Colleague Jakoba Van der Linden wins Sustainability Professional of the year
In total, there were no less than 240 nominations for the award. From these nominations, the jury selected the ten best candidates, who were then given the opportunity to explain their projects and achievements during a presentation a few weeks ago. During these presentations, Jakoba impressed the jury with her presentation of Jan De Nul's sustainable initiatives.
The jury praised some of our company's remarkable achievements. They are aware that we work in a challenging sector when it comes to Sustainability. So we can be truly proud of what we have already achieved.
Yesterday evening, during the award show, the jury and the audience chose the winner from these 10 candidates after a final elevator pitch from the various candidates. Jakoba managed to fully convince both the audience and the jury with her presentation and became the clear winner of the Sustainability Professional Award in the Dutch-language category.
In the French-speaking category, Nathalie Guillaume of Danone Benelux took home the Sustainability Professional Award.
Jakoba's sustainability initiatives
As Sustainability Officer, Jakoba has made a significant contribution to sustainability within our company. Her key initiative in recent years, the Code Zero program, focuses on sustainability awareness among all of our company's employees. This program emphasizes Zero Emissions, Zero Breaches, Zero Accidents, and Zero Waste.
She is involved in setting the company's sustainability goals and KPIs. We were recognized with an EcoVadis silver medal and as an SDG Champion by Unitar and the UN.
Jakoba also played a central role in the JDN School Package, an educational programme that promotes sustainability and innovation among children, with a reach of 1327 pupils in 28 schools in 2023 in Belgium, and an international roll-out.
Her commitment to diversity and inclusion within the workplace and her commitment to education and local communities highlight her dedication to sustainability in practice. Jakoba's work and passion for sustainability help shape a sustainable future inside and outside Jan De Nul.