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Blog: Sustainable entrepreneurship - Check!

I am amazed by multiple recent articles in which a clear plea is made for the implementation of a wide range of initiatives. All this, so that an organization can claim that it is doing business in a sustainable way.

My astonishment is based on the conclusion (which I draw from these articles) that apparently many companies are just beginning to consider whether or not to implement such initiatives for the first time.

In my opinion, a company only has a right to exist if it has a sustainable character. For me, sustainability means: guaranteed in the long term, taking into account peaks and troughs over time, resistant to external events that cannot be influenced.

What aspects contribute to the sustainability of our company?

First of all, it's about the ethical content of our services: do our services contribute to a social goal? Check! We make sure that our customers comply with laws and regulations.

Secondly, innovation must be at the heart of business operations. Innovation is not a project but a daily practice. Check! Continuous improvement and making use of technological possibilities enables Pincvision to present itself as a genuine RegTech company.

Thirdly, an organization should act as a good employer. Diversity, work-life balance, fair salaries, working conditions and personal development must be safeguarded. These are promises that need to transform into actions. Check! The 'P' in Pincvision stands for People. Our employees and our customer contacts make the difference between success & failure.

Fourthly, an organization should take its responsibility in the chain. Check! We only work for customers who put sustainability into practice and we also opt for sustainable suppliers when making purchasing decisions, even though this can mean higher purchase prices. Counteracting corruption, money laundering, child labour, false competition is not a discussion for us and is included in all parts of the corporate culture.

An organization's tax morality is the fifth theme. Check! Pincvision is based in the Netherlands and complies with all taxes uncompromisingly. Moreover, our services contribute to a responsible tax morality of our customers and thus to the correctness and completeness of compliance.

Sustainability is in our culture

The above aspects have been embedded in all strategic (management) decisions since the beginning of Pincvision. Not only naming these core values but also actually implementing them make the difference between short-term focus and sustainability. Sustainability has become part of our culture! In my opinion, I am far too often confronted with short-term measures within companies or with situations where sustainable measures are only considered after a drastic event.

Sustainable policy in practice

For those who find the above words too abstract, I have summed up some practical issues where I question sustainable policies:

  • The customer is being put first, but the best parking spaces are reserved for the management.
  • An organization considers whether the office space will be used sensibly only after the COVID-19 crisis.
  • Explaining legislation to the letter and thereby condoning that the spirit of the law is being violated.
  • Suppliers must comply with all kinds of sustainability criteria, but the criteria themselves are only mentioned on the website while they are not or insufficiently put into practice.
  • Using a bad or long payment morality.

Sustainable corporate structure

Of course, I realize that a company must be able to do business. After all, that is its function. Too many rules and criteria limit the necessary 'freedom' to respond to circumstances in a flexible way. That is necessary in order to be able to continue to guarantee sustainable business operations. I'm happy to be able to lead our organization in which sustainability and innovation are themes of every working day. Nothing new, there are plenty of other challenges!

What about the corporate sustainability within your own organization? It's always interesting to pay attention to this!

Monthly Blog Series 2020 - Written by Pincvision's Board of Directors

Blog #1: Regulatory Technology: the view of our CCO on RegTech
Blog #2: How Pincvision evolved itself into a RegTech Company
Blog #3: From entrepreneurial dream to RegTech company
Blog #4: Pincvision and the impact of COVID-19 crisis
Blog #5: Pincvision's Digital Workplace
Blog #6: Sustainable entrepreneurship - check!
Blog #7: International trade continues also in times of crisis
Blog #8: Digital Dexterity in the Digital Workplace
Blog #9: The Compliance Efficiency Paradox
Blog #10: Pandemic-proof because of engagement with customers
Blog #11: Working and thinking from a 'Composable Business' perspective
Blog #12: Marketing humbug in the Supply Chain

25 Jun 2020 at 3:11 pm
3 min