Shared Success in Developing Countries
As a multinational we bear a significant responsibility for our Corporate Social Responsibility. We must use our strong position to pursue a more liveable and sustainable society. To do this we must give thought to how our primary business activities can further enhance sustainable development. By developing innovative technology, Imtech can help to solve social issues such as energy conservation, environmental improvement, use of waste, water and control of the particulate matter problem by improving mobility. Over the past years, Imtech has given extensive consideration internally to ways of building Corporate Social Responsibility into its conduct of business. A European working group has framed recommendations on how Imtech can flesh out its role as a company committed to CSR. One of the concrete projects set up is Shared Success for Developing Countries. The project group – consisting of Hendrik Smeenk, Ilse van Gulik, Esther Ouwens Nagell, Branca van Swinderen and Bart de Lange - is carrying out the project. The steering committee (Pieter Koenders, Frans Galama, Bert Ubachs, Ben Moes and Cosmas Blaauw) is keeping a careful eye on progress.
Under the SSDC program teams of Imtech employees will carry out knowledge transfer projects over a period of six months. These projects will run largely from the various Imtech countries, and will include a working visit of two or three weeks in the target country. Apart from being good for the enterprises in developing countries, Imtech expects to reap the benefits of this approach.
Moreover, Imtech is keen to offer its employees an opportunity to undertake activities for the good of the community at large. The partners in the developing countries are selected in cooperation with Share People. Our pilot project in South Africa in 2008, run by a dutch project team, was very successfull. Therefore we start up several new projects in the course of 2009-2010. These projects no longer will be carried out by dutch staff only, we now will include staff from various Imtech countries.