide renewable energy, but also LED lighting in the offices, further more the climate-controlled environment, and bird houses and insect farms surrounding the building.
Looking to the future
Of course the matter of environmental sustainability is an increasingly urgent topic, ELCEE is aware that we all have a responsibility to reduce the impact that we have on the planet. That is why we take action to take more ambitious steps regarding our sustainability initiatives. In the near future, we intend to make product carbon footprint calculations available to our customers, so that they can easily understand the environmental impact of their own products. Next to this, ELCEE is investigating the possibility of CO2 compensation, to offset those emissions that cannot be avoided. This also includes the option to provide carbon neutral shipping. However, implementing meaningful change cannot be achieved alone. That is why ELCEE is in close contact with the members of its supply chain. We discuss future options for emission reductions and a joint pathway towards more sustainable operations.
