IMS Mission Statement

As a modern and efficient waterway operator, viadonau has defined the following binding principles for its integrated management system:  

• The Corporate Strategy 2020 establishes "the development of an environmental management system and the protection of workers in accordance with European standards. It also assures the sustainable development of the company". The corporate values "responsibility for people and the environment" are of paramount importance to the company as well as the continuous improvement of the integrated management system.
• With the implementation of legal provisions for the environment and health and safety that are over and above the statutory minimum as well as other binding obligations, viadonau is also making a significant contribution to improving the situation for both the environment and workers in Austria and along the Danube.
• As a leading international waterway operators in the Danube region, we work together with national and international partners, taking an integrative approach by studying the sustainable development of the living and economic environment along the Danube whilst, at the same time, promoting navigational development.
• We play a decisive role in the renaturalisation of river ecosystems on the Danube, March and Thaya in accordance with the European Water Framework Directive relating to the conservation and sustainable improvement of the ecological condition of the water.    
• We are intensively committed to promoting greater use of the Danube waterway for the transportation of goods and are thus contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gases and the sustainable management of ever increasing traffic volumes.
• It is our goal to continuous improve our environmental performance as well as health and safety conditions. We promote the use of environmentally friendly technologies and are committed to the separate collection of waste materials in all of our activities and projects. We are also increasingly focusing our attention on renewable energy sources and renewable raw materials. The ongoing modernisation and maintenance of our vehicles and vessels to the highest environmental criteria enables us to keep air and noise emissions as low as possible. Environmental protection and reduction of pollutions is a matter of importance.
• We work together with all employees to implement measures to improve health and wellbeing in the workplace, to strengthen health potential and prevent injury and risk of disease. It is important for us that our employees are involved as much as possible, both in the integrated management system and the communication of our activities to external parties.
• We place considerable emphasis on health, safety and environmental matters in all operational processes, especially with regard to waterway maintenance, the improvement of flood protection and the conservation of the accompanying network pathways and roads. This includes action taken in the event of an accident, as well as the detection of any deviations from laid down procedures and the initiation of corrective action.  
• We take steps to ensure the procurement of sustainable goods and services as well as the awarding of contracts, taking into account ecological, economic and social criteria. We also expect our suppliers to conduct their business in a safe and environmentally responsible fashion.