Automotive and Supply Chain Specialist Releases CSR Report
4th May 2018
Automotive and supply chain specialist GEFCO has published its Corporate Social Responsibility report, demonstrating ongoing process in sustainable development. Reflected in its new signature “Partners, Unlimited”, the Group is pursuing its commitment to sustainable business, based on cooperation and strong relationships with all its stakeholders.
A strategic focus on the environment
In accordance with the ten principles of the United Nations Global Compact, GEFCO Group recognises the importance of values in sustainable business, and is committed to meeting its environmental responsibilities, as well as human rights, international labour standards and anti-corruption.
Over the two last years, GEFCO has achieved its objective of reducing its CO2 emissions by 2% each year. At the same time, the Group has been working with customers and suppliers to reduce the CO2 impact of the entire supply chain, through services such as Castor, a dedicated software for monitoring greenhouse gas emissions. GEFCO has also introduced a Responsible Purchasing Charter for suppliers and subcontractors. By the end of 2017, more than 1,100 of the Group’s partners in road flows had signed this charter, agreeing to comply with environmental standards for used vehicles and to undertake eco-driving training.
To assess its social and environmental impact, the Group participates in numerous evaluation and certification programmes. In 2017, 59 GEFCO sites have renewed their ISO 14 001 certification. Meanwhile, the Group achieved a B score on the CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project), moving from a D score in 2015; GEFCO was also awarded a score of 60/100 by EcoVadis, which assesses companies’ maturity in social and environmental practices, business ethics and responsible purchasing, highlighting the positive results GEFCO achieved in these areas.
Reducing the environmental impact of services
To meet its environmental commitments, GEFCO is investing in environmentally friendly solutions for the supply chain. These include:
• A new version of CADIS OPTIM tracking software to optimise truck transport. Tests have identified the following gains: 15% fewer kilometres covered, 4% higher fill rates, and 9% fewer trucks on the road.
• The development of multimodal transport and alternative routes, such as the Silk Road. In addition to delivering costs that are ten times lower than that of air transport, and lead times cut in half compared to sea transport, rail transport significantly reduces environmental impacts with five times fewer emissions than sea transport.
• “Green” storage solutions such as the Courgenay vehicle storage yard, which houses the most powerful photovoltaic power plant in Switzerland. In 2017, GEFCO achieved 8% savings in energy consumption through its efforts at more than 50 sites.
Promoting an Infinite ProximityTM culture
In 2017, GEFCO chose ten fundamental principles of its corporate culture. These ten principles, united under the Infinite Proximity™ program, serve as guidelines for employee’s actions and decisions as well as the Group’s overall development. The launch of the program represented an opportunity for the entire Executive Management Committee to share the Infinite Proximity™ principles with over 2,000 managers in 12 countries in Europe, Asia and South America,
Recognising the importance of employee engagement and fair human practices, the Group bases its recruitment policy on four pillars: transparency, visibility, efficiency and assertiveness. All Human Resources Managers worldwide have received training to standardise recruitment practices and support GEFCO’s employer’s brand. The Group is also developing local partnerships with universities and business schools to attract young talent. In 2017, 1,920 employees were hired on permanent contracts, an increase of 27% compared to 2016. GEFCO also received the “Happy Trainees” label for the second year in a row, ranking sixth in the “International” category.