Driving a strong sustainability strategy

At BESIX, we acknowledge our responsibility to our stakeholders (business partners, employees and communities) and recognise our critical role in driving economic, social, and environmental progress to enhance quality of life.

Creating value for our stakeholders

Our sustainability and ESG strategy focuses on creating value for our stakeholders, reducing environmental impacts and maximising positive social contributions.

Guided by our vision to "take on today's boldest challenges to build a lasting legacy", we are committed to sustainable development in all that we do.

Below, you will find more information on...

Our sustainability roadmap
Our double materiality assessment
Our stakeholders
Our commitments
Our ESG governance
Our network
Our sustainability strategy is about securing the future for our clients, for our Group and for the world around us. By leveraging our ESG expertise, we help build assets with lower operating costs, stronger climate resilience and lasting value, ensuring we all remain ready for the future.
Geert Aelbrecht
Chief People Officer, Group Sustainability & ESG OfficerBESIX Group

Our sustainability roadmap

The sustainability roadmap translates our vision into action. At BESIX, we integrate ESG principles into every stage of our operations, ensuring that sustainability is embedded in our business strategy, our project delivery and our company culture.

Our roadmap is built on eight strategic commitments that guide our actions and progress. These commitments address ethical business conduct, respect for human rights, safe and inclusive working conditions and responsible environmental stewardship.

To ensure our efforts are focused and impactful, our roadmap aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through clear targets, ongoing stakeholder engagement and transparent reporting, we are turning our sustainability ambitions into measurable results and a lasting legacy.

Our double materiality assessment

In 2023, we focused on aligning our sustainability and ESG priorities with the interests of its key stakeholders. We conducted our first comprehensive Double Materiality Assessment (DMA) to identify the most critical ESG risks, impacts and opportunities. The assessment looked at two key factors:

  • Impact materiality: How BESIX's activities influence the environment and society, both positively and negatively.

  • Financial materiality: How ESG factors affect BESIX’s financial health, considering the risks and opportunities linked to our ESG performance.

The DMA encompassed the full scope of our Group’s operations, covering every stage of the value chain: from sourcing materials to the construction and maintenance of our projects.

To ensure a comprehensive understanding, the DMA also included an employee survey and interviews with key internal and external stakeholders, allowing us to gather a broad range of perspectives.

The assessment ensures our sustainability & ESG strategy is robust, future-proof, and compliant with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).

BESIX's sustainability priorities are closely aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with a special focus on SDG 8 (Decent Work & Economic Growth), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).

Our stakeholders

BESIX actively collaborates with a diverse range of stakeholders to achieve a sustainable value chain.

To develop a robust ESG strategy, we first identified our key stakeholders:

  • Employees: Their well-being, skills development and engagement are crucial for our success.

  • Business partners: We partner with business partners (clients, joint venture partners) who share our sustainability goals, offering them expertise to make their projects more sustainable.

  • Subcontractors & suppliers: We partner with those who share our commitment to sustainability.

  • Public authorities & regulators: We comply with all relevant regulations and actively participate in shaping sustainable construction practices.

  • Investors and financial partners: We maintain an open dialogue to align our ESG performance with financial expectations and long-term value creation.

  • NGOs and communities: We collaborate with NGOs to address environmental and social challenges in the communities we serve.

Through regular meetings, surveys and conferences, we foster open dialogue and gather valuable feedback. This feedback serves as a basis for our sustainability strategy and ensures it aligns with stakeholder expectations.

Our stakeholder engagement is continuous and proactive, ensuring transparency and trust at every stage of our projects.

Our commitments

We are committed to driving meaningful change through our sustainability objectives and actions, guided by three powerful global frameworks:

Our ESG governance

Our ESG governance framework underpins the successful implementation of our strategy.

The Board of Directors sets clear ESG objectives and provides oversight, ensuring that sustainability is embedded in our long-term vision. The Executive Committee and a dedicated ESG team are responsible for implementing policies and monitoring progress across all operations.

This governance structure ensures accountability, risk management and continuous improvement in our sustainability performance.

We strictly adhere to ethical business practices, guided by the UN Global Compact principles. We maintain transparency through regular, comprehensive ESG reporting aligned with CSRD and GRI standards.

Our network

We are proud to be part of several industry associations and work groups focused on advancing sustainability in construction. These memberships enable us to:

  • Share best practices and knowledge with industry leaders

  • Advocate for positive change in the regulatory landscape

  • Collaborate on innovative solutions to overcome sustainability challenges

  • Stay informed on the latest developments in ESG practices

Discover some of our memberships and participations below:

The other steps of our journey towards sustainability