Environment
The nature of our operations, wholesaling and retailing, has a relatively low impact on the environment. Nevertheless, we are on the alert for opportunities to further reduce our environmental impact.
For example, we give considerable attention to reducing distances travelled. In the past year we introduced new transport planning, with the help of which we achieved a reduction from 125 to 150 tonnes CO2 in 2008. We expect to be able to double this in 2009. In addition, we provide incentives to let our lease car drivers choose cars on an environmentally conscious basis.
In the absence of public transport, we used electric motor scooters to provide environmentally benign transport for staff and guests to our new logistics centre for direct activities in Moordrecht.
In addition, active participation in the Dutch Packaging Covenant means that packaging – in our case, mainly repackaging materials – imposes less of a burden on the environment and declines in volume each year. For instance, our wholesaling companies employ reusable containers to deliver orders to customers.
Needless to say, our pharmacies accept expired pharmaceuticals and used syringes. Our companies in the Direct & Institutional segment have also set up a system for collecting and re-using medical equipment.
We have moved into a new head office in Utrecht at the end of 2009. This building fully complies with standards for responsible sustainable construction. This means, for instance, that environmentally responsible choices have been made in terms of the materials used, such as FSC-approved wood and environmentally friendly paints. In addition, underground heat and cold storage is used. This system as a whole can lead to considerable energy savings, of 40 to 80%, compared to conventional systems. The move also provided us with an opportunity for a critical review of the energy consumption of our ICT facilities. The new building has a new, ‘green’ data centre enabling us to save energy and limit CO2 emissions.