Sarens Committed to the Environment
Sarens ensures that all our operations and activities are implemented with respect for the environment.
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August 2017

Sarens, the worldwide leader and reference in heavylifting and transport, having one of the largest fleet of equipments, is strongly committed towards the environment. Across 65 countries of our operation, our activities not only comply with the needs and requirements of the market but are also implemented with respect for the environment. Sarens is committed to the prevention of pollution and therefore restricts the production of waste and emissions to a minimum; it takes measures to use energy and natural raw materials sparingly, and investigates alternatives to the use of hazardous substances.

All our employees worldwide work towards minimizing the effect on the environment. Some of the green initiatives undertaken in our offices are as below:

Green Initiatives in the HQ, Belgium

Sarens started a new waste management system from the September 2016 for the Belgian sites. Some cool and useful  recycler bins, named 'Tulip' were placed at different locations at the HQ and the SHEQ team sent out regular communications informing and encouraging the colleagues in the HQ to participate in the waste management activities.

The 'Tulip' is a compact office bin, specially designed to make you sort your waste in a proper manner. It was branded with our Sarens' logo. Employees, visitors, and customers were able to participate in Sarens' sustainable waste policy.

Initially the employees had a personal waste bin under their desks, this was where they threw away all the waste. Every day the cleaning staff would empty more than 200 personal waste bins and put in a clean plastic bag. A time-consuming activity which more importantly depicted that the waste was not sorted correctly.

In August 2016, all personal waste bins were removed, as well as the cardboard boxes for waste paper. Instead, at several locations the 'Tulips' (they follow the shape of the flower) were put in place. From then on was where one could leave all of the different types of waste. There is space for residual waste, paper, PMD, empty coffee and water cups, and small batteries (BEBAT).

In this way, the employees at the HQ were compliant with environmental legislation, which prescribes such pre-sorting of waste (VLAREM II). At the same time, the 'Tulips' are designed so that a daily emptying is no longer needed. The waste is collected in larger containers, which in turn was emptied at the centrally located container park.

Employees are also encouraged to:

  • Use old paper as scratch paper as much as possible.
  • Use the porcelain mugs or start with a plastic cup and reuse it all day long. 
  • Your Sarens' water bottle replaces the plastic cup, or else use a glass.

Green Initiatives in India

The SHEQ team in India undertakes green initiatives on a regular basis. They send out mailers at frequent intervals informing the employees to work towards a green and clean surroundings.

The India office celebrates World Environment Day each year on 5th June to spread awareness about the environment among employees and encourage them to participate in the initiatives. We recently celebrated the World Environment day in our main office in New Delhi as well as at different sites and yards across the country. The day started with flag hoisting and address from the senior management team, followed by an environment quiz, poster making competition, and the prize distribution. All the employees actively participated in the competitions and contributed towards the celebrations.

Sarens employees in India are also working towards a target to reduce their energy consumption by 5%. To accomplish this the employees are encouraged to:

  • Switch off the lights and air-conditioner when leaving the cabin or work area.
  • Ensure that the laptops and desktops are in hibernation mode when not in use
  • Do not leave the microwave in ON condition
  • If you see any electrical appliances running un-attended, switch them off

Green Initiatives in Canada

The team in Canada work towards safe environment through the initiatives as mentioned below:

  • A bottle and can recycling program in partnership with Youth Empowerment Support Services, a local organization that provides support and resources for at-risk youth in Edmonton. This program helps ensure that all of our bottles and cans are recycled and that the organization receives funding from the deposit on the beverage containers.
  • The offices are equipped with lights that automatically shut-off after a period where there is no motion in the room. This helps save power and ensures that we do not rely on people to turn lights off.
  • We have switched from the use of bottled water with our water coolers to avoid accumulation of plastic bottles which cannot be recycled.

We are proud to state that our total strength of around 5000 workforce in 9 regions works towards a better environment. Most of our business units in the world are ISO14000 certified and our SHEQ team has been leading the initiatives to lower the effect on environment.