Developing sustainability at Bidvest

This is our sixth year of reporting on sustainable business issues and our second where this reporting forms an integral part of the annual report in summarised form. For a complete picture the annual report should be viewed in totality.

This section of the annual report Sustainability at Bidvest is a summarised version of the sustainability commentary which is available in full on the Bidvest website.

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Return on funds employed is our business imperative, but long-term sustainability depends on the reputation we build with all stakeholders. Customers must experience top service and quality; employees have to be inspired by an innovative, safe and healthy work environment. Government and business must see real progress towards broad-based black economic empowerment. Most importantly, we have to address climate change by reducing our carbon emissions and our overall impact on the environment.

Sustainable development in the environmental arena also creates business opportunities. By innovating at the leading edge of sustainability trends we can work more efficiently, save energy and husband resources. Efficiently delivered services across a responsibly managed supply chain can help us secure market share.

Bidvest succeeds because every company operates autonomously within a common set of values in a decentralised, entrepreneurial environment. Innovation, free of stifling bureaucracy, finds smart solutions to customer demands and operational challenges. The main thrust of sustainable business at Bidvest is to develop the same autonomous, entrepreneurial drive in support of common sustainability values and make these part of the company’s business DNA.

This is the role of the corporate office. We drive the development of sustainability at Bidvest and facilitate the process, enabling the divisions and businesses to identify material sustainability issues and develop solutions. The “delivery vehicles” include our Group-wide sustainability committee structures, our in-house magazine Bidvoice, A practical guide to sustainable development (sent electronically to 30 000 employees), A green office guide, the Bidvest Academy and divisional management conferences.

Response to our campaign to foster sustainable business practices within Bidvest has been excellent. An online employee engagement sustainability survey piloted by our sustainability committee confirms a sense of urgency and readiness to transform the company through sustainable business development. We find many instances of innovation across the Group, with a distinct sense of competition between companies. Collaborative structures help companies share experience and learn from one another, improving overall Group performance.

We will know we have succeeded when we see exciting sustainable business performance across the Group. Monitoring this progress is key. The development of a Group-wide data-collection tool is beginning to deliver results. This tool monitors and measures sustainability indicators across every Group company, which together with a sophisticated reporting tool provides a real-time management information system that helps companies evaluate and benchmark their performance. The system also assists companies by generating verified information across the DTI’s codes of good practice, thereby facilitating BEE certification. Regional workshops to embed the use of this tool are ongoing.