Essent

Essent is the largest energy company in the Netherlands and also has operations in Germany and Belgium. 2.6 million private and business customers purchase gas, electricity, heat and energy services from the company. Essent is the Netherlands’ leading producer of sustainable energy. For Essent, corporate social responsibility is a natural feature of the way it does business. Its definition of corporate social responsibility is “An approach to conducting business in which the company, when weighing up its interests, takes its positive and negative effects on society in general and on its stakeholders in particular into account, in order to make carefully considered decisions that contribute to the resolution of societal issues.” Essent can and will help resolve current and future societal issues or prevent them from occurring. In this respect, it also donates redundant hardware to Close the Gap. Through Close the Gap, over 4000 Essent computers extended their lifespan during 2009.

Apart from the computer donation in 2009, an internal Young Essent CSR Programme also supported ICT4 Education programmes in six Ugandan schools with financial, material and project management support through Close the Gap’s partner Computers for Schools Uganda.