CSR and Corporate Governance

Enterprises Shipping and Trading S.A. believes that promoting business ethics, CSR and Corporate Governance apart from being the ethical thing to do, it also makes good business sense. EST SA strongly demonstrates its CSR the last decade and partners, customers and employees have been supporting EST’s actions.

 The benefits that derive from EST’s CSR are:

  • Spreading of company’s good reputation
  • Develop an even better name in the Market place as an employer
  • The increase of employees’ loyalty
  • The increase of all stakeholders’ value
  • The reduction of risks involving criminal acts

Enterprises Shipping and Trading S.A. has established a Code of Ethics which has been created to contribute to company’s sustainable development. EST’s Code of Ethics entails:

  • Concern for natural environment
  • Concern for society
  • Concern for employees
  • Concern for Customers
  • Concern for business ethics
  • Concern for wide community

Matters of good corporate governance are at the forefront of the minds of company’s Board of Directors and the Management.

  • Integrity and Ethics

Ethical principle: We behave in a trustworthy manner.
We are consciously aware of the company’s mission, vision, values and ethical principles. These principles serve to guide our behaviour, decisions and interactions with all our stakeholders prioritizing in doing the right thing, even when faced with challenging situations.

  • Accountability and Transparency

Ethical principle: We ensure that our commitments to our stakeholders are met.
We hold ourselves responsible for our actions and remain accountable to all our stakeholders. Transparency, honesty and courtesy are expected in all our business transactions with a commitment to deliver quality services, while remaining fully accountable for our decisions and their impact on our stakeholders.

  • Continuous Improvement, Innovation and Adaptability

Ethical principle: We are devoted to innovation and continuous improvement.

We are dedicated to innovation and continuous improvement to achieve excellence. We continuously seek innovative solutions through technological advancements and alternative approaches to apply them in all aspects of our business transactions. Our adaptability to change derives from our ability to effectively identify risks, manage challenges and opportunities and from our determination to succeed.

  • Sustainability and Social Responsibility

Ethical principle: We strive for sustainable practices that will benefit not only the company but also our planet and our future.
We are committed to sustainability and social responsibility, seeking ways to minimize our environmental footprint resulting from our business operations, while also making positive contributions to society taking into consideration both environmental and social concerns.

  • Customer Focus and Excellence

Ethical principle: Commitment to customers’ needs and expectation.
We are committed to meeting contractual obligations, providing information, services, and resources consistently, and resolving issues responsibly in alignment with the company’s values and ethical principles. Our commitment to excellence extends to our customers. We are dedicated to understand and respond to their changing needs striving to ensure that their expectations will be met well before they even address them.

  • Respect for People, Diversity and Inclusion

Ethical principle: We treat each person in a respectful manner, mindful of individual or cultural differences.
We value and respect each individual, treating everyone with dignity and equality. This value promotes a culture of inclusion in all our interactions, and recognizes the contribution diversity brings when everyone is encouraged to openly express their opinion on matters of concern.

  • Sharing Knowledge and Information

Ethical principle: We understand the importance of good communication and collaboration.
We recognize the vital role effective communication plays in our success. Therefore, we actively share knowledge and information with our stakeholders, encouraging collaboration and drive improvement across all company activities and within the shipping industry.

  • Employees Development

Ethical principle: We develop and enhance our professional expertise.
We support employees’ growth and development by giving them chances to learn and improve, providing also training to enhance their knowledge and skills within an environment that promotes fairness and equal opportunities for career developments.

  • Compliance

Ethical principle: We adhere to laws, rules and regulations, ethical principals and moral standards.
Leaders reinforce our commitment to carrying out our job in an ethical manner making sure that decisions and actions taken are morally sound, even when not specifically required by law or regulation. To this extend, we ensure to be kept informed about new laws and regulations and other requirements that may influence our work, taking the necessary steps to adapt existing procedures to meet new requirements.

In this respect, the Social Improvement Initiative Team after investigation, arranged for the set up of an account in a blood bank on behalf of EST employees and members of their families. A medical team from the “Sotiria” hospital visits our premises every 6 months (March / September), modifies a conference room into a medical center and all employees who are willing and capable may follow the blood donation procedure, after they have been examined by the medical team to confirm their ability to donate blood.  The Company’s Leaders encourage and support the blood donations assignments by personally becoming involved in the process and thus acting as role models urging the office personnel to actively participate.

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It is of outmost importance for EST S.A. to acquire and maintain collaboration with educational institutions and in this respect has always provided assistance to Professors and students by completing various questionnaires for research purposes or offering various information about the organization, as appropriate. As such, the Company has developed an ongoing and strengthening partnership with the University of Piraeus during the last years. The joint activities include:

  • Lectures are conducted at the University of Piraeus by the Company’s Managing Director.
  • Two in house Master Thesis projects, with 6 months duration have been offered to the University’s students within 2005 co-supervised by University Staff and EST S.A.
  • One day long visits to the Company’s Head Quarters by groups of students are carried out, in the context of which EST S.A. Management Team and personnel; provide an insight to the students on Values, Mission & Vision, Policy & Strategy, Processes, QSEMS, Key Performance Indicators.
  • Full time employment has been offered to the University’s graduates that had completed their Master Thesis at EST S.A.
  • Part time employment is being offered to some University’s students during the summer-time in order to allow them to complete their practical training and obtain valuable experience in the field of shipping.

Meetings are carried out between the Management and University’s Professors to explore new avenues of co-operation, to foster Excellence and to enhance the students’ and the professional society’s efforts towards a culture and a practice of Excellence.

The Management decided at the end of the year 2004 to include Social Services in company’s “official” activities, actively involving the office employees to express their sensitivity through their working environment. Following the 2nd self-assessment in 2004, it was decided that Company’s and employees’ societal involvement in various community welfare activities should be enhanced with a number of initiatives.  As a result, a Social Improvement Initiative Team was established, comprising of the Managing Director as the team leader and three office employees as team members. The team’s objective is to gather information about welfare institutions that are concerned with children’s care, elders’ care or general character institutions and make relevant presentations and proposals to the Management, so that the appropriate sums may be donated.

During 2005, the company has donated the amount of € 1,378,331.00, to various institutions.  The amount of 30,500 euro was contributed to various institutions concerned with children care, a donation of € 500.00 was made for the poor, while € 25,000.00 was donated to general character institutions including Docteurs Sans Frontiers.

One of the criteria by which a civilisation is judged is the degree of care it offers to its aged members.  Baring this criterion in mind, the Management Team of EST S.A. decided to take a leading part in the establishment of a site for elderly people meeting the highest standards of care and concurrently the most stringent of EEC standards.   The amount of € 1,322,331.00 was donated within 2005 for the completion of the “Resteion” elderly care centre, named after the late founder of EST S.A. Mr. Stamatis Restis.

Through out the years the Social Improvement Initiative Team is working with the same enthusiasm on matters related to social welfare