Accelerating sustainability

Not only do we strive to comply with the relevant environmental legislation, but we also have a policy to communicate openly with all stakeholders and to continuously improve our performance. Operational risks at our manufacturing hubs and terminals, or linked to transportation via pipelines, sea, road and rail, are assessed on a regular basis and minimised.

The main impacts identified relate to emissions, potential spills, water and energy use, waste generation, and land use. On the other hand, VARO is very active in promoting renewable energy use, boosting energy efficiency, and assisting in biodiversity recovery via multiple initiatives.

Environmental management is an integral part of the HSSE (Health, Safety, Security and Environmental) protection domain. All HSSE aspects are closely linked to the planning and production activities, as one event can have several consequences for safety and environment.

We believe that a good safety and environmental culture is one where the two-way dialogue with our employees, contractors, authorities, neighbouring communities and all relevant stakeholders is effective. We have developed demanding targets for continuing to drive down rates of injury at work.

Our people are our greatest asset, and their safety is of paramount importance. We also aim to further improve on our Equity, Inclusiveness and Diversity action plan, as we believe this is the right thing to do, and it is also a key enabler for our company’s success. More specifically, we plan to increase female representation at all levels of VARO.

Our Code of Conduct contains rules and guidelines for conduct in business relations and at the workplace. We target to train all employees on the Code of Conduct, and we train all commercial and financial staff about competition law. Since a large part of VARO’s activity is tied to the commercial handling of energy goods and services, we strictly abide by European Union and national rules regulating anti-competitive and anti-trust behaviour. Also critical to our ESG strategy is safeguarding the privacy of the data we hold regarding our staff, customers, suppliers and business partners. We comply rigorously with all anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws, rules, regulations and trade sanctions wherever we operate.

VARO operates its energy business in countries where there is a relatively low risk of breaching human rights thanks to strong national legislation and a fair judicial system protecting these rights. The countries where we operate our energy business – the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland and France – have received the highest ranking on the Human Freedom Index. We will continue our careful monitoring of the human rights risks in the territories where we operate, especially as we move into new geographies. We are proud to have recently joined the UN Global Compact and committed to align our operations and strategies with important social principles in support of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These principles embody the core values that guide our business practices, which centre on honesty, integrity and reliability.