Story - Social Dedicated Community Investment
At PGS Group, we believe in social engagement and making a positive impact in the communities where we operate. Whereas we have always invested and engaged in our local communities, we wanted to keep track of our positive contributions in a more structural and efficient way. In line with this, we have established the PGS Community Investment Program. This program offers all of our employees the opportunity to support social projects and organizations.
Our baseline for this program is #morethanjustpallets, as we do more than just deliver products and services. We also take our responsibility to contribute to society seriously. By focusing on social projects and organizations in the communities where we operate, we want to have a positive impact.
Learn more about our efforts on this strategic topic in the interview by the CEO, Luc Grauwet.
The PGS Community Investment Program
Our program operates as follows: anyone within our group can submit a proposal to support a social projects or organizations that fulfill a specific need of the community. This can be either financial support but also material (e.g. pallets, goodies), the use of our network, expertise or media channels. The CSR-team then evaluates whether the proposal meets the requirements of our program.
More than just pallets Offering needs-based support
In the fiscal year 2022-2023, we have supported 41 different projects and organizations, for the most part related to social support, culture and sports, in proximity of our sites in France and Belgium.
In total, we have financially supported our communities with 62.091,00 euro, donated over 1.600 goodies (such as notebooks, pens, caps, USB sticks and charger kits) and 352 of our wooden pallets.
Future focus Addressing Child Poverty
Looking to the future, we plan to gradually shift our focus in the Community Investment Program towards addressing child poverty. As we continue to aim for a larger impact, this area of focus resonates with our commitment to make a real difference in the communities where we operate.
"We started with a project on child poverty in the region. Initially, we wanted to keep it local, but at a certain point, we decided that it was a powerful initiative and that we wanted to continue working on it as a group." CEO, Luc Grauwet
The Children's Opportunities Fund
The Children's Opportunities Fund is a social fund that we proudly support as part of our Community Investment Programme. This fund is dedicated to fighting childhood poverty in local regions in Flanders (Belgium) and focuses on children between the ages of 0 and 12 years old. Their projects are based on 4 key pillars: food, education, social development and clothing.
Learn more about the Children's Opportunities Fund in the video below.
Offer eco-responsible products and services
We are dedicated to providing eco-responsible products and services. Through product reuse practices like PGS Reverse, we offer a circular service for our wooden pallets and strive to extend it to all pallets we deliver. Furthermore, we collaborate closely with customers to convert existing products into eco-designed alternatives and actively propose sustainable solutions to new customers.
Business Ethics
Business ethics is an essential area of focus for our organization. Compliance with these standards is not a matter of choice but a fundamental necessity. Our approach is straightforward and committed, ensuring that we operate within the bounds of these important regulatory guidelines.
Contact
Should you require further information or have any inquiries pertaining to our sustainability initiatives, we invite you to reach out to us at CSR@pgsgroup.com.