PF Concept Sustainability report 2017

SERIOUS 2017 REPOR T

about Sustainability

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Contents Who we are ..........................................2 Serious about sustainability ...........3 How we care ........................................4 Building trust .......................................6 Organizational excellence ..............8 Environmental performance ..........9 Product responsibility ....................10

Polyconcept North America Pittsburgh, US

PF Concept Roelofarendsveen, The Netherlands

PF Logo Express Poznan, Poland

Polyconcept Global Buying Services, Shanghai, China

WHO WE ARE PF Concept is proud to be able to call itself the leading promotional products supplier to the European market. Established in 1984 and with its headquarters in the Netherlands, PF Concept is part of the global Polyconcept Group and offers a uniquely comprehensive portfolio of promotional solutions.

With more than 10,000 items, including a wide range of promotional giveaways, corporate apparel and gifts of high perceived value, PF Concept offers the widest product mix in the industry, combined with a range of services that provide unique value to distribu-

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tors. Operating from 9 sales offices throughout Europe, our on-theground presence ensures the best possible customer service.

On top of that, PF Concept has a unique decoration and delivery service: PF Logo Express. Based in Poland, its facilities combine logistics and decoration, enabling us to offer centralisation of pan-European services. This means PF Concept is optimally set up to be the preferred one-stop-shopping solution for all types of businesses, whether they are smaller local companies or large-scale enterprises.

SERIOUS ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY Every day, people are showing a greater interest in taking good care of the world around them. As such, the expectations they have for their products have come to reach far beyond only the price and physical quality. Health, safety and the environment are all on consumers’ minds. And this does not apply to just the end product: the environmental impact and suitability of production conditions along the entire supply chain now play an important role. Primary concerns can range from waste reduction and resource exploitation to working conditions of employees all around the world. As such, the globally operating and fast-moving promotional goods industry is faced with increasing sustainability demands.

PF Concept is ready to rise to the challenge. For us, taking care of people and the environment is not

something we see as a problem; we see it as a responsibility. We share the values people hold about the world around them, and we are committed to taking sustainability seriously.

Ensuring social compliance and reducing environmental impact at all levels of the global supply chain are the big challenges of our time. If we are to generate positive change and truly make an impact, we will have to walk the walk together with our suppliers and distributors. That is why we are fully committed to living up to our social and product responsibilities in partnership with our business associates worldwide.

The unique PF Concept way of driving change towards sustainability is solidly based in a serious, long-term approach to compliance management. Over the past ten years, we have built up and contin-

Ralf Oster CEO PF Concept

uously improved the management systems and instruments capable of addressing challenges along the entire global supply chain.

Throughout all our operating divisions, top management is strongly committed to rigorous implementation of the principles of social and product responsibility, as well as partnership and innovation. It is part of PF Concept’s core values to be 100% sincere about all the products we sell and the way they are produced.

PF Concept’s goal is to build a sustainable vendor base. The way we intend to achieve this is deeply anchored in an effective management system and trustworthy working relationships. Continuous improvements are made through Vendor Panel Reviews, Vendor Scorecards and Corrective Action Plans. Our individual approach to quality engineering in partnership with our vendors is the key to long-term relationships and good development. We are convinced that improving working conditions, safeguarding product quality and building credibility along the supply chain can advance responsible businesses worldwide.

“We are continuously challenging our suppliers to live up to our demanding standards.

When walking through the factories, it makes me proud to see the positive change that is happening with my own eyes!“

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HOW WE CARE At PF Concept, we are strongly committed to compliance. In general, compliance means conforming to rules. These rules can range from national and international laws and regulations to local policies and specifications. But for us, compliance is not just about adhering to a set of rules: we see it as our license to market. And we are prepared to go the extra mile.

Our management strongly believes in corporate citizenship. Corporate citizenship involves the extent to which businesses meet their social, legal, ethical and economic responsibilities, with the goal of creating higher standards of living

and quality of life for their employees, partners and customers. The demand for socially responsible corporations continues to grow, and we also believe sustainability should be a guiding principle when it comes to pursuing good corporate governance.

