Some of the activities that we are doing to be GDPR compliant are the following:
Sustainability
Our environmental, social and governance responsibilities
Acting responsibly and sustainably is deeply rooted in Collectia's DNA - we owe it to our customers, debtors, our employees, partners and our planet.
Focus areas
Collectia is committed to conducting its business in a way that not only promotes financial growth, but also contributes positively to society and the environment. Our ESG strategy includes four main areas that guide our actions and decisions:
Investing in our people
Our people are our strongest asset, which is why we want to ensure the best conditions for professional and personal growth through training and career development for the benefit of our customers and debtors. There is also a strong focus on the working environment, including work-life balance.
Creating a Greener Community
We want to be the greenest digital debt collection company. We will do this by leading the climate fight with sustainable projects, reducing our CO2 emissions and promoting a green mindset among our stakeholders. Therefore, we have launched the project 'A Greener Collectia' to help us realize our green dreams.
Treat customers and debtors fairly
Through employee coaching, we ensure that we treat our customers fairly. In addition, we strive to have a responsible customer portfolio, which means we only work with customers who are fair and do not charge high interest rates and unreasonable fees. We have an open approach and actively seek to help debtors get out of debt in the most efficient way possible.
Ensures GDPR compliance and security
Collectia's goal is to ensure that GDPR controls and processes are consistent across the group. As GDPR is a major concern - especially in our industry - we believe it is of great importance that we continue to improve and update our GDPR system. It is our duty to comply with the legislation and its principles on data processing. This applies to all internal policies and procedures, but also to ensure that all customers have full confidence in us.
Our approach
Collectia contributes to good payment habits and sound financial conditions in business. Our values are particularly important when we are in contact with our customers who have outstanding claims with their customers. Our vision, values, customer promises and ethical principles are the basic platform for our business and handling of our customers.
Customer promises
Our customer promises are formulated on the basis of our striving to achieve satisfied and long-term relationships with our customers by providing the best industry solutions and customer service on the market. We must deliver the highest solution rate on the market, be the best in service and follow-up, and have a high level of customer satisfaction.
Our promise is only possible because of our IT approach to the debt collection industry, where we are at the forefront with the most advanced and latest technologies, combined with the valuable efforts of our many dedicated and skilled debt counselors who meet our customers' debtors at eye level.
Our role
Collectia contributes to good payment habits and sound financial conditions in business. Our values are particularly important when we are in contact with our customers who have outstanding claims with their customers. Our vision, values, customer promises and ethical principles are the basic platform for our business and handling of our customers.
Ethics
Ethics and adherence to our values underpin our entire company and shape our attitudes, our behavior and our communication. Our fundamental principles of ethics are openness, integrity, confidentiality and professionalism at all levels.
We aim to be consistent and open in all communication and collaboration with our customers, debtors, business partners, media and authorities - and everyone else affected by our business. We must be predictive and accurate in all contexts and act in line with our strict privacy and confidentiality guidelines. There should never be any doubt about our integrity and ethics, internally or externally.
Good debt collection practices
Good debt collection practices form the framework for the way we do business. We always put the customer first and look at each debt collection case individually. We understand that a late or non-payment may be due to payment problems that can suddenly arise in different phases of life. Here it is our job to meet the customer at eye level and enter into a constructive dialog to find a solution that benefits both parties. At the same time, we must ensure that the process is flexible, easy and transparent.
A Greener Community
At Collectia, it is embedded in our culture to act responsibly towards our customers, our customers' customers, our employees, the environment and society in general. From 2016, we have undergone an ambitious expansion journey that has included several acquisitions abroad as well as significant growth in the Danish market. Alongside this journey and the underlying expansion strategy, we have launched the 'A Greener Collectia' initiative. This initiative aims to ensure that Collectia achieves its goals in an environmentally responsible manner. We see this as both a morally and commercially valuable initiative.
Our contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals
On a daily basis, we work actively with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with a particular focus on ensuring access to sustainable and modern energy supply (no. 7), supporting sustainable initiatives in local communities (no. 11) and combating climate change (no. 13).
Project Net Zero: Sustainable energy sources in Lebanon
Collectia is proud to be the main sponsor of Xplora's 'Net Zero in 12 months' project in Bchaaleh, Lebanon. We are helping the local community to improve living conditions by establishing sustainable energy sources in a country deeply affected by the current energy crisis and the weakened national economy.
Go to the article to read more about how Xplora and Collectia are already making a difference in Lebanon in partnership with United Cities.
Read the article: Let's change the world together
The green workplace
Our employees work every day to make a difference for our climate. Even though we have different job functions in Collectia, we all share the common goal of making Collectia greener - every day! We do this by following initiatives, among other things:
Reduce paper consumption
We are actively working to minimize our paper consumption, which has traditionally been high in the debt collection industry where letters have been the preferred method of communication. By integrating digital solutions such as e-Boks and electronic signatures, we reduce the need for physical copies and printing.
Climate neutral power
At Collectia, we have invested in sustainable energy sources in the form of solar panels at our head office in Brøndby. The solar energy ensures power for all our buildings and means that we annually emit 12.8 tons less CO2.
Digital mailbox
Our employees are our most important asset, so they must also have a say in our sustainable journey. We have made this possible by having a digital mailbox where everyone has the opportunity to provide input on green initiatives. Our mission is that everyone should experience that we work in a progressive organization with rooted green values, and that everyone's work actively contributes to our goal of a greener Collectia.
Lighting
At Collectia, we take responsibility and support the Danish Energy Agency's call to reduce energy consumption. We do this, among other things, by having LED lights and light sensors in the premises at our head office. We not only encourage our employees to reduce energy consumption at work, but also at home. We do this through internal awareness-raising campaigns with good advice posted around the house in Brøndby.
After installing light sensors across the entire site in Brøndby, we have managed to save 18,004 kWh. This corresponds to a 27% saving in just 5 months compared to the same period last year. A remarkable saving equivalent to being able to supply a typical Danish home with energy for approx. 3.5 years based on an annual electricity consumption of 5,200 kWh.
Electric car charging stations
We make it easy for our employees and guests to be environmentally friendly. That's why we have set up charging stations for electric cars in the head office parking lot - it's good energy! In this way, we promote the transition from conventional cars to electric cars, which contribute to lower CO2 emissions.
Utilization of waste and food waste
In all departments, modular waste systems have been established to ensure that all employees sort waste. In this way, we contribute to the circular economy, where waste is seen as a resource that can be fully utilized. Together, we can help improve the environment for the benefit of future generations.
We have taken several initiatives in our canteen to reduce food waste and promote sustainability. One of our special initiatives is our "Leftover Friday", where we eat the leftovers from the week's meals. In addition, we continuously make sure to recycle leftovers by turning them into new and tasty meals. Another effort is our weekly meat-free day, where we primarily use leftovers to create delicious vegetarian dishes. If there are days when there is excess food, we encourage our employees to take the leftovers home. This way, we ensure that no food goes to waste.
GDPR compliance
In an industry like ours, we work with large amounts of personal data. It is our duty to comply with the law and its principles on data processing. This applies to all internal policies and procedures, but also to ensure that all customers have full confidence in our high standards of compliance.
ISAE 3000 audit opinion
Staff training and continuous awareness
List of processing operations referred to in Article 30
Policies and procedures
Risk assessments and DPIA
Dedicated internal resources
Voluntarily appointed DPO
Access management and rights
Employee instructions and professional secrecy
Supervision of data processors
Deletion and retention policies
Logging of any incidents
Compliance with the rights of the data subject
Scanning of unstructured data
Self-audit and ongoing maintenance of the entire GDPR setup