Our sustainable journey started long ago at the very roots of our company. In 1942, when Jan van Walraven (our founder) was offered the chance to buy the zinc covering a house in his village, he did not hesitate. Material was scarce during the Second World War. From the roofing material, he could make all kinds of items that were badly needed for the well-being of the people around him. Until long after the war, crafting new products from recycled materials made sense. This sustainable mindset has permanently been embedded in our company; what we now call sustainability has always been smart!
Following this philosophy, we decided to focus our sustainable efforts on 4 areas and embed them in our daily business.
People at the Heart
- Connected organisation
- Skilled people
- High well-being
- Diverse and inclusive
- Fair treatment
First and foremost, Walraven is and has always been about people. We are involved in the development and the lives of the people in the community around us in every country where we are present. This goes beyond the care of our workforce. However, our most profound influence lies with our employees.
Our HR department conducts an annual satisfaction survey to gauge employee engagement. Our goal is to achieve an employee engagement rate of 8 or higher. Currently, we stand at 7.6 and are actively working towards surpassing our target. Our commitment to employee well-being is evident in a 76% satisfaction rate and an absence rate below 4%. Looking ahead, we are investing in continuous learning and development, emphasising cross-generational thinking. A dedicated 10% of working time fuels this pursuit. Additionally, by 2030, we aim to have 30% of women in higher management positions as part of our commitment to diversity and inclusivity.
Externally, we foster a caring supply chain. We provide safety standards to our suppliers, and together, we work in secure and supportive workplaces. We value diversity and equal opportunities. In our supplier code of conduct, we give clear directions to our suppliers for fair wages and actively combat bribery and corruption. Sustainability is our compass, guiding us from responsible sourcing to efficient logistics.
Zero emissions company
- Smart use of our resources
- Less is more
- Local for local
Our company aims to become a zero-emissions company. Doing more with less is essential to achieving this goal, which begins by using our resources smartly. Our long-term thinking encouraged us to implement various initiatives within our different local entities. Now, we want to take one step ahead with a global and aligned strategy.
In the coming years, we want to use 100% renewable energy, reduce fuel consumption, transform our vehicle fleet, and implement waste, water and gas management practices. In this quest, less is more. We are working on optimising the material usage in our product design processes, focusing on reusability, and emphasising local production.
Responsible solutions
- Adding sustainable value
- User friendly
- Lower carbon footprint
What we now call sustainable has always been smart.
Since the start, we have applied our expertise to finding clever new solutions for the people around us and adding sustainable value to our products. Our aim has always been to design durable products, save time, and make our client’s lives easier and more effective. We are convinced that product design should allow them to work in the most ergonomically responsible way. We developed our modular systems for easy installation of heavy building installations. They also allow for disassembly and reuse.
Creating sustainable products and lowering our footprint is a continuous journey; there is always room to improve. We are currently working on implementing our Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for all product categories, showcasing reductions in material usage. Those declarations allow us to communicate our products’ environmental impact transparently and empower our clients to make informed choices, favouring products with lower ecological footprints.
Reliable partner
- Sustainable growth, with speed and vitality
- Strong partnerships
- Stable and independent organisation
- Transparent communication
As a family-owned company, we are committed to long-term thinking; we want to be able to pass on a thriving company to the next generations. We are proud to announce that every new product development has a target of 20% reduced material usage compared to its predecessor. With a vitality rate of over 20%, this will result in a reduced carbon footprint for our clients. Thanks to the continuous improvement of our processes, we are able to stay ahead, or at least keep pace, with market changes.
We have a heart-centred purpose for our business, and we strive for long-term relationships with our customers, employees, suppliers, partners and society as a whole. We are a member of the FBSD (Family Business for Sustainable Development) and other industry organisations to have the maximum insights and impact. Acting as a reliable partner also ensures our stability, independence, and transparent communication about our progress. You can find various reports and policies about our sustainability progress, our EcoVadis scorecard, our code of conduct and much more on our sustainability page.
