We have taken the necessary steps to actually be what we expect from other companies. Practice what we preach is what we call it. In the coming years we will have to make even more conscious choices in our business operations in order to become even more sustainable ourselves and to further reduce our CO2 emissions to ultimately zero by 2030. And to become a more inclusive organization in which everyone can be themselves.
We have also worked on sustainability in Heerlen. We went through the BREEAM certification process for the first time in 2021 and we are investigating what additional energy efficiency options are available for our office properties in Hong Kong and New York.
Connecting the mine water to the system of the large APG head office in Heerlen was in itself a very special task. The office building from 1972/1974 did not meet the requirements that you may expect from a modern office building in terms of use, size and energy consumption. The energy consumption for the renovation and adaptations of the power plant amounted to approximately 4.2 million m³ of natural gas per year.
Decent CO2 reduction
It is precisely this residual heat supply that is special for an office building from 1972/1974 with a CO2 reduction of 118% to 130%. This is not the case in any other office building from this or later period. By linking Minewater 2.0, a power plant with eight heat pumps and a building management system, there is only limited natural gas consumption in the coldest period; a considerable reduction compared to the previous consumption (4.2 million m³/year).
Our new, fully sustainable office building on Basisweg in Amsterdam (Edge West) was recently renovated and completed in 2021. This property has the highest possible BREEAM certification, which reflects the degree of sustainability. Because we have now moved from two Amsterdam locations to this building, we can reduce a large share of the CO2 emissions from our accommodation.
At the office we share facilities with each other, so that you really have a choice in very diverse work facilities (sharing is multiplying). Meeting, brainstorming, collaborating, learning from each other and inspiring are central to the office. But there is also room for individual work, just like you can do at home or elsewhere. The APG work environment invites you to healthy work and exercise.
We are constantly thinking about possible improvements in our work environment as the world around us continues to change.
The ideal inspiring work environment does not exist overnight. In fact, that ideal environment is never finished. It is a continuous movement towards the ideal environment that suits us at that moment, or that will suit us in future.
Equal work should be equally rewarded. That was the reason why the apparent pay gap between men and women at APG was closed in one go in June 2019. This required a salary increase for 125 women. And to prevent a new gap from arising, APG subsequently conducted extensive research into the causes.
The explanatory factor is that women at APG are promoted less often and less quickly, which means that their salary also grows less quickly.
Read more about this topic on our website in the article 'APG tackles the cause of the pay difference in men'.
At APG you choose where, when and how you want to work, in the best possible way for you and your team. You strive for a good balance between work and private life and you make conscious choices. Based on your agenda, you determine the best workplace for the activities for that day. We make sustainable choices in the field of mobility; when you travel, you do so as sustainably as possible; travel more often by public transport, (electric) bicycle and less by car.
In this way, we contribute to achieving our goal of operating as an APG climate neutrally by 2030. Specifically, it means this:
At APG, the mobile phones for employees are rented and not purchased. In addition, we ensure that the rare metals needed for our telephones are removed from the waste in developing countries. In this way we help to reduce electronic waste in a simple way. And in this way we also realize our own climate goals and sustainability ambition. So a win-win situation.
