05. Environmental, Social
and Governance (ESG)
05.01 VFS Global plants 200,000 tree in Cambodia, India, Uganda and Tanzania
The trees were planted in October in Uganda, Tanzania, India and Cambodia
As part of our reforestation initiatives, we planted another 200,000 trees in Uganda, Tanzania, India and Cambodia, taking the total to 403,500 trees across the globe, corresponding to 21,000 tonnes of CO2 carbon capture backed with Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) carbon credits; the world’s most widely used greenhouse gas (GHG) crediting programme.
05.02 Sustainable Development Goals' sessions create awareness
Kayumba Chiwele (second from right) conducting the SDG session 2
Sustainability continues to be a key focus area for us at VFS Global. To create awareness about the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and how they are aligned with our sustainability strategy, a series of sessions were held for employees from June to November. Speakers from across the globe spoke about various SDG goals such as taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impact, protecting, restoring and promoting sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, striving for no poverty, gender equality, decent work and economic growth and responsible consumption and production.
05.03 Corporate Social Responsibility
(Left to right) Gino Latief, Director Executive, Yayasan Mitra Mandiri Indonesia, Santosh Huralikoppi, Chief Mentor, FUEL team, Ketan Deshpande, CEO, FUEL, Kaushik Ghosh, Head – Australasia, VFS Global (fifth from left) and Ria Vaidya, SGM – Corporate Communications & CSR, VFS Global (second from right) at the launch
VFS Global has partnered with The Friends Union for Energising Lives (FUEL), a non-profit organisation and Yayasan Mitra Mandiri Indonesia (YMMI) to introduce an innovative future skills training initiative aimed at empowering 250 youth in Jakarta.
The programme focuses on equipping youth with essential skills such as English literacy, digital literacy, and specialised job-related expertise, particularly in digital marketing. It also aims to enhance their communication skills, preparing them for future challenges and opportunities.
Over many years, the department and VFS Global have enjoyed a successful partnership, during which VFS Global has continued to demonstrate flexibility as the department’s needs have evolved over time. We look forward to the continued growth of this partnership and roll out of the biometrics collection programme under the new agreement."
FUEL will spearhead the programme’s facilitation while the curriculum will be delivered by YMMI. “Our mission is to empower young individuals with the skills they need to succeed, and this partnership allows us to expand our reach and impact. Through this programme, 250 young minds will be equipped with the tools necessary to unlock their full potential and pursue successful careers,” Ketan Deshpande, CEO, FUEL, said.
In celebration of World Clean-up Day (15 September 2023), our colleagues across the globe participated in several initiatives that included litter pick and clean-up drives, environmental awareness sessions and donation drives to collect old clothes, toys, etc. that otherwise end up in landfills and harm the environment. Here are some photos:
Employees from IVAC Hounslow collected two bags of waste cleaning the area around the VAC.
Employees from IVAC Goswell Road collected 6 kgs of waste cleaning the area around the VAC.
Employees in Kathmandu, Nepal, got together to plant 300 saplings and conducted a clean-up drive.
Employees in Surabaya, Indonesia, volunteered for a forest clean-up activity to collect plastic waste.
Employees in The Philippines cleared trash and contributed to a pristine and cleaner coastline in a clean-up drive at the Manila Bay-Pasay City.
Employees from the Canada VAC in London, UK, recycled the waste within Wilson Street office.
JVAC London employees picked up 6 kgs of litter from around the office premises.
The Taiwan team conducted an innovative activity, Waste Audit, as part of which they collected waste from the office, sorted it in different categories, weighed it and then calculated how much trash could have found its way into the landfills.
Employees in Belarus organised an environmental awareness session at Gomel JVAC, where they discussed about waste segregation, environmental protection, and the importance of preserving nature.
Employees from Mogilev JVAC in Belarus cleaned up the city square and collected 10 kgs of waste.
Employees in Manama, Bahrain, collected old clothes, shoes and bags to donate to aboxforward.
Employees of Saudi VAC in Rome, Italy, picked up 2.5 kgs of litter from around the office premises.
Amit Kumar Sharma, Head - Americas, joined employees in Toronto, Canada, for a clean-up drive at the St. George University campus.
Team members in Los Angeles, USA, came together to clean litter at the Frank Fenton Field LA Park in Beverly Hills.
Employees in Sao Paulo, Brazil, along with the staff from the embassy of The Netherlands organised a clean-up drive at Largo da Batta Square.
Team members from JVAC Clichy, France, organised a litter-pick activity in some green spaces around the office.
110 Employees collected 800 kgs of waste in a beach clean-up activity at Pattinampakkam, Chennai.
170 Employees collected 250 kgs of waste at the Prabhadevi beach, Mumbai, on 7 October.
Employees participated in a pre-loved clothes donation drive in Dubai which was organised in collaboration with the Heart of Emirates.
In Miami, USA, along with the Consulate General of the Netherlands, our employees got together to donate toys and clothes to Lotus House.
Employees in Miami, Houston, NYC, Chicago and San Francisco collected 186 books which were then handed over to The Children’s Book Project.
In Singapore, employees donated used clothes, toys and books to The Salvation Army.
Employees in Bali organised a blood donation drive, where they partnered with a local organisation Palang Merah Indonesia.
Employees provided educational support for orphaned children in Lagos, Nigeria in collaboration with Life Source Child Development Foundation.