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VKR FRANCE sets up a Sustainable Development Challenge to engage its employees and improve environmental performance

1. Organizational Governance

Strategy and organization

Sector Construction / Estate Agency
Year 2023
Country France

Context

The VKR France factory is a production and distribution site for roof windows of the VELUX group, located in the Somme region. Founded in 1976, the company employs nearly 350 people, and its business is based primarily on the processing of three raw materials used to produce windows: wood, glass and aluminum.

Since 2016, it has implemented a "sustainable development challenge." This is an approach to environmental and safety policy, which allows employees to propose and carry out actions, at all levels of activity in the plant.

Objectives

  • Engage and empower all employees in the company's environmental performance. 
  • The objective is also to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 for the entire plant

APPROACH

The group aims to raise awareness, engage and empower its employees. As soon as they are hired, they receive training on CSR impacts through "New Hires" training. 

In addition, the implementation of the "Sustainable Development Challenge" contributes to strengthening employees' appetite for CSR and encourages them to develop new practices within their teams and within the plant.

Every month, a rotating jury made up of several operators and a few permanent members reward the three best improvement actions, with an exceptional bonus ranging from €75 to €300 per person or group of people who proposed the action. A second award is given to the workshop (among ten or so) having carried out the most actions during the year. The nature of the award is left to the discretion of the winning group. 

On average, 2 to 3 actions are carried out per operator per year, i.e. nearly 800 actions per year. 80% of the actions represent a cost of less than 120 €. More than 230 people have been individually rewarded since the beginning of the challenge. 

The initiatives implemented perfect the management of resources and processes, to improve environmental performance, while raising awareness and involving employees in this approach. 

  • For example, the "Neon Replacement" project has made it possible to replace some of the neon lights with LEDs, to optimize the quantity of neon lights and to position them in the right places to ensure a sufficient level of lighting at night, while saving energy.

CONTRIBUTION TO COMPANY PERFORMANCE

  • The company received a gold award in the category of traditional companies at the Trophées de l'économie responsable 2022.
  • Since the creation of the Challenge, nearly 10,000 actions have been carried out in the plant. 
  • In 2020, actions related to the reduction of the environmental impact represented at least 500 of the actions carried out.

Benefits

  • Employee pride and sense of belonging 
  • Reduction of carbon footprint

VKR VELUX

Mise à jour le 03/07/2023

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