Corporate Social Responsibility

Our corporate social responsibility policy

In 2008, SES implemented corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects and activities in those geographic areas where the SES group either has commercial activities, provides communication services or otherwise interacts with local communities.

Policy
Our CSR policy aims primarily at supporting educational projects, and its focus reflects our position as a provider of global communications infrastructure and services. SES believes it has a responsibility to support the development of a knowledge and communications-based society. Progress in this area should help develop more resilient and flexible economic structures, contribute to enhance social mobility and development, and should also contribute to the emergence of sustainable economic development models.

SES adheres to the “Corporate Social Responsibility Charter”, signed jointly by a number of Luxembourg-based companies. This charter commits its signatories to promote the principles of CSR and to reflect and implement these in their everyday operations.

Actions
In 2008, SES continued its scholarship programme with the International Space University (ISU) in Strasbourg, France, supporting students of advanced studies of space applications.

In addition, SES initiated a multi-year support programme for an executive space MBA with the International Institute of Space Commerce (IISC) based in the Isle of Man. This programme benefits students from the Isle of Man. The IISC is an off-shoot
of the ISU.

SES also continued to support the scholarship programme of the “Society of Satellite Professionals International” (SSPI), a U.S.-based non-profit association for the professional development of satellite industry professionals worldwide. SES donated computer hardware and software to the Comprehensive School No. 1 in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The company also supported the St. Gallen symposium, an academic and networking opportunity for representatives of business, politics, and students at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.

SES is a member of the International Astronautical Foundation, a global organisation that promotes awareness of space activities world-wide. SES also continued to financially support the Institut St. Joseph of Betzdorf, Luxembourg, a home for mentally handicapped persons.

SES gave a financial contribution to Luxembourg’s “Business Initiative 123-GO” aimed at advancing the development of innovative business projects. SES is also a supporting member of the IDATE Foundation, based in Montpellier, France, which
provides assistance in strategic decision-making to the telecom, internet and media industries.

Board of Directors
In 2007, SES became a member of Luxembourg’s “Groupement d’intérêt économique Shanghai 2010”. The mission of this organisation is to implement Luxembourg’s representation at the World Exhibition in Shanghai in 2010.

SES continued its financial support to “Musek am Syrdal”, a local music festival in Luxembourg. SES NEW SKIES supported the NEPAD e-Schools Demo project by providing satellite capacity and teleport services. Together with two other partners, iDirect and Intersat Africa, we have committed to provide a total satellite solution to 35 schools.

The project aims at demonstrating the value of ICT to education and encompasses 96 schools in 16 African countries. NEPAD (The New Partnership for African Development) is a Pan-African organisation sponsored by the African Union that aims to combine public and private partners to address development issues in Africa.

The U.S. offices of SES sponsored a number of science and engineering programmes in public schools in the U.S. Out of 12 applying schools, seven were awarded grants. These grants funded a variety of activities ranging from robotics clubs, in which SES employees helped students build robots, to a “Project Lead the Way” for one school in Paterson, N.J., aiming to prepare students for a successful curriculum in post-secondary engineering studies.

Grants were made available to public schools from Kindergarten to twelfth grade; the grants are reviewed by a committee of employees. SES ASTRA contributed to the SatElections project for the production and delivery of e-learning modules on effective electoral assistance and electoral administration via satellite, whose pilot operational phase was launched in November 2008 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. The SatElections project is supported financially by the governments of Belgium, Luxembourg and Italy, and is being developed by an industrial consortium coordinated by the European Space Agency.

Caring for the environment
The SES companies are committed to respecting the world’s natural environment, and to aligning the companies’ and the staff’s conduct with the principles of sustainable development. We apply the principle that all activities and services which we provide to third-party customers, or which are supplied to us by third-party vendors, should comply with the highest standards of environmental protection. Compliance is benchmarked against the legal rules and regulations applied in the countries in which the SES companies operate, as well as against industry-wide best practices. Our objective is to continuously improve our environmental performance and to further reduce the environmental impact of our activities.

The activities of SES and its operating companies are mainly office and technology-based. In our operations, we promote the most efficient use of energy and natural resources. We have successfully implemented a programme to rely on cogeneration power with renewable energy sources wherever possible. We apply a waste recycling programme which aims to avoid, reduce and recycle waste material as efficiently as possible; this programme is subject to independent third-party audits and quality control. We also conduct environmental training on a regular basis and encourage our staff to adopt environmentally correct attitudes in their professional activities.

The operating entities of SES apply best practices in minimising the environmental impact of the outsourced activities, such as the manufacturing and launching of spacecraft. The companies also ensure that the amount of radiation emitted from their earth stations respects or remains below the maximum levels defined by the countries of operation; compliance is checked through yearly internal and third-party audits by accredited organisations, which are specialised in the field of industrial safety.

Charter

Charter of companies in favour of social responsibility and sustainable development

(English version, PDF 649kb)

Charte d'entreprises pour la responsabilité sociale et le développement durable

(Version française, PDF 698kb)