Environmental risks and opportunities

The worldwide credit crunch grabs the headlines, but gradually accelerating climate change looms larger as both a risk and a business opportunity. Governments, particularly in Europe and Australasia, continually raise regulatory standards to drastically reduce industry’s carbon footprint. The government in South Africa is introducing green taxes and legislation to force changes to consumer behaviour and business processes.

Bidvest’s response is to position the company and its brands at the forefront of efforts to reverse the damage to our environment. Individuals, teams and companies across Bidvest have risen to the challenge of building environmental excellence into our reputation for quality, service, health and safety.

We believe it is the right thing to do.

Our campaign slogan “Green is Gold” simultaneously highlights the implicit opportunity. Already we are reaping profits from reduced energy costs and increased customer loyalty, a vital asset during the economic downturn.

We measure our progress by engaging with the Carbon Disclosure Project, the JSE Socially Responsible Investment Index, the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and the Global Reporting Initiative. We report on key indicators through our data collation tool which are reported in this section of the report and the divisional review of operations.