Corporate Social Responsibility

BESIX Group wants to contribute to a safer and greener planet and build a better place to live in. The goal is to go beyond the legal requirements in the social (People), environmental (Planet) and economic (Growth) areas, and that on a voluntary basis. As a global player the Group takes into account the specificities and the environmental requirements of each country while developing its CSR approach.

Our objective is to ensure the evolution of the BESIX Group in terms of social responsibility. We aim for the same level of excellence that characterizes our activities.

In 2016, BESIX Group took part, together with other renowned Belgian companies, in the working group led by Alexander De Croo, then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Development Cooperation, Digital Agenda, Telecommunications and Postal Services.

Objective: to promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to implement them in the framework of development cooperation and to raise awareness of the international development agenda in the Belgian private sector.

The Belgian SDG Charter for Development is based on the 5 Ps of the SDGs: People, Planet, Profit, Peace and Partnerships. The Shift, the Belgian sustainable development network, guides the whole process.

BESIX is one of the signatories of the Charter

Among the 17 SDGs, the Group has identified its priorities through the following SDGs: 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 11.

In addition, the COP21 and COP25 on climate change and the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have made climate change a priority.

Consequently, BESIX Group decided to focus mainly on SDG 13 (Measures to combat climate change) and SDG 12 (Responsible consumption and production). These two SDGs are directly linked to the Group's activities.

BESIX Group is a signatory of the Belgian Alliance for Climate Action, launched by the non-governmental organisations The Shift and WWF Belgium in October 2020. The signatory members of the Belgian Alliance for Climate Action are thereby aligning their activities with the objectives of the Paris Agreement, i.e. to limit the rise in global temperature to a maximum of 1.5°C.

This report shows progress over time. Since 2019, it has been structured into 'Key Material Themes' such as carbon management, fair working conditions, responsible conduct, etc. These reflect the practical drivers for the implementation of each commitment. BESIX follows the guidelines of the ISO 26000 standard and reports with reference to the GRI standards. The GRI enables our clients and stakeholders to be aware of our goals and of the actions we are taking to achieve them. 

The Sustainability and ESG Report complements the BESIX Group Activity Report.

BESIX started its activities in the Middle East through as early as 1965, first in the Emirates, followed by Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrein and Oman. Our license to operate in this region includes a solid engagement to high quality work and life conditions for our workers, which we continue to improve further.

Our projects in building, marine and civil works require a massive amount of manpower, which is not available locally. Today we have over 8.000 employees in the Middle East, many of which are migrant workers, mainly from South–east Asia and the Indian subcontinent in particular.

BESIX aims to go further than applying local rules. We have procurement and recruitment processes in place to avoid any abuse of migrant workers and we request our subcontractors to equally respect our standards. In the Middle East and Qatar specifically we have initiated higher lodging standards, including recreational facilities and language and IT training.

In 2017, BESIX Group has signed an international framework agreement on fair labour standards with the Building & Wood Workers’ International (BWI). This agreement’s purpose is to promote and protect the well-being of all employees and workers employed by BESIX Group. It firmly illustrates the Group’s commitment for fair labour standards of its employees and workers regardless of age, disability, gender, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion, political opinion or beliefs.

BESIX Foundation is a private foundation that was set up by the BESIX Group in 2009, in celebration of its 100th anniversary. It supports charities by giving them financial support so they can achieve their goals.

The foundation also encourages volunteer work among BESIX Group’s employees. Education, Construction and/or Environment are the overarching themes of the supported projects.

Through the years, BESIX Foundation has also ventured to set up two initiatives of its own:

Our Middle Eastern workers are often far from home, which causes them to spend a non-negligible part of their salary on telephone calls. To cope with this situation, The BESIX Foundation has decided to create a basic computer course to allow them to make economies on their telephone calls and at the same time discover the vast world of Internet.

Four training centers and cyber cafés have been established either on site or in workers’ housing and colleagues volunteered to coach and teach those who had never used a computer before.

For one day we welcome underprivileged children from 5th and 6th grade primary schools in Belgium. By bringing them to our sites and warehouses, they discover the variety of jobs in the construction industry. Enthusiastic BESIX Group collaborators guide them by showing them why they are passionate about their profession. Even if the children don’t want to pursue a position in the construction sector, KiddyBuild motivates them to find something that they love and urges them to work hard for it.
The project is enthusiastically supported by the Construction Confederation and the Fondation pour l’Enseignement.

In the United Arab Emirates, our Ajman concession hosts up to 300 students a year, explaining to them the water cycle and how wastewater is treated, as well as raising awareness on how to preserve the environment.

Visit the BESIX Foundation website or its Facebook page for more information.

You can also contact us at the email address ESG@besix.com.