Sustainability of the business practices is safeguarded through a formal organisation consisting of a Council for Sustainable Business Practices, a Working Group for Sustainable Business Practices, a Communications Working Group and a number of temporary task groups. This organisation is supported by a Sustainable Business Practices Programme department, which was set up in 2010 (three FTEs with an annual budget of €250,000). The Council, which includes the directors of the business units and is chaired by the Director of Commerce and Operations (a member of the Executive Board and responsible for sustainability), has the task of preparing decisions and policies. Proposed resolutions and policies to be implemented by the business units and/or corporate staff groups are submitted to the Executive Board for approval. There are also (communications) representatives of the NS business units in the working group and communications working group for Sustainable Business Practices. Sustainable mobility is one aspect of the strategy of NS. This strategy is translated into plans and KPIs by the business units. The plans relate to the three strategic themes of Climate-neutral, the Circular Economy and Inclusiveness.
The progress and development of the sustainability results have been observed and managed through the regular planning, control and reporting cycle since 2010. Since 2012, NS has used a CSR reporting manual that specifies how sustainability information should be validated and reported in the monthly, quarterly and annual reports. Investment proposals should include sustainability impact reports.
In accordance with the Code, the Executive Board is responsible for the aspects of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) that are relevant to NS. The Executive Board reports on this to the Supervisory Board and the General Meeting. There were no changes in 2016 in the CSR policy and objectives.