In the Spotlight: BGRS-ecolegIT Partnership Supports Clients’ Sustainability Goals

Sustainability is one of the key areas of focus for companies worldwide. BGRS’s Dan Mack, Vice President, Global Transportation Services, and ecolegIT’s CEO, Tim van Tartwijk are In the Spotlight as they talk about an innovative program that offers BGRS’s clients a new opportunity to incorporate sustainability into their programs.

This program clearly sounds like a unique response to an area of need in the industry!

Dan Mack: It’s an industry-first, and we’re tremendously excited to be able to offer it to our clients through our exclusive partnership with ecolegIT. Recently, we have seen significant growth in organizations’ interest in sustainability and social responsibility. In fact, many of our clients have stated goals to reduce their carbon footprint or even to become carbon neutral by 2030.  Until now, there were limited options for mobility programs to contribute to those objectives in a measurable way. The household goods shipments, for example, are a key relocation benefit and offer a potentially significant opportunity to impact sustainability goals. BGRS partnered with ecolegIT to launch this program in response to all these needs.

How did this partnership come about?

Dan: This program is a good example of how BGRS continually looks to market innovations that complement the services we provide to our clients. We identified this offering, for instance, as an opportunity to provide a unique approach to better serve our clients in this critical area for the environment.

What made ecolegIT choose BGRS as their exclusive relocation management partner in the mobility industry?

Tim van Tartwijk: ecolegIT firmly believes in the power of partnerships when addressing an area as complex and overarching as reducing the mobility industry’s environmental footprint.  When we started our conversations with BGRS, it soon became apparent that BGRS shared our beliefs about the importance of sustainability and the opportunities new approaches offer to reach these sustainability goals. We have known BGRS as an advocate of sustainable mobility with a strong focus on innovation in this area. As a leading global mobility service provider supporting many global organizations, they were an obvious go-to-market partner for ecolegIT.

So, how does the program actually work? 

Dan: Put simply, in line with our focus on environmental sustainability initiatives, this supplier-funded solution is automatically available to all clients using BGRS’s in-network household goods movers. For each shipment, through either air, surface, or road, the program calculates the environmental impact of an employee’s move and provides an offset for the associated carbon emissions. This offset is accomplished through investments in forestry partners who are certified by established standards and international organizations. ecolegIT has developed a unique formula – an algorithm if you will – to calculate the carbon impact of a move. Based on that, Virtual Carbon Units – an internationally accepted standard – are awarded to the clients via investments in these accredited forestry programs. Participating organizations will be able to easily track their individual and overall compensation levels. What’s more, the program is audited through an independent third party, with an Eco Audit certificate provided annually to certify the contribution.

Can you describe what role the forestry partners play?

Tim: The forestry partners, who manage the redistribution to the individual forestry projects around the world, make sure that the process of offsetting the CO2 emissions happens in a transparent, reliable, and most of all sustainable way. They ensure we only work with forestry projects that are closely monitored, audited, and carefully maintained over a long period of time. The partners that we work with must meet strict criteria which include governmental recognition and independent audits.

The certificate sounds like a great program feature. What does it allow clients to do?

Tim: One of the biggest challenges organizations face in the area of sustainability nowadays is measuring their environmental impact. The certificate is measurable proof of the efforts program participants are making, stating their registered shipments, their calculated emissions, and the resulting offset made through the program on their behalf. As we mentioned, each certificate is audited, which further guarantees its validity and reliability for participants of the program. This enables participants to, for example, use the certificate as input for their annual corporate sustainability reports.

What will the experience look like for BGRS clients?

Dan: In a word, seamless…BGRS and ecolegIT will manage all the details of onboarding the client into the program and immediately begin to register shipments, provide the carbon offsets, and track the progress of their activities.   

Companies must love this!

Dan: Absolutely.  BGRS and our clients are universally concerned about boosting sustainability profiles and initiatives, and we’re excited and gratified that the feedback has been tremendously positive. Our clients like the fact that ecolegIT is a comprehensive, turnkey program that includes all the essential services needed to help them reach their sustainability goals like calculation, auditing, technology, certification, and all the required support.