Enormous quantities of waste paper are sent to Asia to be recycled and meanwhile nearly equal volumes of new paper are imported into Belgium. BNP Paribas Fortis decided to do something about this by arranging for local processing of waste paper streams with a view to re-use.
In collaboration with three external partners – waste processing specialist Van Gansewinkel, environmentally- oriented tissue paper manufacturer Van Houtum and recycled products distributor BOMA – a system has been set up to collect and recycle the Bank’s waste paper. BNP Paribas Fortis then subsequently re-purchases the recycled paper for internal use.
“Every year around 70 tons of waste paper is collected from the Bank’s central Brussels premises at the Boreal and Chancellerie buildings and the Espace Rolin complex,” explains Magda Hellinckx of the BNP Paribas Fortis Logistics department. “We then buy recycled paper products from Van Houtum,” adding: I’m talking specifically about paper recycling. Cardboard is not handled as part of this system.”
This local approach to recycling leads to significant savings in terms of water (177,900 litres per year, i.e. the average drinking consumption of 824 people), energy (9,672 kWh of electricity, equivalent to the power consumption of 100 laptops) and reductions in carbon dioxide emissions (6,618 kilos, equivalent to the total annual CO2 emissions of 2.5 lease cars). “And the clear price agreements we have with the three partners enable us to keep the costs under control,” underlines Magda Hellinckx.
Accordingly, on 16 July, BNP Paribas Fortis became the first Belgian company to be awarded a certificate for its paper recycling initiative.
This initiative is an integral part of the overall BNP Paribas Fortis sustainability policies. The Bank has undertaken a wide range of actions to reduce its environmental footprint – reducing energy consumption; making use of sustainable materials in the construction and renovation of our branches and other buildings; encouraging sustainable mobility; cutting down on paper consumption; sorting waste streams; recycling used paper, etc. By collecting, sorting and drawing value from old office paper, BNP Paribas Fortis is also motivating its staff to play their part in taking a responsible approach to resource consumption.
Press contacts
Hilde Junius – 02 565 47 37 – hilde.junius@bnpparibasfortis.com
Valéry Halloy – 02 565 46 50 – valery.halloy@bnpparibasfortis.com
Kim Cauberghs – 02 228 37 94 – kim.cauberghs@bnpparibasfortis.com