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Sustainability
Progress you can check.
We handle the materials everyday life is built from. That comes with an impact, so we publish the targets, the dates, and the numbers behind them.
0/100
GRESB score, 2026 Ranked 4th in its peer benchmark
0
Net Zero CO2 emissions for Scope 1 and Scope 2
0%
2030 absolute emission reduction from our 2021 baseline
0
Signatory to the UN Global Compact, signed 2021
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Our approach
We started by asking what matters.
In 2023, we began a double materiality assessment to prepare for the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). We engaged with more than 80 internal and external stakeholders to map our key issues. The exercise helped us confirm where our impact is greatest and what we should focus on.
- Energy Transition
- Climate change adaptation and GHG emissions reduction
- Occupational Health and Safety
- Employee Attraction and Retention
- Business Ethics and Integrity
Three pillars. Nine commitments.
Our Triple Bottom Line roadmap groups everything we are working on into People, Planet and Prosperity. Each pillar carries three commitments, and each commitment carries a target with a date on it.
- People
Caring for our people
Everyone who enters our terminals goes home safely. Beyond that, a workplace people want to stay in and can build a career inside.
Read more in the report - Planet
Acting for our planet
Cut what we burn, use less of what we take, and leave the water and the wildlife around our terminals better than a permit requires.
Read more in the report - Prosperity
Prospering sustainably
Keep Europe supplied through the transition, reduce thermal coal volumes by 90% by 2030, and grow with the regions our terminals sit in.
Read more in the report
Mapped to the goals that are actually ours
Three strategic pillars, each tied to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) most relevant to a bulk terminal operator.
Climate strategy and Net Zero
Reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 25% by 2030, reach net zero by 2040, and invest in storing and processing renewable energy products.
Business ethics and safety
Be a reliable, trusted and inclusive employer. Zero tolerance for corruption. Dignity and respect across the whole value chain.
Business resilience
Diversify and transition the portfolio for the energy transition, and build the skills our people will need to run it.
If you work with us
What this means for you.
Customers, partners, investors and contractors each look at our sustainability performance from a different angle. Here is what we have achieved so far, and what it means for you.
Cleaner handling you can account for
For years, our large specialised equipment has run on biodiesel, cutting CO₂ emissions by up to 80%. We aim to replace all of it with electric alternatives as part of our long-term plan. Our Scope 1 and 2 targets are clear, and they help our customers address their Scope 3 emissions.
Data behind the claim
In 2024, we invested in a specialised SaaS tool that tracks emissions across our operations. It gives us reliable data and strengthens our ESG policies on the environmental and social risks in our supply chain.
Assurance at the gate
We have a long history of implementing environment, health and safety management systems in line with ISO. We presently have 6 terminals with a certified ISO 14001 and 4 with an ISO 45001 in place. Our terminal in Germany is under the EMAS environmental management scheme and also adopted strict safety standards in compliance with the Seveso Directive.
Capacity that grows with your transition
By 2030, we have committed to reducing the thermal coal passing through our terminals by 90% and we are redirecting our investments towards non-fossil / transition cargoes. Customers and partners moving into biofuels, hydrogen, fertilisers, ammonia and project cargo can grow with us.
High-level commitments
Judged from the outside.
Internal targets matter, but external assessment is what makes them credible. GRESB scores our ESG performances against infrastructure peers every year, and the trend is the point.
From below average to fifth in the benchmark
In 2020 we scored 46 out of 100 in our first GRESB Infrastructure Asset Assessment, slightly below the average for all infrastructure assets. In 2026, we continued our upward trend and scored 95 out of 100 in the latest GRESB questionnaire. Notable improvements in the areas of across leadership, certifications, energy efficiency, employee engagement, waste management, biodiversity and stakeholder management were recorded.
Read the GRESB announcement"Since 2020, we have built a Net Zero Plan, strengthened occupational safety across our terminals, and set a firm ESG roadmap to 2030 that includes phasing out thermal coal. Our job is now to diversify, so we can support customers through the energy transition."
Paul van Gelder
Chairman of the Executive Committee
In motion
What’s moving in sustainability.
Scores, safety days and site investments are the dated proof behind the roadmap. These updates sit beside the targets, so you can see what changed since the last report.
Investing in our people
Culture, safety, and development programs keep teams connected across the terminal network.
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Driving sustainability through smarter energy use
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HES International achieves significant GRESB score improvement, ranking #5 in peer benchmark
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