CSR Interview with A. van Diem
'I invest the money I make in the development of the environment', says Arnout van Diem, the managing director of BioSoil. It is a job he has held since 1993. At the time he realized the possibilities offered by 'contaminated' water from the tap, The possibilities around the core business of 'biological attenuation' implied the introduction of a biological approach. It did not take long for Arnout van Diem to realize that soil remediation offered him the opportunity to improve (and conquer) the world. In the early years of BioSoil, four major operations were realized on behalf of people who 'believed' in BioSoil and who gave the company favourable references within a year. One example is that BioSoil took a chance with an oil trading company years ago and created an extremely well functioning system from second hand materials. In combination with a number of other assignments this was the breakthrough for BioSoil. The company currently employs over 50 people and according to Arnout van Diem this means that it is time for innovation: ' We must not allow the old thoughts to continue simmering, we must create a new vision.' 

BioSoil international has the future
According to Arnout van Diem BioSoil is capable of sustainably solving problems all over the world. From this idea it is only a small step to Corporate Social Responsibility. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is about consciously focusing company activities on the long term and on creating value from the economic return (profit), on the consequences this has for people, within and outside the company (people), and on the effects it has on the natural living environment (planet). These three Ps all have their own story within the BioSoil CSR profile.

People
'Trying to create a continuous process of innovation together with the employees' is what Arnout van Diem pursues. Knowledge is required to be a leader, so he tries to combine the right set of tasks with the right person. Everyone will have to take his/her own responsibilities, starting from the assumption that people are good. Arnout van Diem says: 'I have never kept track of the number of days off that people are entitled to. Now that the company is growing the necessity for doing this is increasing'. During the lunch break people often play a game of table tennis or billiards. The employees have flexible working hours and twice a year there is a staff outing. On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the company all the employees and their families even went to Turkey for a week. There is a bimonthly general meeting including a collective meal. Furthermore, we often have apprentices and graduates at BioSoil, who are also involved in the BioSoil culture.

Investing in sustainable developments
Arnout van Diem clearly indicates that he regularly invests extra money in research related to new and sustainable developments within BioSoil. Moreover, BioSoil financially supports Dorcas: to stimulate the local economy via local construction projects ( www.dorcas.nl ). And in view of the concept of sharing knowledge, Arnout van Diem has thrown in his lot with Somnet (foundation for education and environmental projects) in the province of Gelderland, where 'the soil' is a theme for training institutions ( www.somnet.nl ).

Planet
Years ago, when BioSoil needed a new office, it was decided to purchase a cheap office in Oosterhout. This office was cheap because the soil underneath was heavily contaminated. This was an ideal spot for BioSoil, since this structure became a nice test case for its own solutions. At the behest of Aircraft Fuel Supplies at Schiphol airport, BioSoil came up with a combined solution for kerosene vapours and slobs. This solution resulted in a clear win-win situation. The sustainability aspects of this method include the installation of a vapour return system, the re-use of slobs, a repeat factor of the concept and the proceeds of the method. By all appearances the environmental return is considerable.

Prizes
BioSoil always tries to find solutions for soil remediation operations on the basis of the sustainability concept and invests in environmental research. Consequently, the company has been awarded quite a number of prizes for projects over the past years. The most recent prizes are:

2001 Entrepreneur of the year award, Chamber of Commerce, Drechtsteden
2001 2002 Modern Producer
2002/2003 Finalist Entrepeneur of the Year
2004 Nominated for the EEP (European Environmental Press) Award 2004
2005 Global Eco Tech 100 Award, Japan

Leader
Last but not least, BioSoil received a letter form the Ministry of Housing, Spatial planning and the Environment, stating that the 'leader counter' recognizes the company as a leader !

Priorities
With regard to the internal company policy BioSoil has three priorities:
1. Saving energy (green electricity, tl friendly, isolation)
2. Recycling (in any case synthetics and paper)
3. Limiting the fuel consumption (the company aims for cars driving on natural gas)

Profit
The BioSoil line of approach regarding profit is to invest the money that is 'left' in the development of the environment. 'Money must be invested in order to start making money on projects', says Arnout van Diem. 'Actually, it should not be necessary to make CSR a separate issue', he says. CSR plays a much bigger role in Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SME) than in large corporations. According to Arnout van Diem the problem lies with the large enterprises. The policy developed by major corporations (that are often listed on the stock exchange) cannot usually be realized by 'small groups' within the corporation. Managers are short-term thinkers who do not invest in long-term developments, which is exactly what BioSoil does. BioSoil now has its own R&D department.

The future with CSR
The BioSoil vision regarding the future of CSR is to gain and maintain a foothold in the field of sustainable soil remediation. And BioSoil wants to expand its business, with a focus on BioSoil International. To achieve this managers will be recruited from all over the world. Share knowledge and develop knowledge. The more you know, the more combinations you can think of. And Arnout van Diem hopes he will still be an investigator ten years from now!