We are pleased to confirm the appointment of Sandy Van Den Broeck as ESA’s new Environmental & Social Governance Director from April 1, 2024. Sandy Van Den Broeck has a wealth of experience in the Sealing Industry and has chaired the Packings and Flange Gaskets Division for the ESA in the past. He has also been actively involved in many of ESA’s technical programmes.

Sandy Van Den Broeck

The purpose of the role is to expand on the previous Standards and Legislation position with the aim of recognising that a central focus of the ESA is environmental action and social responsibility. We are collectively focused on reducing emissions into the atmosphere through product development. Whilst this is the backbone of the divisional work, we want to add a new dimension that recognises the effects of our manufacturing activities and helps ESA members make changes in their operations to reduce their impact on the environment.

Monitoring standards and legislation issues across the five product divisions is also a requirement of the position. It will be balanced with developing an environmentally sustainable improvement programme for the members of the ESA. A starting point will be to generate a reference point with a handful of ESA members and establish a working team that can identify areas for improvement. First efforts that focus on the reduction of plastic usage and the introduction of a carbon footprint tool have been made. Understanding the current diversity of carbon footprint software and methods will present some difficulties as it is an emerging field. In 2024, we have a specific strategic target to understand our carbon footprint and offset it by partnering with an organisation that can assist us.

Executive Team and Divisional Positions

All of our volunteer positions are rotated every 3 years within the Executive Committee and the Divisions. May 2024 sees Ozan Devlan stepping down from the Executive Team after serving 6 years and we are looking for a replacement. We’d like to thank Ozan for actively contributing to the development of the ESA and If you can help steer the ESA then please use the link below to make an application.

The ESA needs your involvement and contribution to evolve. There is information on all roles but if you would like more details on each position, please contact Mark Neal. None of the roles are taxing and are designed to run alongside your normal job. Taking up a position also reduces your membership fees by €500 each year. The application forms are available here and are confidential to the Exec team only.