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Sustainability vision

As a law firm with deep roots in the Antwerp region, we want to pay care and attention to our society, even outside our services, and minimise our impact on the climate and planet. As a firm, we feel strongly committed to social and other issues. For instance, in our day-to-day operations, we find that environmental impact is also becoming increasingly important in legal cases. More and more stringent sustainability criteria are being defined when granting permits for real estate or other projects, as well as when awarding public contracts. As a law firm, we try to prepare and assist our clients as much as possible in this respect.

In addition, as a firm itself, we naturally also want to do our bit for an ecological, economic, fair and sustainable future. With this in mind, we have drawn up a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) vision within GSJ:

"As a law firm, we take our responsibility to integrate sustainability into our services and operations. We do this by continuously paying care and attention to our environment and society, and by optimising our social impact on it."

We implement the concept of sustainability in our business operations using the 5 Ps: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnership. In those 5 dimensions, the Sustainable Development Goals were also subdivided by the United Nations. The 17 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), are the cornerstone for eradicating global poverty, addressing inequality and protecting the environment and world peace by 2030.

As a law firm, we do so by, among other things, focusing on health and well-being at work, working paperlow and digitally as much as possible, encouraging sustainable mobility among our employees, donating financial support and legal services to charities, working with local partners and so much more. Finding the right balance between these 5 dimensions is CSR for us.


1. People

Internally

  • Participation in Antwep Ten Miles & Palace Run, The Company Cup & the Pink March
  • "GSJ Around the World" = project i.c.w. Slim to Antwerp through which we encouraged movement among colleagues in 2019, resulted in 57,000 kilometres travelled and €20,000 for the charities Nijlen for Hodora, Hope vzw and Bistro Buitengewoon in 1 year
  • Two-week supply of fair trade fruit and veggie soup
  • Establishment of GSJ cycling, padel and running club
  • Greening of the office to promote well-being at work and air quality
  • Organisation of Happy Hours, teambuilding activities per department and with the entire office, GSJ barbecue, Ugly Christmas Sweater Day, New Year receptions, tableau parties, secretarial dinners, office outings (Carnival in Oeteldonk, etc.)
  • GSJ Gazet: internal magazine with fun facts about our GSJ family 
  • Equal opportunities for all: healthy mix in terms of gender, sex, religion, age, etc. 
  • Lifelong learning: training policy for our employees

External

  • Facilitating internships: summer, winter, practical, orientation internships from secondary, high schools and universities
  • Annual participation in YOUCA Action Day where the wages of one working day of young people go to projects of other committed young people, both in Belgium and worldwide.
  • Sponsorship of charity actions and good causes e.g. Kom op Tegen Kanker, Nijlen voor Hodora, Bistro Buitengewoon, Hope vzw, Pakje van je Hart, Warmest Week, Special Olympics, Pink Ribbon, ...


2. Planet

  • Move to sustainable office building Post X
  • Paperlow and digital working as much as possible 
  • Possibility to work from home (less commuting)
  • Encourage sustainable mobility: car and bike sharing subscription Cambio & Vélo at the office
  • Maximum socially responsible procurement: FSC-certified paper, fortnightly sustainable delivery of fairtraide fruit, installation of Aqualex (tap instead of bottled water), use of thermos cups and Dopper bottles in the office, implementation of e-signature (DocuSign)


3. Peace

  • Gift to "Pakje van je Hart" from Children's Happiness following savings on production costs of digital Christmas cards
  • As part of Warmest Week, we helped flame out against underprivileged people in 2022 by organising the "Warmest GSJ Bar" 
  • Annual donation to Lawyers Without Borders, an NGO active in the human rights and development sector. 


4. Propsperity

  • Supporting local economy through cooperation with local partners
  • Donation of legal services to customisation company The Bridge, Special Olympics, ...


5. Partnership

  • Engagement with local community through cooperation with local partners, memberships with various networks and sponsorship: wide range of activities with social significance to make them more resilient.
  • Knowledge is the key word at GSJ. Not for nothing that our slogan reads "Shared knowledge is double knowledge". Our lawyers are regularly featured as speakers at study days and we sponsor the ALEC and AHLIC chairs. In this way, we as a firm endeavour to contribute to high-quality academic research and education in our city in the sectors in which we as a firm are also active on a daily basis.
  • We act as a sponsor of De Conferentie, the study centre for the practice of law in our own language, and are a partner of student association ELSA Antwerp.
  • Legal partner of Madaster, a digital platform that acts as a library and generator for materials passports. See here in a video why GSJ became "Madaster Max" in 2021. 
  • Finally, we set our sights on various charitable actions and good causes


Many efforts have already been made in our business operations, but the work is far from finished and the challenges we face as a society are great. Sustainable business is a growth process and we are proud that we as a firm have taken the first steps. We look forward to the next sustainability challenges, or rather, "collaboration challenges". The challenge is in working together: our behaviour and actions are the key to success!

The 17 sustainability goals set by the 193 UN member states in 2015.