🎬 Multilingual subtitles
✍️ By: Team BC1.NL
“Anyone can do something, just don't make it too big,” says Maria van der Heijden.
Because if everyone adds their drop in the ocean, together that really does add up.
What is corporate social responsibility?
It is about truly embracing sustainability and embedding it at the core of your business, says Maria van der Heijden, director of MVO Nederland. She is not big on reports and glossy stories. She believes in actually doing things differently. It does matter to think about what you want to contribute to, what your North Star is, and to show every day how you make a difference.
What is Overshoot Day?
The day on which we have used more than the planet can produce in a year. That day keeps coming earlier, which means we are consuming more than a planet's worth every year.
What if you think it makes no difference?
She hears it often, what does it matter what I do, it is a drop in the ocean. Her answer, if everyone on the planet adds that drop, it really does make a difference. Every little step counts, so just start, and do not make it overwhelming.
In 2025 a fifth of the economy should be climate neutral
Every small step counts, so just start. Maria explains that 2025 has been set as a tipping point, by then a fifth of the Dutch economy should be climate neutral, circular and inclusive. Once 20 per cent of companies act on green and social grounds, the theory goes, the rest will follow.
Maria van der Heijden has been director since 1 July 2016
Maria van der Heijden has been director of MVO Nederland, the Dutch network for corporate social responsibility, since 1 July 2016. What drives her is a simple observation, we live well on this planet today, but Earth Overshoot Day falls earlier every year. Acting now is what gives the next generation the same chance.
MVO Nederland connects companies that want to work differently
MVO Nederland connects and inspires companies working towards climate neutral, circular and inclusive business models, and advises them on how to get there faster. The aim is to make the Netherlands a world leader in bringing people, planet and profit together.
See also: Circular 3D printing