Larry Whitney Director Global Compliance at Polyconcept Group

“We require all products that we sell to be manufactured in a responsible manner, and to meet the applicable national regulatory requirements in the markets where they are intended to be sold.

Everything that we do is centred on this basic philosophy!”

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Effective compliance management is at the very heart of our company’s operations, and reaches far beyond mitigating liability risks.

PF Concept serves as a gatekeeper for responsible products and suppliers, and our commitments to anti-corruption, integrity, transparent supply chains and fair working conditions are at the heart of driving a real change towards sustainable development worldwide. The CEO himself is regularly involved in factory visits to stay up-to-date on progress and challenges, and all of PF Concept’s staff are deeply committed to our Code of Ethics.

A monthly tracker informs senior management of compliance issues, and group-wide quarterly vendor panel reviews form the basis of increasingly strict implementation of our principles.

As part of the global Polyconcept Group, we have uniquely extensive options at our disposal to ensure compliance. For more than ten years now, the Polyconcept Group has employed a special team of dedicated compliance professionals, consisting of over twenty people worldwide. Working together from our offices in the Netherlands, North America and China, they operate a robust supply chain organisation stretching across Europe, North America, Asia and Africa.

This team has been the backbone of our global activities in product development and sourcing, and they form a vital part of the Polyconcept Group’s compliance organisation.

Given the size of PF Concept’s global operations, we take significant steps to make sure we stay one step ahead of product and vendor compliance issues: • All our vendors are required to abide by a Code of Conduct based on the UN Global Compact.

• Our in-house audit team inspects the factories that we use regularly, checking for social accountability, workplace safety, quality control systems, environmental practices and supply chain security practices.

• All our products are reviewed

for safety and compliance requirements.

• Compliance staff work hand in hand with our quality assurance team, identifying items for screening and testing, in order to ensure that goods and the factories producing them meet our requirements and improve continuously.

• The compliance team also monitors for any changes in applicable regulations, informing the management, product development and sourcing teams when specifications need to be changed to meet regulatory changes.

CEO Outlook PF Concept continuously invests in improvements to process quality and supply chain control.

Up till now, our habit has been to under-promise in terms of outside communication, and over-deliver in professionalisation of our efforts.

Together with our business partners, we’ve been walking the walk quietly for many years, but now, we are ready to submit our approach to external scrutiny. The time has come for us to talk about our achievements and ambitions!

At PF Concept, we are convinced we have created a strong base for provoking sustainability changes along the supply chain. We are technical people, committed to doing things right.

As of 2017, PF Concept is getting prepared to participate in the Free Trade Association platform to push forward on practical solutions towards sustainability in the global supply chain. This year we will become a member of the Business Social Compliance Initiative

(BSCI), in order to show our deep commitment to human rights and international labour standards, and actively support the Business Environmental Performance Initiative (BEPI).

We are proud of the trust the authorities have placed in our rigorous compliance model, and we feel energised by the positive changes we observe.

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BUILDING TRUST

We believe that building trust starts with having a strong value system. Responsible management and rigorous governance are essential to achieving corporate sustainability. That is why at PF Concept we make sure we enact the same values and principles wherever we have a presence.

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Vendor compliance is driven through a set of tried and tested tools and procedures such as audits, specialised vendor panel reviews and scorecards. Our vendors agree to abide by a Code of Conduct that is based on the UN Global Compact principles in the areas of human rights, labour,

At the core of the system is the Vendor Scorecard. It lists all elements of social and product compliance, as well as other metrics. A scoring system leads to colour coding of vendors, categorising them into green, yellow, orange, red and black.

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Green, Yellow, Orange, Red and Black are colour codes assigned to scores in our factory audits. The codes represent factories that are scored ‘excellent’ to those where we have discovered zero tolerance issues.

Our top 150 vendors, representing 80% of our spend, are audited annually. Corrective Action Plans (CAP) are established when issues are

environment and anti-corruption.

