BOB TIMMERMANS

Meet Bob Timmermans, who is focused on circularity and waste management within the CSRD team. Bob is committed to reducing waste, promoting recycling and encouraging a circular economy. Together we are making a difference!

Can you briefly introduce yourself and tell us what your role within the CSRD team is about?
‘I work in the logistics office and am responsible for four planners. They come to me with the more complex logistics challenges and in my daily work I lead them. This means I am closely involved in streamlining our logistics processes and making sure everything runs smoothly.’

‘I am part of the operations team, which deals with our products on a daily basis. This team oversees the entire process, from how products come in to how they leave again. This team is also responsible for planning waste handling and managing the logistics background. Being part of this team, it was a logical step for me to pick up this topic within our CSRD team.’

‘At the moment I am writing the policy around sustainability within our logistics processes. We have monthly CSRD sessions where we discuss how we want to achieve our sustainability goals and operate within my area of focus. My role in this is to map out how sustainable our products and packaging actually are, so that we can optimize this further.’

What does circularity mean for our company and why is it so important?
‘At Arcus Group, we work with stainless steel (SS), which in itself is a very sustainable material. But for us, circularity goes beyond just the product itself. Stainless steel consists largely of recycled material, which means that our products are already circular and sustainable.’

‘In addition, we receive many products every day that are packaged in different ways. We repackage these packages and then ship them to our customers. This is where we play a role by looking at the sustainability of the packaging materials we purchase. We strive to use materials that are recycled or recyclable, so we contribute to circularity in that area as well.

‘So our products are already sustainable, but our goal is to make the whole process, throughout the value chain, as sustainable as possible. Within Arcus Group, we do our very best to contribute to this. From the CSRD team, we link concrete goals and actions to all themes, so that we as an organization can work together towards these sustainable ambitions.’

What initiatives have we taken to reduce waste and promote recycling?
‘At Arcus Group, we make every effort to separate waste, both in the office and in the warehouse. We provide these opportunities throughout our buildings so that employees can easily contribute to waste separation. For example, when we have steel that is not saleable, we put it aside in bins. This steel is then collected and reused to make new stainless steel.’

‘In general, we produce very little waste. Residual waste is minimal, and materials such as cardboard, wood and steel are carefully separated and recycled.’

‘Right now, I am researching exactly what materials we are using and how well we are already doing in terms of waste separation and recycling. Based on these findings, I am going to set concrete goals and actions in the area of waste management as well, so that we can further optimize our processes in this area as well and operate as sustainably as possible.’

Do you have an example of a successful circular economy solution that we have implemented?
‘One of the success stories within Arcus Group is that we have already implemented many initiatives in terms of waste separation and recycling. For example, we already successfully separate materials such as paper, steel and cardboard. We also only buy used pallets, for example.’

‘In addition, I am currently working on a study to see how we can improve even further in terms of circularity. Stainless steel is already a naturally circular product, but we would like to take even more steps to make our processes and operations even more sustainable.’

‘Another important example is the use of HVO fuel for our trucks. HVO is a sustainable fuel made from renewable raw materials. By running our trucks with it, we significantly reduce our carbon footprint and contribute to more sustainable logistics. This is an important step in our strategy to be circular, not only in our products, but also in our logistics processes.’

What do you want to achieve in terms of circulation and waste management at Arcus Group in the coming years?
‘My goal for the coming years is to further optimize our processes around circularity and waste management. What exactly this will look like depends on the results of my current research. Based on that, I will draw up concrete goals and action plans to implement improvements.’

‘An important ambition as a company is to stay away as much as possible from the use of ‘virgin’ materials, which are raw materials that have never been used or processed before. Instead, we want to commit to using materials that are already in circulation so that we can minimize our impact on the environment. This pursuit of more circular solutions will become an essential part of our business operations in the future.’

How do you see the future of sustainability within our company and what role do our stakeholders and followers play in this?
‘As a company, we want to continuously make progress on sustainability, and this should translate to the entire value chain. It is important that we support and guide our stakeholders in this so that they can also play an active role in making our processes more sustainable.’

‘Sustainability is not something we can do alone, it requires everyone inside and outside the company to be aware of the impact they have. Ultimately, we want to leave a cleaner world for future generations, and that requires responsibility from every individual. Together with our stakeholders and followers, we can make that change happen and ensure that sustainability becomes deeply embedded in our business practices.’

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