Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a fundamental concept that reflects the commitment of companies to integrate social, environmental and ethical considerations into their business activities. CSR is based on the belief that companies should not limit themselves to the pursuit of financial profit, but also have a responsibility to the society in which they operate. This means they must consider the impact of their activities on all their stakeholders, including:

  • Employees
  • Clients
  • Suppliers
  • Local community
  • Environment

Companies committed to CSR pursue sustainable, ethical and socially responsible practices and want to make a positive contribution to society. More and more companies are recognizing the importance of sustainability and social responsibility to their reputation, attractiveness to investors and long-term success.

CSR can take on many forms, including reducing the environmental footprint, improving working conditions, promoting diversity and inclusion, participating in charitable initiatives, providing information to stakeholders in a transparent way and many other actions aimed at creating a positive impact.

Now that the European Council has given its final approval to the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), we chose to proactively address this obligation, which will affect Easi in 2026. Therefore, we decided to implement a stronger CSR policy from 2024, building on the work that started in 2023.

Considerations and origins of our initiative

In 2023, we decided to significantly strengthen our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy. What we initiated last year will be consolidated and expanded in the coming years. In particular, Easi's commitment to spend 1% of our yearly profit to support CSR projects. Backtracking is out of the question, given the important political decisions taken in this area, both internally and externally. At the European level, a new measure will soon require companies that meet certain criteria to publish a non-financial report on this subject.  (https://www.csreurope.org/sustainable-markets-finance). 

At Easi, social and ethical considerations are already central. Yet we understand that nothing is fixed, which is why we constantly question the decisions that we make together. We are not satisfied until we have exhausted all possibilities for improvement. Perfection is a long-term journey. Excellence is an important value at Easi. It is important to us to have people who are positive and dedicated, but who also add value in their interactions and deliver high-quality work. This value does not mean that we expect an employee to work too fast or all the time, but rather that we recognize the challenges Easi faces and always roll up our sleeves to face them. We will put the same energy into implementing our CSR policy. It is now our compass that guides us in achieving our goals and helps us generate measurable positive impacts on society, our stakeholders and the environment. We strive to integrate these principles into all aspects of our work, from service delivery and talent management to employee engagement.

One of the first decisions under this new CSR policy was to create this page. Why? To increase our communication, knowledge, experience and interaction with other players in this area. More and more employees and candidates are asking us for information about our CSR commitments. Our website is our main source of information for people inside and outside the company. It is our best means of reporting on our activities. CSR therefore has earned its rightful place on our website. With this initiative, we hope to inspire other companies to take the same path.

Which actions have we taken?

We have taken many actions in the past, but without a clearly defined, overall plan. In recent years, we have focused on the well-being of our employees, which remains our absolute priority. Our focus on the "human" element is in line with our belief that companies can achieve smarter performance through "humanized" technology, based on trust.

This humanity is the common thread in Easi's story, especially when we talk about our employees. We are a large, ambitious group, so we foster a pleasant working environment in which our employees can develop and have fun, and in which trust and mutual respect are essential. For example, we offer them the opportunity to work on projects they are passionate about, which stimulates their performance and motivation. Our goal is to offer them the opportunity to develop themselves in a unique work environment, designed with well-being and happiness at work in mind.

We have already communicated extensively on this topic. We invite you to consult our social networks and press releases to learn more about our actions in this area.

Clear plan for the next two years

The year 2023 marks a turning point in our CSR policy, as we decided to focus on two main areas: social issues and environmental issues.

SOCIAL

On the social front, we want to increase our involvement in society. We have always encouraged our employees to get personally involved in associations and other initiatives. Therefore, once a year, Easi sponsors actions by our employees. We also support associations by participating with our employees in events such as the 20 km of Brussels, where we run for La Ligue Braille. We want to expand these types of partnerships.

However, we also want to establish more sustainable partnerships that are not limited to one action, but are meant to last. This is why Easi has been a core partner of CAP48 since May 2023. The goal of this association, which operates in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation and the German-speaking community, is to contribute to a more inclusive society. They do this by enabling people with disabilities, young people in difficulty and families in precarious situations to improve their daily lives and their future. Our goal is to support CAP48 in its daily activities so that they can devote themselves fully to their essential mission. We want to make it easier for them to focus on the essentials.

In 2020, we have already partnered with CoderDojo Belgium, a non-profit organization that organizes free programming sessions for children and young people between the ages of 7 and 18. The so-called “Dojos are run entirely by volunteers, also called coaches. Our CEOs have pledged to donate all earnings from their keynotes to support this initiative.

ENVIRONMENT

As for the environment, we have already conducted a carbon audit in 2019. Unfortunately, it proved insufficiently comprehensive and ambitious to lead our company into a new era. Therefore, we decided to work with the Belgian company Tapio. This company is guiding us through the transition. Using a wealth of data, Tapio calculated our carbon footprint, and these are the results.

Total emissions Breakdown of total CO2 emissions by category: 

Carbon Footprint Easi

Not surprisingly, as an IT company, our core business generates the largest emissions. Nevertheless, we can take action to reduce our carbon footprint, even if it cannot be done directly in our core business, IT services and development. On the other hand, we can do something in other aspects, such as our buildings, heating, vehicles, etc.

Our reduction targets are set for 2030, and to achieve them we have defined a number of actions, divided into two categories:

Quick actions to implement:

  1. Raising awareness of eco-driving: We will first offer an information session on this topic, followed by an eco-driving course for some of our colleagues, based on a draw. This will allow us to assess the effectiveness of this type of initiative.

     
  2. Change to a vegetarian diet: This measure already exists: during our quarterly team meetings, one meeting out of two, we serve vegetarian food. 

     
  3. Use of green electricity in all our branches: This practice is already in place in Nivelles and we plan to extend it to all our sites. For the buildings we rent, we are in talks with the owners about installing heat pumps, in line with our commitment to renewable energy.

     
  4. Reduce heating consumption: We will set all thermostats to 21°C every two hours to avoid unnecessary consumption. This measure will be performed automatically and remotely.
  1. Raising awareness on this topic: we already have an agenda with all the activities we will carry out on this topic in 2024. They are varied and include both ecological and charitable activities.

Prioritized actions:

  1. Transition to a fleet of electric and hybrid vehicles: Easi has decided to stop purchasing cars with combustion engines. Eventually, our fleet will consist entirely of electric vehicles. Therefore, we have increased the number of electric charging stations in our various parking garages.

  1. Create a charter for our customers and suppliers: We are currently creating a charter for our suppliers and customers. This charter will explain our ecological approach and introduce "ecological" criteria in our future choice of suppliers.
  1. Replacing vehicles with lighter models: We are considering an order ticket system, but this initiative is under development and will take some time.
  1. Extend the life of goods by 25%: We have already implemented this measure for our vehicles and will continue to do so as far as possible for all our materials, taking into account economic and maintenance considerations.