For Indaver, gains do not just mean profit. We are happy to have posted healthy financial results in economically still challenging times, allowing us to remain competitive and to keep growing. However, we never lose sight of our corporate social responsibility. For Indaver it is also a question of social gain. With our Sustainability Report for 2014 we report on the impact of our activities on people and the environment and our efforts to limit this impact.

5 million tonnes of managed materials

In 2014, Indaver offered sustainable solutions for around 5.08 million tonnes of materials from public authorities and industrial companies, chiefly waste. We treated approximately 72 % (or 3.6 million tonnes) in our own facilities and, under our own management, 28 % (or 1.4 million tonnes) at external centres.

Circular economy

During processing we recover as many materials as possible from this waste so they can be re-used as a high-quality raw material.  We also keep harmful substances out of the food and materials chain. Indaver thus plays its role in the circular economy, which manages raw materials more carefully. The 2014 Sustainability Report highlights a range of projects which allow Indaver to achieve this role.

Innovative projects

Indaver Netherlands commissioned its innovative VGF fermenter Bio Power in Alphen aan den Rijn for municipal organic waste. In the Waasland Port near Antwerp in Belgium Indaver is starting its industrial steam network, one of the largest of its kind in Europe. For its industrial customers Indaver has developed its Molecule Management, via which it recovers materials from chemical and pharmaceutical waste right down to the smallest components, the molecules.

(Green) energy producer

Indaver also produces enough energy every year to provide power to around 250,000 households if all the energy recovered were to be converted into electricity. It does so via its thermal treatment plants which not only use the least amount of primary fossil energy sources as possible but also recover as much energy as possible from waste. We use this energy for our own facilities and buildings or we supply it to households and nearby firms, such as with the steam network in Hamburg, Germany, and in future in the Waasland port in Belgium.

Safety first

The health and safety of our personnel and everyone (indirectly or) directly involved in our activities is a priority for us in this. In 2014 the number of registered incidents was comparable with the figure in 2013. But the safety trend has improved considerably in the past 3 years. We are now beginning to see the first effects of an intensive safety campaign and visits by the International Management team to Indaver sites to raise awareness amongst employees.

Minimising the impact on the environment

We constantly monitor our emissions into the air and monitor the quality of the water that we discharge, as well as potential soil contamination. The results of this monitoring can be found in our report. Indaver also continuously looks for new and innovative technologies which further minimise the impact of our activities on the environment. This is aligned with our core value of continuous improvement which we apply to our services and our efforts to minimise our impact on people and the environment. This is how we lead the field in sustainable waste management.