Sustainable development

Management of the internal environment

In 2020, the WTC III building received the Ecodynamic Company label, followed a year later by the EMAS certificate. EMAS stands for Eco-Management and Audit Scheme. It is an environmental audit and management tool developed by the European Commission for different types of organisations to evaluate, report on and improve their environmental performance. Its aim is to improve environmental protection continuously.

Our Sustainability Unit conducts environmental analyses to measure the effects of our activities on the environment and, on this basis, determines improvement targets. In this respect, several measures have been adopted, for example:

• We have replaced the individual bins with sorting bins. In order to ensure that waste is sorted at the time of collection, a different colour is allocated for each type of waste.
• Disposable cups are banned wherever possible. They are now only available on the PC premises, where many candidates go. We provide glasses, cups, and glass bottles of still and sparkling water for events and meeting rooms.
• We are reducing the amount of paper by pursuing our digital document strategy (e-Procurement, mail, staff selections for public services, etc.) and by limiting printing and copying.

The sustainable mobility of staff

The FPS BOSA is also committed to sustainable development in the area of mobility. The FPS occupies several floors of the WTC III building, located within walking distance of Brussels North station and several metro stations and bus stops. Our clients/users, employees and partners are encouraged to leave their cars at home and to use public transport as much as possible, whether or not in combination with cycling or another sustainable means of transport. Employees who use bicycles for their daily commute can claim a bicycle allowance. Travel to and from work by public transport is fully reimbursed.

Particular attention is also paid to the “greening” of the car fleet. Management is equipped with electric cars, and charging stations are installed by the Building Authority. The 3 current pool vehicles will be replaced in time to meet current emission standards. We are also discussing with public services in the area to what extent we can opt for car sharing.

We have launched a bike project, the aim being to encourage even more people to use a bike for short distances. To this end, we have improved the existing infrastructure: a secure space has been set aside in the garage of the WTC III building for parking bicycles. In the long term, we also want to provide additional facilities such as closed changing rooms, the possibility of recharging a battery, etc.

The FPS BOSA also participates in implementing the federal action plan to promote cycling (Be Cyclist). We are also looking into the possibility of renting or purchasing electric bikes.

In 2021, we joined the SNCB's pilot project for the Flex pass. Some 300 BOSA employees are already using it.

Sustainable public procurement

All the FPSs are required to ensure sustainable development is factored into public procurement and monitor procurement contracts. More specifically, BOSA considers:

• environmental, social and economic criteria
• measures aimed at the integration of people who have difficulty accessing the labour market
• measures to promote access to public contracts for small and medium-sized enterprises
• the promotion of circular economy principles, where appropriate, in federal public procurement

Diversity

Sustainable development is not limited to the environmental aspects of the policy. Equal opportunities and diversity are also important. For example, gender mainstreaming aims to ensure that resources are distributed in an "equitable" manner. It is a process of transformation allowing for a sustainable and fairer redistribution according to gender, age, income, academic background, health, mobility, etc.

Some concrete diversity actions undertaken in 2021:

• Support to the BeProud network (LGBTI+ staff)
• The organisation of 2 Top Skills sessions to prepare more women for management positions (about 200 participants)
• Funding for training on the gender spectrum for the Federal Diversity Network
• The organisation of the Federal Diversity Day: a way to raise awareness and train more federal civil servants to detect and combat inequalities in their context/organisation.