Kinamo: 'You can achieve a great deal without it costing a fortune.’

Since 2003, the company has supported organisations from its base in Antwerp in designing, managing and optimising their digital infrastructure. The 5 employees of Kinamo place great importance on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). In an energy-intensive sector such as IT, CEO Dominique Quintelier believes it’s just common sense. In an interview with us, he explains his company’s vision of CSR.

CSR is a catch all term. What does CSR mean for Kinamo?

Dominique: ‘CSR is a loaded term for smaller organisations. But even for small organisations, it's worth thinking about what they can do. And you don't always have to look too far. Socially and environmentally, there are many opportunities that are quite logical if you want the best for your company and your people.’ 

‘Thinking about how to reduce electricity consumption already makes a huge difference in our sector. It's also easy to come up with initiatives to improve people’s work-life balance. Talk to your employees, listen to them, do they enjoy working here, see whether routine tasks can be removed through automation, etc. Every company wants what's best for its employees. But it's not enough just saying that. The entire team needs to commit and as CEO you need to safeguard it, also in relation to customers.’ 

How do you translate that commitment into concrete actions?

Dominique: ‘We make our biggest impact in our data centres. For years, we've been using hardware that delivers top performance and uses little power and there are both ecological and financial reasons for this. Our high energy consumption is directly linked to high costs and saving on this has an immediate impact on the environment. And it's just common sense, electricity is expensive in Belgium. More than half of our costs relate to electricity.’

‘We also look at the lifespan of our equipment. Twenty years ago, it was normal to replace your servers after about three years. That's not sustainable. We're now moving towards periods of six years or more. And yes, a new server performs better and consumes less energy. But you have to ask yourself whether that outweighs the mountain of e-waste we create. Sometimes it's better to keep using your less energy-efficient servers for a little longer. And our people come to work by bike or public transport. Given our location in the centre of Antwerp, there are not many alternatives.’ 

Do you have Corporate Social Responsibility targets?

Dominique: No, we haven't linked any KPIs or formal targets to it. I think Kinamo has an unwritten rule that in all decisions and choices we take into account our impact and what's best for our organisation, our people, our customers and the environment. We've already calculated our own ecological footprint and we also do this for clients when they ask for it.’ 

‘Since the energy crisis at the start of the war in Ukraine, everyone has become more aware that electricity comes at a cost and we pay closer attention to our energy consumption. In any case, there are still many opportunities to ‘educate’ people, even if it's simply by teaching them, for example, that a Google search has a much smaller environmental impact than an AI search. Everyone should be fully aware of the environmental impact of AI and websites and try to compensate for it. At the same time, it's very hard to measure the CO₂ emissions of a website, because you have to take a great many factors into account, i.e. the server it runs on, the network, the firewall, the router, etc. They all have an impact because they all run on electricity.’

Do you also try to involve suppliers in your sustainability narrative?

Dominique: That's not straightforward. In my experience, software providers are rarely concerned about this. As a company, you need to steer this by choosing your suppliers wisely. It's not only about ecology but also about geopolitics nowadays. I must say that DNS Belgium is one of the few suppliers with a very active sustainability policy that communicates extensively about it.’

Do you use the SDG framework to frame your actions? 

Dominique: ‘The SDGs are helpful as a framework and for grouping initiatives under a particular heading. Beyond that, we don't really do anything with it. I would like to explicitly compliment DNS Belgium here. The way you consistently mention the relevant SDGs beneath your communications can be a source of inspiration for entrepreneurs and organisations.’

What are your personal motivations for engaging in Corporate Social Responsibility?

Dominique: ‘I'm a country person. Perhaps that has something to do with my concern for the environment. But above all, it's important that, as a person or an organisation, you stand by your words and actions, while remaining true to yourself. You should not tie yourself in knots to meet other people’s expectations. Do what feels right and that will naturally translate into meaningful actions and solutions.’

CSR is also about diversity. The shortage of women in IT remains a problem.

Dominique: ‘Yes, that's right. IT remains a male-dominated field and that's a real shame. If someone’s good at their job, it doesn't matter whether they're a man or a woman. When choosing between two candidates, you should decide based on the skills and experience that add value to your company. You should not be guided by gender or quotas. On the other hand, greater diversity brings added value to the workplace which means we need more women. But if fewer women choose to study IT, there will naturally be fewer women in the sector and fewer to recruit. So ladies, please consider studying and working in IT.’

What is your advice for organisations that want to invest in sustainable and corporate social responsibility?

Dominique: ‘Don't be too ambitious at the start. Corporate sustainability can be implemented in many ways. And use your common sense, think logically, consider your options and make smart choices. Many things are logical if you want the best for your company and your people. And don't be discouraged by what large organisations are doing.’

‘I would also love to plant half a forest, but I have to be realistic. Kinamo simply doesn’t have the resources to do that. You need to view initiatives from your own perspective and take economic reality into account. I can imagine that multinationals running major initiatives only spend one or two per cent of their turnover on these initiatives. Smaller organisations may be doing the same proportionally, even if the absolute figures are less impressive but that doesn't make their efforts any less valuable. You can achieve a great deal without it costing a fortune.’