Corporate Social Responsibility In 2020
CSR for all Corporate Social Responsibility is shared by the entire supply chain. If you’re not convinced of the importance of CSR yet, you will be by the end of this presentation. You will also be convinced that Giving Europe is the safe partner for you.
CSR applies to everyone: • • • •
Manufacturer Importer Distributor End user
Product Compliance Key terms Corporate Social Responsibility
1. Product compliance What the IMPRESSION does to guarantee product safety
In 2020
3. Amfori 2. ISO26000 Giving Europe’s self-declaration to honour international CSR norms.
Our participation in auditing and improving factory conditions.
Product compliance
Our commitment to providing the promotional products industry with safe giveaways.
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The IMPRESSION brand has been a frontrunner in product safety since its launch. We test our giveaways thoroughly so you, your customer and the end user have nothing to worry about.
Certificates An independent institute tests most colour configurations of every single product. Only when the product passes all testing is it included in the IMPRESSION assortment.
“We are fully transparent on product compliance. The certificates for every product are available for download on impression-catalogue.com.�
Protected by the shield You can count on the IMPRESSION brand to provide and protect promotional impact. Poor quality and safety hazards undermine the effectiveness of a giveaway. To ensure your clients – and you by extension – are shielded from negative publicity, the entire assortment complies with REACH regulations (products are free from SVHC).
Specific product groups are put under extra scrutiny: •
Medical accessories comply with the new MDR (Medical Device Regulation)
Safe for your health
Specific product groups are put under extra scrutiny: •
All drinkware, lunchboxes, and kitchen accessories are food safe (free from BPA, formaldehyde, and heavy metals)
Safe for your food and drinks
Specific product groups are put under extra scrutiny: •
Toys pass testing on mechanical and physical features (EN 71-1), fire safety (EN 71-2) and chemical composition (EN 71-3)
Safe for your children
Specific product groups are put under extra scrutiny: •
Cosmetics meet health and safety guidelines in the CPSR (Cosmetic Product Safety Report)
Safe for your skin
Specific product groups are put under extra scrutiny: •
Electronics comply with RoHS directive (Restriction of Hazardous Substances), EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility), RED (Radio Equipment Directive), and LVD (Low Voltage Directive)
Safe for your ears
How do we safeguard product compliance? 1.
Self-regulation:
At Giving Europe, we have an internal department devoted to ensuring the products meet safety guidelines. They are in contact with the manufacturers and keep the certification updated, for you and for your customers.
How do we safeguard product compliance? 2.
NVWA:
Our stock is regularly checked by the Dutch food and consumer product safety authority (NVWA). After a longstanding positive relationship between Giving Europe and the NVWA they entrust us to conduct most checks ourselves. They trust we take our responsibility seriously on behalf of the entire supply chain.
How do we safeguard product compliance? 3. RAPEX: The RAPEX alert system keeps track of non-food items that expose consumers to possible ricks or dangers. The notification system includes all information on the product in question.
How do we safeguard product compliance? 4. RASFF: The RASFF alert system reports on food items and FCM (Food Contact Materials). This system provides a similar, detailed report on products that fail to meet safety guidelines.
“Both external alert systems make product compliance and the violation thereof transparent. The reports are available to everyone.�
The benefits of product compliance for you: Product compliance is increasingly important to your business. In Europe products are required to be certified, but not every supplier has the certification in order. • • • •
Use it as a unique selling point Protect your image Protect your customers against negative publicity Sell more, as increasing awareness among end users drives up the demand for safe products
How Giving Europe helps you: •
We save you time. We handle testing and certification. The average time to finalize a test report is over 8 hours.
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We save you money. Test charges can be as high as $3.500 per item and you don’t have to pay for it.
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We save you stress. We ensure the certification is always correct, complete, and up-to-date.
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We label our products as FL B.V. These labels are mandatory in the EU, but ny not using our company name, your customers will not recognize us.
ISO26000 A voluntary, international standard for social responsibility.
