Renewi reports good progress against its ambitious CSR goals
10 June 2019
International waste-to-product company, Renewi plc (LSE: RWI) has reported good progress against its ambitious Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) goals in the year ended 31 March 2019.
Renewi’s approach to CSR is deeply embedded from its purpose of giving new life to used materials to its values which enourage the employees to focus continuously on safety, sustainability, customer focus, and innovation in a together and accountable way. Our purpose places sustainability at the heart of Renewi and positions the company as a pure play green company focused on sustainability and as a critical link in establishing a circular economy. The three clear areas of focus for our CSR activities are protecting and preserving the planet, keeping our people safe and well, and building strong partnerships in our local communities.
During the year under review we have entered several innovative new ventures focused on sustainable recycling solutions, including one with Peel Pioneers that turns citrus peel into essential oils, with PMC to recycle contaminated steel and with Philips to produce new vacuum cleaners which consist of 36% recycled materials. These examples help explain the further increase to our recycling rates, which reached its highest level ever at 66.9%, as too did our recycling and recovery rate at 90.0%. This continues a consistent record of significant improvement over the past decade. Overall, we have achieved each of the five sustainability targets that we set when we entered into our green financing last year.
Our safety performance also improved last year and is a particular focus area for the company, with the launch of a new project to increase the safety culture within Renewi. This has contributed to a 7% improvement in the company’s greater than three-day accident rate and also increased its reporting of near-miss accidents by 64%.
Renewi also focuses on the impact of its operations. We invested in 285 Euro VI trucks, increasing the proportion of the fleet to 34% which meet these highest emission standards. In the second half of the year we have also introduced new, more efficient and optimised routes across the combined commercial operations which has already reduced the consumption of fuel per tonne of waste handled to 3.117 and is expected to deliver further reductions over time.
Forging strong relationships in local communities and bringing innovations to help society towards a more sustainable future has been another area of focus for Renewi. Waste collection and recycling typically have an impact on local communities which Renewi is committed to minimising.
Otto de Bont, CEO at Renewi said:
“I am delighted that we have made good progress with our CSR goals over the last year. Sustainability is fundamentally embedded in our business and I am pleased that we are actively contributing to the circular economy by further increasing our recycling and recovery rate to 90%. I am also proud of the efforts our teams have made to improve safety across Renewi – with a 7% improvement over the year. We are looking forward to working even more closely with our people, customers and suppliers to build on this positive progress during the course of the next year.”
| CSR HIGHLIGHTS 2019 | 2018 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| PLANET | |||
| Increased recycling rate by 0.6pp | 66.3% | 66.9% | |
| Increased recycling and recovery rate (as % of total waste handled) by 0.9pp | 89.1% | 90.0% | |
| Improved carbon avoidance intensity ratio (per ton of waste handled) by 1.8% | 0.214 | 0.218 | |
| Increased number euro 6 compliant trucks (as % of total fleet) by 10.7pp | 24.2% | 34.9% | |
| Improved fleet efficiency (litres fuel per tonne of waste collected/transported) by 1.1% | 3.151 | 3.117 | |
| PEOPLE | |||
| Improved >3 day accident rate by 7% | 1,505 | 1,404 | |
| Improved lost time injury rate by 14% | 12.5 | 10.8 | |
| Increased number of reported near misses by employees by 64% | 10,934 | 17,927 |
Renewi’s full CSR Report can be found on the company’s website: www.renewi.com
For further information:
| FTI Consulting | Renewi plc |
|---|---|
|
Richard Mountain |
www.renewi.com |
About Renewi
Renewi is a leading waste to product company that gives new life to used materials every day. We have more than 8,000 employees working at 200 sites across Europe and North America. Our extensive operational network means we are always close to our customers.
For Renewi, waste is a state of mind, and an opportunity. Our many years of knowledge and experience, combined with a broad range of services, allow us to offer sustainable, practical recycling solutions. We use innovation and the latest technology to turn waste into useful materials such as paper, metal, plastic, glass, wood, building materials, compost and energy.
In other words, we turn today’s waste into tomorrow’s raw materials.
The result of our work is less waste and contamination, a smarter use of scarce raw materials, and a reduction in carbon emissions. This means that we are contributing towards a cleaner, circular world in which we “waste no more”.
Renewi was created in 2017, following the merger of Shanks Group plc with Van Gansewinkel Groep BV, and is listed on the London Stock Exchange. Visit our website for more information: www.renewi.com. Images are available at www.renewi.com/imagelibrary.