European construction sector signs sustainability charter
(Press release Encord - Royal BAM Group nv - Ballast Nedam nv:) Otterlo, the Netherlands, 21 June 2011 – Twenty leading European construction companies united in Encord, including Royal BAM Group and Ballast Nedam, have drawn up a joint corporate sustainability statement. This charter (the Encord Sustainable Development Charter) was ratified by Executives of the companies concerned at a meeting held today in the Kröller-Möller museum.
Encord (the European Network of Construction Companies for Research and Development), which was founded in 1989, is an innovation network of leading European companies active in the construction sector. The charter expresses the vision that research, development and innovation in the construction sector can make a significant contribution to a sustainable world. The participating companies will integrate the principles laid down in the charter in their operations and will exchange best practice experience in this regard.
Encord has set out basic principles in this charter for good employment practices, contacts with the local community, transparency, ethical standards and offering added value to customers, employees, business partners and society, amongst other things.
The Encord member companies will elaborate the charter in an action plan which they will present, together with their experiences, in mid-October to the 2,000 participants of the World Sustainable Building Conference 2011 to be held in Helsinki. The full text of the charter can be read at www.encord.org.
Royal BAM Group and Ballast Nedam will host the conference. Both companies attach great importance to innovation and knowledge sharing within the European construction sector.
Encord’s main objective is to be Europe’s forum for the promotion of industry-led research, development and innovation in the construction sector. Encord sees its role as twofold:
- As a network of members to exchange best practice experience, discuss strategies for the development of the construction sector and develop new ideas for research projects,
- As an instrument to communicate with the EU administration (directly and indirectly) and the European research community in order to focus on construction research, to initiate new R&D programmes and priorities and to gain support for members’ projects and proposals.
Further information:
- Prof G.J. Maas, president Encord, + 31(0)30 659 84 31;
- M.F. de Jonge, vice-president, +31 (0)6 51 57 38 01