Sustainability report 2019

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Our core business, including coastal defense and riverbank protection activities, enable us to provide innovative solutions to help the world adapt to climate change. COMBATING THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Strategy and ambition SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2019 – BOSKALIS Drawing on 100 years of expert knowledge of dike closures and the construction and reinforcement of sea dikes in the Netherlands, Boskalis has been working with the Housing & Development Board of Singapore to construct the country’s first polder, which will reclaim an area of land from the sea. The project is taking place at the northwestern tip of Pulau Tekong, and is an innovative means for Singapore to gain more space, adding approximately 810 hectares. It is also a unique chance for Singapore to develop new capabilities to facilitate adaptation of its low-lying coastal areas against the impacts of climate change. Much of our work is located on the frontiers of climate change. We support communities needing to adapt to and mitigate the impact of more extreme weather patterns, rising water levels and other environmental factors that are creating increased demand for flood protection and land reclamation. Since its inception in 1910, Boskalis’ raison d’être has been to provide creative and innovative solutions to infrastructural challenges in the maritime, coastal and delta regions of the world. Looking to the future, our purpose to create and protect land seems more relevant than ever. We use the insight we gain from this understanding, and our experience of working around the globe, to offer more comprehensive solutions to clients. This includes mitigating against the impacts of more extreme weather, rising water levels, flooding and erosion.

Boskalis’ expert insight enables us to evolve techniques and methods to meet the changing needs of our clients and the environment in which they are operating. In 2019, Boskalis began work on Tuas Terminal Finger Pier 3, part of Singapore’s Tuas Port project. We applied our technical knowledge to develop a new method of land reclamation utilizing locally sourced materials in the creation of the new land. This delivered efficiency savings to the client, while significantly reducing the negative impact such a project often entails. It limited the transportation distance of the materials and minimized disruption to local ecosystems. coastal erosion. Through our leading role in the EcoShape consortium we have built significant experience in developing nature based flood defenses that benefit the environment and society. An example of this work comes from the creation of new oyster reefs in The Scheldt estuary in the Netherlands. They will protect against wave erosion and create new habitat for migratory birds and fish. This is a result of reducing erosion of the landscape around the reefs. This is one of many Building with Nature projects that have been successfully used to develop nature-based flood defenses and restore coastal ecosystems since 2011. Boskalis is increasingly called upon to provide innovative and sustainable solutions for climate change related sea level rise and