Something sustainable

Sustainability is no longer optional. To keep the earth liveable for future generations, we are morally obliged to take action. Companies and organisations – because of their stake in the economy and as drivers of innovation – play an important role in this. The key question is: are they capable of taking the steps necessary?

The logistics sector, like others, has an enormous contribution to make to sustainable change. Sustainability is more than just the environment and climate. It also encompasses balancing social, economic and environmental aspects. One important realisation emerges from this: it is a long-term effort that requires perseverance. Results will sometimes only become perceptible after a while. So it’s about improving continuously and then locking down those changes.

"Change is the only constant in life"

All change starts with one’s self. That’s why we began our internal continuous improvement programme ‘House of Process Excellence’ (HoPE). We involve all departments and every colleague in this. Step by step, we’re making our processes transparent, measurable and generally better. This ultimately leads to sustainable improvements externally, including better service for our customers. It’s vital to acknowledge that our customer is not standing still, so nor should we. That’s the least they can expect from a partner like Van den Bosch.

Coordinating and optimising every step toward change, both internally and externally, can be complex, because multiple partners in the chain are dependent on each other. Collaboration is crucial as we rise to the challenge of solving issues while continually raising the bar. We have to keep reminding ourselves that we are not alone and talk to each other. That way, change leads to real results.

In my opinion, sustainable change is only truly successful if we continue to ask ourselves the question every day: what can be improved even further? And then act on it. We must improve constantly, because there’s always room for improvement. As they say, change is the only constant in life.

This column appeared in the latest edition of our Game Changer magazine.