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“The ISO26000 is an international recognized and standardised self-declaration for companies. The complete declaration is available on givingeurope.com. It states our commitment to social compliance: doing business in a fair and right way. There are 6 key points that guide our business approach.�
Human rights Low purchase prices forces manufacturers to play fast and loose with human rights, resulting in poor conditions on the factory floor, especially in the Far East. Giving Europe honours human rights through factory audits (more on this later). Factories must pass inspection to protect the safety and wellbeing of the employees. Giving Europe will also refrain from submitting an offer when a potential buyer demands prices that are too low.
“We will always give you the best price possible, while protecting you from business relations with immoral and exploitative manufacturers and the kind of negative attention that you’d otherwise be exposed to.”
Labour rights At Giving Europe, the primary concern is that all its employees can go to work healthy and motivated. We want our employees to get the best out of themselves. All health and safety regulations are met across the offices, printing facilities, and the warehouse. We consider the long-term health and productivity of our employees, by introducing standing desks, for example.
“Our philosophy is that a motivated workforce leads to better productivity and quality and this benefits your company. Our employees are happy to go the extra mile for you.�
Environment Environmental issues are of increasing importance. Public awareness demands that companies become more sustainable. At Giving Europe we want to think ahead. In preparation of growing demand, we are expanding the assortment to include more sustainable products. We will rate these products on a scale to measure their eco-friendliness. We are transparent to you, so you can best inform your customers. We can to prevent environmental pollution, through smart solutions such as: • • • • • • • •
Adding to our selection of eco friendly products Bio-degradable packaging materials Less use of polybags Less use of large cardboard boxes Cars with A or B energy labels for our sales representatives Office lights switch off automatically Using DHL services that reduce pollution during transportation Printing the catalogue on PEFC paper
Fair business practices Giving Europe has transparent agreements with the suppliers on one side and the buyers on the other side. When doing business, we must be able to explain our business practices and maintain our integrity. • Bio-degradable packaging materials • Employees do not accept kickbacks (or gifts that can be mistaken as such) • We do not let suppliers become completely dependent on our orders
“You can trust us not just as your safe partner, but also as your fair partner in the promotional products industry.�
Customer relations Giving Europe has no direct contact with the end user, but we take our responsibility in ensuring the best customers relations throughout the supply chain. Giving Europe – Distributor – Advertiser – End user We do this by: • Supplying safe and certified products that will not cause issues down the line. • Providing clear, complete and factual product information. • Having a generous recall policy if problems ever do occur. • Treating data on our distributors with strict confidentiality • and not sharing data with any third parties. • Performing frequent market studies to inform how we can fulfil the needs of our partners.
Social engagement Giving Europe is committed to making its impact on the communities in which we are located positive. •
Our headquarters, warehouse, and one of our printing facilities are located in Tiel, the Netherlands. We are stationed in an industrial area, away from residential areas so as to not impact the living environment.
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We offer internships to students to provide opportunities for getting involved in the employment market and offer employment to interns in case of vacancies. .
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We adapt physical workplaces to accommodate differently abled employees. The ‘Special People’ project in Tiel has created 8 jobs for people who are disadvantaged in the labour market.
Social engagement Giving Europe is committed to making its impact on the communities in which we are located positive. •
Each year we spend an average of €10.000 tot €15.000 on sponsorships and charities.
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We donate unsold promotional products to relevant parties and offer them for a low (symbolic) fee to non-profit organizations.
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We act as anonymous donor, since charitable actions are not used as promotional opportunities.
Amfori A network of companies working together to improve factory conditions.
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Amfori Amfori is the new name for BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative) which you are likely familiar with. It is an international network of organisations. 1.800 Members in 30 countries. This network focuses on improving labour conditions in the producing countries and sharing the information on the factories transparently. Amfori’s main responsibility is performing factory audits, a task that is shared by all members.
Amfori Manufacturing companies are analysed by the Amfori network according to the points in the Code of Conduct:
Every month 4 factories are audited and the reports are shared with the entire network. The regular audits incentivise manufacturers to respect human and labour rights, in order to continue doing business with the 1.800 Amfori members.
Giving Europe has been a member of Amfori since 2015, as one of the first companies in the promotional products industry to join the network and commit to social compliance. This makes us a frontrunner in social compliance, just as we are a frontrunner in product compliance with our IMPRESSION brand.
Are you convinced? Are you convinced that social and product compliance is important to your business and that Giving Europe is the right partner for you? Ask us anything.