The code includes a strict zero-tolerance policy towards child-labour and forced labour. Adherence to the Code of Conduct is regularly verified by an in-house audit team using our factory audit template: a comprehensive system of checklists based on information received from audits conducted on our facilities by a number of organisations.

Some of the most famous global brands were influencers for the Social Accountability and Workplace Safety components. A large influencer was the Quality Certification Alliance, an accreditation body in the US whose audits look at Social Accountability, Workplace Safety, Quality, Supply Chain Security and Environmental issues.

Quarterly Vendor Panel Reviews cover the top 150 vendors of hard goods and apparel, and involve representatives from top management and all business units.

This thorough procedure builds upon a risk-mitigating approach and shows that PF Concept is serious about compliance and continuous improvement in partnership with its vendors. The understanding of partnership is based on a quality engineering approach rather than on quality control. By incorporating this ex-

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found. Zero Tolerance issues must be resolved immediately, or factories face expulsion from our supply chain.

All factories receive coaching on how to implement their CAP by our Quality Assurance team.

It is our intent to develop lasting relationships with the good factories, and they in turn value our assistance in helping them to improve.

tensive compliance system into our strategies, policies and procedures, PF Concept offers a principled approach to doing business, as well as setting the stage for long-term success. Our certification as an Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) proves the authorities’ trust in the robust system, demonstrated through voluntary compliance with a wide range of criteria to guarantee supply chain security. AEO certification is required to import based on simplified customs, security and safety procedures.

Michelle Armstrong Director Product Development & Compliance at Global Buying Services

“By working closely with our suppliers, we have been able to improve their social compliance standards to the point that our Top 100 vendors (which represent 80% of our overall business) rank at an orange level or higher, meaning there are no high-risk non-conformities on site. We continue to work with those vendors for ongoing improvements, and have now extended our focus to reach the next 50 vendors.”

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ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE PF Concept has centralised its pan-European logistics and customising service within one of the most professional production facilities in the promotional market: PF Logo Express. Located near Poznan, Poland, it bundles decoration, fulfilment and warehousing under one roof. Since the factory’s expansion in 2014, the modern plant offers a wide range of innovative individualising technologies, and has logistical top performances with express production and delivery times all over Europe. Efficient turnaround and professional services are at the heart of PF Logo Express’ full service proposition to the customer.

The state-of-the-art operational excellence of PF Logo Express has proven to be instrumental in maintaining the company’s sustainable strategies. Not an easy feat, considering the sheer size of the factory.

“42,000 square metres - and we always know exactly where each product is located in which process”, says Marek Flaszak, the Factory Director. With more than

1,500 orders processed daily, accuracy is of crucial importance.

An intricate software system is at the heart of the operations, making sure everything ends up where it has to be, and providing efficiency gains throughout the process.

The same as PF Concept has come to expect from its vendors, all the company’s own warehousing and customising operations are based on a Code of Conduct and adhere to strict guidelines. “Both the workflow and the quality of the products decoration are monitored constantly and strictly”. Rigorous

Marek Flaszak Factory Director at PF Logo Express

“The certified and sustainable business model means full compliance with local and EU regulations related to decoration and labour code, as well as continuous improvement of production processes towards fulfilling our customers’ expectations and minimising negative impact on the environment.“

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inbound and outbound quality controls have made sure that claims on product satisfaction remain well below 1%. On top of this, PF Logo Express works hand in hand with its logistics partners to provide the best delivery services.

No less than 99.6% of all orders are delivered punctually to their final destinations.

Equally as important as the company’s product responsibilities, are the social responsibilities towards its staff. As labour demand fluctuates constantly, there are times in peak seasons when employment almost doubles. “Recruitment can be challenging”, admits Marek Flaszak, “but we work hard on our social policies by offering good working conditions and open communications. This way we manage to continuously attract suitable staff to fulfil our needs at all times.”

ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE Not only is PF Logo Express a smooth-running decoration factory, it also pays great attention to making sure its operations are environmentally responsible.

