At Fortis, sustainable development means taking environmental responsibility. In this context, we have drawn up a group-wide Environmental Statement. We recognise the direct environmental impact Fortis has through its energy consumption, waste disposal, transportation and procurement. At the same time, we recognise the indirect environmental impact we have through our lending and investment activities. For that reason, the Statement sets out our environmental commitments with regard to internal operations and business activities. It acts as a framework for our priorities and goals for the period 2006–2009.