We don’t do sustainable business ‘on the side’. It’s a key part of our strategy. We do business with respect for nature and the environment. We also keep our own carbon footprint as low as possible. At the same time, we know that there’s always room for improvement in our operations. We can always reduce our energy consumption or make different choices concerning our office and employee mobility, for example. Since April 2024 we are B Corp certified!
Doing business as sustainably as possible
A few examples:
- 100% circular office
When we furnished our BeFrank office, all of the materials used had been recycled. For example, our carbon-positive stools were made from hemp plants, cushions were made from our own jeans, lights were made from old fluorescent lamps and blinds were made from old army tents. We also aim for a waste-free office, but the waste we do create is separated. Everything we buy can be recycled into new raw materials. Find out more in this video (in dutch). - Offsetting CO2 in our own pension scheme
You may not immediately expect it, but two-thirds of our footprint come from our own pension scheme. That is why we make sure it is completely climate-neutral. We do this through the CO2-neutral pension scheme, for which Land Life plants thousands of trees every year. Did you know that, as an employer, you can also opt for the CO2-neutral pension scheme? - Our employees travel sustainably from A to B
Mobility is important, but it can also be harmful to people and the environment. That is why we encourage our employees to travel by public transport. Our office is close to a train station, so we are easily accessible. Many of our employees live in Amsterdam anyway, so they simply walk or cycle to the office. That’s about as green as green can get! We’re also working on implementing a responsible, energy-efficient fleet with low CO2 emissions. We furthermore encourage the use of electric and hybrid vehicles. - Reduction and offset of our CO2 emissions
We have closely monitored our office’s CO2 emissions since 2018. Each year, we make every effort to keep emissions as low as possible and reduce our absolute emissions compared to previous years. Compared to 2018, we have already achieved a saving of 10%. And that in a growing company! We offset the CO2 emissions we do still cause by planting trees through our partner Land Life Company.
A little more sustainable every day
Sustainability is increasingly at the core of everything we do. This starts very small, by replacing disposable cups with your own mugs. But this is also reflected in our collaboration with Stichting De Noordzee. Every year we donate the released small pension capital. And we regularly make a stretch of beach plastic-free with our employees. Another initiative is the weekly sustainable tip, which we first share internally but now also with customers.
- Digital services = virtually no paper
Ever since our company was founded in 2010, we do everything online. So you won’t see any piles of letters and papers at our offices. We communicate by e-mail, through the ‘My Pension’ app and through every employee’s personal pension page. That way, we make our services straightforward and easy to use. Another advantage is that far fewer trees need to be destroyed, which benefits both our customers and nature. Sometimes we can’t avoid sending paper post. In that case, we use 100% recycled carbon-neutral paper. - Green initiatives
We also highlight the importance of an environmentally friendly office among our employees. This has already resulted in several green initiatives. For example, all employees have their own BeFrank mug, which saves on cardboard cups. Sometimes, we take litter pickers with us on our lunchtime walks so that we can clean up litter. We also hold clothes collections to give garments a second life.
B Corp certified
That we are doing so well has now also been recognised: as of April 2024, we can call ourselves a B Corp. We are immensely proud of that! B Corps are companies that use the power of business to build a more inclusive and sustainable economy. To be certified, you must meet sky-high standards in governance, employee policy, environment, community and customers. While the certification is a testament to the work we’ve already done, it’s not where we leave things off; there will always be something left to improve.