The fact that the huge facility is certified in accordance with the environmental management norm ISO 14001 shows that ecological concerns are taken very seriously in the overall production process.

Based on an ambitious environmental policy and the ISO requirements, our well-organised environmental management processes integrate sustainability efforts into the daily routines of the factory’s operations.

One of the goals of our environmental initiative is to introduce sustainable printing. As part of

the ISO 14001 requirements on environmental management, new targets for improving environmental performance are defined every year. General waste management control procedures and audits are in place in accordance with SEDEX Member Ethical Trade Audit Procedures (SMETA II).

In 2016, we reached our goal of reducing ink waste by forty percent, achieving significant improve-ments in eco-efficiency and cost-reduction. By investing in innovative cleaning technologies for ink cups, the use of chemicals in the cleaning process was drastically reduced, and safety conditions for the operators involved have been improved.

PF Logo Express is dedicated to

continuous improvement and innovation, and will therefore subscribe to the Business Environmental Performance Initiative (BEPI) in the course of 2017. This will enable us to further professionalise our systems for managing and improving environmental performance together with our global supply chain actors, helping us to uphold our basic responsibilities to both people and planet.

The key elements of PF Logo Express’ environmental strategies include:

Waste prevention through optimisation of paints preparation and usage, replacement of paper towels with multiple-use fabric towels and digitalisation to minimise printing.

Waste collection and recycling through waste sorting instructions, special destiny containers, storage and transport optimisation, reusable packaging.

Environmental training and continuous awareness programme for the company’s management team, employees and contractors.

Continuous supervision, internal audits and third party auditing to verify internal procedures, compliance with environmental legislation and ISO 14001 requirements.

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PRODUCT RESPONSIBILITY Promotional products play an important role in corporate marketing. The market is seeing a shift in trend from low-priced giveaways towards high value gifts, and product responsibility has become an important factor in adding extra value to such items.

End users, such as company staff or customers, tend to have an increasingly critical eye. High expectations are placed on transparency, reliable sourcing and sustainability of both the production process and the product itself. Compliance with voluntary standards, such as Oekotex certification, plays an increasingly important role.

As part of the global Polyconcept group, PF Concept has an ambitious global product strategy: all products that we sell are to be manufactured in a responsible manner and have to meet the regulatory requirements of all markets where they are sold.

Our global approach enables us to identify sustainability issues early in the product development phase.

It also helps us to ensure that requirements are addressed with the appropriate sourcing and compliance strategies. Our approach to product innovation is based on progressively strict criteria for product development, covering both compliance and sustainability aspects.

In order to ensure that our customers receive products which meet their expectations, PF Concept makes a strong contribution to monitoring product compliance and sustainability standards through-out the product lifecycle, while simultaneously making sure that European markets’ transparency requirements are met.

Product compliance is assured through a comprehensive Product Due Diligence procedure. Using a digitised flow-chart, compliance with up-to-date regulations and sustainability certifications related to all steps of the product lifecycle is checked as part of the process.

All products undergo a risk and regulatory review by our product compliance team prior to launch, and they are subject to ongoing reviews after launch. Processes are in place to monitor compliance with our global Restricted

Pieter Boonekamp, Vice President Sales Europe

“The customers drive the topic, and they expect tight security down to the last detail. As a result, the demand for certificates, controls and sustainably produced products is growing steadily.

The end customer identifies with their promotional product, and places great value on credibility and transparency.“

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Substances List, which includes European REACH and RoHS chemical requirements. We use our own testing facilities as well as third party laboratories to conduct tests on products periodically.

We are continuously improving our online Product Portal to provide distributors with the most accurate and up-to-date information. Our refined database and well-defined workflows enable us to provide comprehensive details on each article, including compliance and sustainability information, certificates and verification documents.

A download option is available for all related compliance certificates, and soon voluntary sustainability certifications will be added as well. This way, our Product Portal assures our clients with credibility and transparency.

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www.pfconcept.com