Environmental Impact
CSR 2016 – Boskalis
34
For Boskalis the most important natural resource is sand. Sand is extracted from borrow
areas, which can be designated by clients on an individual project basis. In addition,
Boskalis has access to licensed sand borrow areas around the world. When deepening
waterways and ports we aim to re-use as much of the sand as possible for land
reclamation. While not all sand is suitable for this purpose, thanks to innovations and
research we are now able to re-use sand and sediment that was previously unusable.
Although sand is a renewable rather than a finite resource, in some areas its use is
increasingly being restricted by legislation and regulations. Backed by scientific
research from the Building with Nature program, we are able to advise our clients on
making responsible choices when designating sand borrow areas and selecting sand
extraction methods. We can also advise our clients to opt for sand replenishment
combined with the planting of mangroves for coastal protection, as is the case in
Indonesia. Please refer to
pages 40-41for more information.
Our expertise can also be called upon for soil and waterbed remediation. Boskalis
Environmental carries out noteworthy remediation projects both in and outside of
the Netherlands, whereby it re-uses as much material as possible after processing.
We recycle worn floating dredging pipelines, impellers, dredging pumps and pick
points, resulting in the recycling of 520,000 kilograms of material in 2016. More
information can be found in th
e case studies on our corporate website.Contributing to the
circular economy