GEODIS: A global leader in CSR

As a company that is committed to being a good corporate citizen and to looking after its people, GEODIS goes to great lengths to fulfill its Corporate Social Responsibility. In 2018, those efforts were again recognized as outstanding by one of the world’s leading CSR rating agency. EcoVadis, that delivers assessment of social and environmental performance in global supply chains, awarded GEODIS a Gold rating after it achieved an overall score of 70/100 for its CSR activities. A new record for the Group, it beat the previous year’s mark by two points and put GEODIS in the top 1% of 30,000 firms in the ‘freight transport by road’ category.

To reach its conclusions, EcoVadis measures performance in four areas – the environment, labor practices and human rights, fair business practices, and sustainable procurement. Marks are awarded in each area, and then combined to provide the overall figure.

Environment

For the environment, EcoVadis recognized that GEODIS is not only working to reduce its impact in areas such as greenhouse gas emissions and the use of natural resources, it has also signed up to major sector initiatives, including the Global Logistics Emissions Council and EcoTransIT. 42% of GEODIS sites are certified to the international standard for environmental management, ISO 14001, while measures to reduce CO2 emissions, through low-emission Euro VI vehicles and training in eco-friendly driving techniques, are being deployed. With a rating of 90/100, the score for GEODIS is more than double the average of its competitors.

Labor practices and human rights

As a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact on the treatment of employees since 2003, GEODIS performs strongly in the areas of labor practices and human rights. Along with a range of international health and safety certifications, GEODIS also works to keep people safe through training and site safety committees. Considered as an absolute priority, safety is one of GEODIS’ Golden Rule. At the same time, to help its employees reach their full potential, the company works with Investors in People and diversity initiatives such as the Gender Equality European International Standard.

Fair business practices

As with employees, GEODIS behaves responsibly with its partners and engages in fair business practices. To achieve this, two key instruments are used – an Ethics Policy, along with audit procedures to check the policy’s effectiveness. Disciplinary measures are in place to deal with any breaches, while personal signatures are used to acknowledge the policy. E-learning and training sessions as well as awareness-raising actions are implemented on its application. On a separate topic, GEODIS invests in cybersecurity to protect the data of customers and employees.

Sustainable procurement

Finally, the aim of sustainable procurement is to take the responsible practices carried out by GEODIS and extend them to the supply chain. A Supplier Code of Conduct has been drawn up and CSR clauses on environmental and labor issues have been introduced to every new contract or contract renewal achieved by GEODIS. In addition, GEODIS provides training on CSR-related topics for its buyers, so that issues such as CO2 emissions, for example, are among the selection criteria for new vehicles.

As the report by EcoVadis makes clear, CSR plays a key role in the way GEODIS does business. The company has a structured, proactive approach to protecting its people and the environment, based on clear policies and objectives – and backed by appropriate monitoring. While much has been accomplished so far, the Group aims to achieve even more in the future.  Beginning of 2018, GEODIS thus announced a global ambition of a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 (base year: 2017, like for like).