Interview with Eus de Haas, Country Director & General Counsel

The European Commission requires large companies to be audited for ESG: Environment, Social and Governance policy. 2024 is the first year that ESG policies have to be implemented in the annual report for that year. How does ESG relate to the Manifesto of VINCI Energies, our starting point for Corporate Social Responsibility? 

“All our employees endorse the principles of Corporate Social Responsibility of the VINCI Group. We translated those principles into eight convictions: our Manifesto. These eight convictions have been derived from the objectives of the UN Global Compact, which has been signed by VINCI.”

Eus de Haas Country Director & General Counsel

“Of course, our beliefs cannot remain just good intentions. That’s why we have our progress on the way to the objectives of the United Nations that underpin our Manifesto audited by an independent party, EcoVadis. In 2023, we achieved Platinum status again in the EcoVadis review.” 

“The European Commission decided on a Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). This sets out how large companies need to report on their activities in the area of sustainability policy. Sustainability requirements can be categorized in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG). Being a large company according to the OECD guidelines, VINCI Energies Netherlands needs to comply with ESG reporting, based on the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS).” 

How will the performance of a company in the area of ESG be tested? 

“This is done by an external auditor, who performs the financial audit and the ESG audit based on double materiality. The impact of the CSRD on the financial performance of the organisation and the impact of the organisational activities on the society. The ESG audit will check whether you do what you say and how you prove that. We now have systems that record all sorts of matters that result in KPIs: Key Performance Indicators. The CSRD and the corresponding European Sustainability Report Standards are enabling us to define a Sustainablity Dashboard with partly compulsory KPI’s.” 

Does the ESG legislation fit with the Manifesto?

“Yes, because VINCI amended the Manifesto which is connected with her Duty of Vigilance Plan. The Manifesto identifies the specifics in its eight convictions, ensuring it fits in even better with the ESG. For the Governance element of ESG, you need to record what you as entrepreneur do in terms of opportunities and taking risks in this volatile world. We have an Opportunity and Risk Management Model for that and a Project Review System for managing larger projects.” 

“And in the area of Ethics – another aspect of Governance – we perform third-party analyses. We assess our clients, suppliers and subcontractors to determine whether they are respectable and transparent entrepreneurs. Our business units do that themselves, as they decide who they work with. We record that, enabling clients, external auditors or the government to review our position.”

“Take information security and the General Data Protection Regulation. More than 60% of our companies is already certified for information security in line with ISO 27001. With these systems and certifications, we can safeguard the objectives we communicate internally and externally to our stakeholders.” 

Do we have systems to record our Environmental performance? 

“We set up eVE for example, ‘environmental VINCI Energies’. That is where we monitor our CO₂ footprint per business unit. That leads to a report about all types of energy consumption, the sustainability of our buildings and the use of electric vehicles. We have our footprint certified by external auditors for the CO₂ performance ladder. Nationally we have reached  level 5, the highest level.” 

“We also consider how our solutions and services impact the CO₂ footprint of our clients, in order to help with their reduction as well. We created a database of what we purchase and pass on to the client, so that this can be expressed as a CO₂-footprint factor. Then we can do something about it together with the client. We have the expertise in-house.” 

And Social? 

“In Social it is all about the well-being of our employees. They are the basis of everything we do. So, we offer them a good salary and the opportunity to join a share programme. We strive to provide physical, social and mentally safe workplaces where employees can develop and have a meaningful experience at work. And an environment that provides room for diversity and where people feel valued. In summary, it is about healthy working relations where we strive for happiness at work. That includes our accessible and anonymous. Integrity procedure for reporting a breach of good working relationships, safety or environmental incidents, fraud, or anti-competition rules.”

“In other words, we embed and secure our processes and have systems to arrive at financial and non-financial KPIs. That means we can be assessed on how we perform in terms of ESG in respect of our stakeholders. By reporting on financial and non-financial KPIs, we can be assessed on long-term value creation and our contribution to ecosystems – partnerships – with clients and suppliers. Who cares, wins.”