Sustainable and ecologically responsible business
Our focus on Corporate Social Responsibility
K-Force constantly strives for an optimal balance between people, the planet and (sustainable) entrepreneurship.
Sustainable entrepreneurship is a natural and unavoidable part of our daily way of working. In order to keep our promise of sustainable business operations, we have invested heavily in recent years (and still do) and have developed all kinds of initiatives that, among other things, contribute to the lowest possible CO2 emissions and support (local) social goals. In order to give these initiatives the attention they deserve, we list them here.
Ecologically responsible business
K-Force has a park of 40 solar panels and works with a heat pump system. In a year we produce about 10,500 kWh, which reduces our consumption of ‘traditional’ electricity to almost zero. Our CO2 emissions are thus reduced by no less than 6.8 tons per year!
Our heat pump system efficiently extracts heat from the environment and releases this heat at a usable higher temperature level. Using energy from the environment to heat water. That is exactly what a heat pump does. Conversely, in summer it uses the coolness of the air or the soil to lower the indoor temperature. And the electrical energy required for this comes from our solar panels.
Our heat pump system efficiently extracts heat from the environment and releases this heat at a usable higher temperature level. Using energy from the environment to heat water. That is exactly what a heat pump does. Conversely, in summer it uses the coolness of the air or the soil to lower the indoor temperature. And the electrical energy required for this comes from our solar panels.
Reducing energy consumption and lowering IT costs
The cloud also reduces the energy consumption of an SME
It is our ambition to deliver as many projects as possible in a complete cloud environment. This means that the less performing and, above all, often less energy-efficient servers at SMEs disappear from the picture. Working in the cloud can indeed help to reduce the emissions of an SME enormously.
In general, cloud data centers are housed in energy-efficient buildings that are powered by renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar energy. So it is much more sustainable for businesses to use a cloud service provider for their computing needs rather than building their own data centers. It would consume more energy for a company to transport components and run a data center itself instead of going through a more efficient cloud service provider. In addition to using sustainable energy sources, we must also not ignore the fact that the energy and resources in such data centers are used many times more efficiently than a (small) company can do this.
In general, cloud data centers are housed in energy-efficient buildings that are powered by renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar energy. So it is much more sustainable for businesses to use a cloud service provider for their computing needs rather than building their own data centers. It would consume more energy for a company to transport components and run a data center itself instead of going through a more efficient cloud service provider. In addition to using sustainable energy sources, we must also not ignore the fact that the energy and resources in such data centers are used many times more efficiently than a (small) company can do this.
Energy-efficient selection of hardware
In terms of desktop PCs, we mainly place our so-called “Cloud PCs” at customers. Of course we also use these ourselves in our offices and at colleagues' homes to facilitate them. These PCs are compact devices that can be attached to the back of a screen to save space. In addition, they are 'fanless' (there is no noisy fan) and they are very energy efficient. We consciously choose to install these types of computers in work environments, where they are often in use for an entire working day every day of the week. When not in use, they consume about 6 W. Customers who work in our cloud barely use the system of their own computer. Assuming that the appliance works in 'idle mode' five days a week for eight hours a day, the annual consumption would be less than 12.5 kWh, which amounts to only 4 euros on the electricity bill (at 30 euros cents/kWh). That's much less than a conventional desktop PC.
Environmentally conscious in our daily operation
Paperless way of working
We only store all our data such as files and customer data digitally. For this we use a highly structured and extremely secure software solution that we have developed to measure and which is still being developed on a daily basis. By default, we also work exclusively with digital contracts, intervention vouchers and invoicing, both towards our suppliers and customers.
Limiting travel costs
As an IT company, we are fully committed to automation and AI (Artificial Intelligence). One of the consequences of this is that we can do a lot of things 100% from our offices. Activating, restarting, maintaining, solving problems, etc. A big advantage is of course that we help to limit a lot of movements and therefore the impact on both the environment and people. We also take short routes into account as much as possible in our purchasing strategy. Our previously mentioned Cloud PCs are e.g. produced in Germany, rather than in China.
Recycling
We have an active policy for separating business and electronic waste and reusing packaging material. The use of paper within the organization is reduced to a minimum. Sometimes we take over used equipment from customers for reuse elsewhere and customers also know that they can bring in depreciated material. We work with a recycling company that collects these used electronics on a regular basis. The same goes for used ink cartridges and batteries.
Ecological thinking
Where possible, we always take a step back before making a decision and see if we can't do something in a more ecologically responsible way. An example of this are the water bottles that we give to our employees. Instead of opting for regular plastic, we opt for bottles made of recyclable plastic. All Dopper bottles are Cradle to Cradle Certified™: the gold standard for safe, circular and responsible products.
K-Force has also invested in an Aqualex drinking water system. This filters tap water into perfectly drinkable water for our employees. So no plastic needed!
Naturally, we also carried out this reflection exercise when equipping our offices. In addition to the installation of the solar panels and heat pump, LED lighting was also chosen everywhere, which is up to 80% more energy-efficient than regular lighting.
Responsible employer
K-Force is a company that attaches great importance to good values and standards towards customers, suppliers, its environment, but especially towards its employees.
These are some of the things we do to be the best possible employer for our employees.
These are some of the things we do to be the best possible employer for our employees.
We focus on sports during the afternoon and after hours by choosing a business environment near the Zonienwoud and by installing a shower for after sports.
We always provide fresh fruit for our employees. In addition to coffee and tea all year round, we provide our employees with soft drinks during the summer and soup in the winter.
To improve the team atmosphere, we provide sandwiches for our employees every Friday. For example, Friday lunch is a weekly moment for many employees to look forward to.
We regularly organize teambuildings, often with partner, that contribute to the group atmosphere.
We promote equal rights, equal treatment, equal opportunities and equal pay for female and male employees.
We do not discriminate on the basis of origin, ethnicity, religion, age, political preference, sexual preference or disability.
Presence of a happiness officer who sees to it that everyone feels happy, both privately and professionally.
There are team leaders per team who are very approachable and open to feedback.
We encourage employees to try new things and support them in this.
The management team is also always open to ideas and feedback from employees. We think it is important that everyone feels valued.
Corporate social responsibility and sponsorships
On a regular basis, K-Force supports the following socially engaged causes.
Our daily way of working
What we also include in our decision-making process is the extent to which a company is visibly committed to society. For the maintenance of our garden, we charge eg. on “Les Jeunes Jardiniers”. This is a local non-profit organization recognized by the COCOF as an adapted workplace for people with disabilities. Of the 140 people employed, 100 are disabled.
We also often work with ’t Werk for the purchase of business gifts, which is also a socially committed company. They specifically employ people with autism.
Just as we take the social aspect into account in our purchases, we also do this when choosing our partnerships.