Our fifth Integrated Sustainability Report provides a comprehensive overview of VFS Global's ESG performance from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023, and its commitment to sustainable growth and responsible business practices. It demonstrates the company's commitment to transparency and corporate responsibility, providing both internal and external stakeholders with insights into the company's sustainable growth, actions, and future commitments.
The report is in line with the VFS Global's Sustainability Strategy Framework and its core pillars: Sustainable Economic Growth, Delivering Good Governance, Nurturing Our Colleagues, Protecting Our Environment, and Supporting Communities. It also provides an overview of our financial review and summarises how we integrate technologies into our operations to continuously enhance performance.
Material topics, identified in the report through thorough assessments involving stakeholders, are central to understanding and addressing the most significant issues impacting the company's sustainability efforts. These topics are prioritised to encompass company's operations across 149 countries worldwide.
Prepared according to Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards, the report also aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals, UN Global Compact Principles, and Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) standards for Professional and Commercial Services Sector.
Contributing to SustainableEconomic Growth -
strategic objectives include
Gain strategic advantage, preference, and recognition as the impact-maximising partner of choice, and as a performance leader on english
Capture positive impact assessment and the overall contribution of VFS Global to society and the UN SDGs
Provide long-term shareholder value
Establish first class customer satisfaction and experience (Client Governments and applicants), health, safety, and fair practices
Promote inclusion and accessibility, focus on sustainable products and customer messaging
Sourcing responsibly
Delivering Good Governance -
strategic objectives include 
Maintain best industry practices in corporate governance and oversight
Constantly enhance the business code of conduct and compliance policies, as well as ensure data privacy and information security
Maintain transparency in all interactions with our stakeholders and ensure systematic reporting
Develop robust risk assessments, risk mitigation plans, business continuity and foster sound risk-based decision-making as critical components of operational framework
Nurturing Our Colleagues -
strategic objectives include
Enhance capacity building and employee development
Promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Integrate cultural change and emphasise women empowerment
Encourage talent attraction and retention
Contribute to the health, safety, and well-being of colleagues
Protecting Our Environment -
strategic objectives include
Improve our environmental performance, minimise environmental impact and support climate change mitigation efforts
Enhance our green procurement processes and policies
Supporting Our Communities -
strategic objectives include
Enhance the effectiveness of our investment in communities
Support employee volunteerism
Promote education, empower young people, nurture empathy and protect the environment through various programmes
Transition to RE for all our electricity consumption (100%) globally, in the countries where RE is available.
Integrate environment considerations while designing office infrastructure and drive initiatives for energy efficiency and environmental awareness.
Ensure Green procurement processes (for example use of eco-friendly paper across all locations and across business operations).
Engage in tree plantation initiatives and contribute to reforestation efforts.
Off-set 100 percent of our business travel and support other off-setting initiatives.
Responsibly manage 100 percent of the e-waste generated.
Having received recognition for our CSR initiatives across various regions, we received 4 awards overall including a special recognition at the Arabia CSR Awards 2023 for our community efforts in the MENA region. We have already launched the Volunteering time-off Policy which is integrated into Myspace. We have also evaluated programmes to expand CSR efforts outside of South Asia, especially in Australasia, and the MENA regions. In the near future we plan to:
Pilot a digital volunteering platform in some of the key regions, which would be launched globally by 2025
Introduce volunteer recognition at a region/country level and individual level.
Extend strategic investments through signature programmes in Indonesia, Thailand and South Africa.
Introduce programmes to encourage volunteering hours contribution from employees.
Increase the number of employees volunteering on a YoY basis.
CSR volunteering hours are incorporated into our ESG KPI's, and we are committed to enhancing these efforts annually. This aims to bolster the overall CSR performance of VFS Global, considering all the regions globally where we operate.
