3. Good health and well-being

•   Health and safety for employees

•   Health and safety of consumers

The people of the Global Products Group are the driving force behind the company, and it is therefore also important that our employees can carry out their work in a healthy and safe working environment. To identify improvement opportunities, a so-called zero point should first be determined. A starting point that outlines the current situation. To get a clear overview of this, we are conducting a Risk Inventory and Evaluation (RI&E) through an external safety consultant this year. In addition to the RI&E, an Action Plan follows. This indicates for each open risk what measures should be taken, linked to a representative within the company.

The products we supply are hugely diverse in terms of design, material and purpose. The laws and regulations of each country, combined with the use by the buyer or end consumer, determine whether the set requirements are ultimately met. The collection we offer always includes items and related applications that meet established standards. Often, the choice of how to deal with this still lies with the buyer. The products supplied by Global Products Group comply with the standards set out in the Commodities Act and Foreign Trade Legislation, among others. The information to customers for correct use and application is designed by means of user guides in instruction films. For the coming year, we have set the goal of making these videos directly available by product group through the websites of the various Global Products Group companies.

8. Decent work and economic growth

•   Realisation of social facilities

•   Appointing a confidential advisor

•   Reduce child labour at suppliers in high-risk countries

•   Reduce forced labour at suppliers in high-risk countries

•   70% of suppliers are localised within Europe

As mentioned, we as Global Products Group believe that people make the organisation. Therefore, we believe it is important that our employees are both physically and mentally healthy and can work in a safe environment. This is how we motivate a healthy lifestyle through additional social amenities: offering a lease plan for a bicycle and making fruit available during working hours are concrete initiatives we will realise for our employees in 2023.

A confidential advisor is appointed within our organisation. In addition, behaviour and manners for employees are laid down so that everyone feels safe and secure in the workplace.

We value fair and safe working environments not only within, but also outside the organisation. As Global Products Group, we work with local, national and international suppliers at product and service levels. In this, we see no room for modern slavery. To ensure the same, by 2023 we want all suppliers from high-risk countries to have read and signed the Global Products Group Code of Conduct and the Modern Slavery Statement. Which country is a high-risk country was determined through the CSR Risk Checker, which was developed by MVO Netherlands. This tool clarifies which risks relate to which selected country. We first focus on the countries that have ‘Forced Labour & Human Trafficking’ and ‘Child Labour’ as country risks and where these issues will therefore be most critical.

Finally, the Global Products Group attaches great importance to boosting the local economy. This from both a social interest and an ecological interest. If the situation allows it, our preference is for suppliers based within Europe. By doing so, we keep transport miles low, delivery times shorter and deliver a positive impact to the local community. To intensify this further, our aim is to work with at least 70% European suppliers by 2023.

12. Responsible consumption and production

•   Waste reduction

•   Reduction of residual memorial products

•   Alternative packaging for outbound deliveries

•   Statements of intent by significant stakeholders and the evidence thereof

•   Ensuring advertising code of practice in advertising statements

•   Draw up plan of action Life cycle analysis

•   Apply Life Cycle Analysis to 3 suppliers

•   Energy savings of 2% among employees

From the Global Products Group, we continuously work on responsible handling in both the use and production of goods and resources. Here, we focus on reducing waste through prevention, reduction and recycling. By 2023, Global Products Group plans to further intensify the separation of its waste. Thus, waste in the form of coffee cups, paper, cardboard, plastic packaging and drinking cartons will be separated from residual waste. Within the logistics department, packaging waste is further separated into different grades of plastic, all of which are processed by Van Happen waste processor.

Items may have no commercial value if they are rejected based on a defect, damage or deviation from the base model. However, this does not necessarily mean that these items have to be disposed of as residual waste. Several suppliers can still repair or reuse products, and other materials are still easily recyclable. In order to convert these waste flows a base should first be established for each product group so that the Global Products Group can link specific targets to it in the future.

As Global Products Group, we understand the huge importance of adequately, quickly and correctly shipping products on behalf of the funeral industry. To properly ship emotional products, strong and solid packaging material is needed. By 2023, the Global Products Group will explore sustainable substitutes for plastic filler with regard to outbound parcels. This through the use of recycled plastic or biodegradable filling material.

We also like to get our own network thinking: how sustainably do we operate as a company? What and how do we ensure this and how do we apply it in practice? Questions we asked our significant stakeholders, the main interested parties, for self-reflection. Not to point a finger but for awareness to inspire together and create a wave of change. With these parties, the core of the GPG network, we will share our statements of intent, written out in the documents: Code of Conduct, Modern Slavery Statement and Environmental Code. This allows us all to operate from a single shared vision and foundation. In addition, we want to receive a written agreement from all these parties in 2023 regarding these statements of intent. This is because only with dedication and commitment can a sustainable policy be meaningful.

Building on that, the Global Products Group will draw up a plan of action to achieve uniform evidence. A method in which it is tested whether the conditions set out in the declarations of intent are also complied with.

Honesty as a foundation. One of the three corporate values that the Global Products Group acts on and aligns its policies with. A certain integrity that flows through to all our businesses and ensures our reliability and credibility. Therefore, in 2023, we will continue to ensure that Global Products Group companies’ advertisements will not be misleading, hurtful, or contrary to the truth. To ensure this, we will observe the regulations of the Advertising Code Foundation8 while designing, realising and carrying out any form of advertising.

As a company, we recognise and take responsibility for protecting the environment. Not only on our own behalf, but also on behalf of our employees, customers and communities in which we operate. We also realise that the process of continuous environmental improvement is linked to the commitment of our business partners. Global Products Group’s environmental policy is therefore shaped within our Environmental Code. We don’t stop there, however. After all, how environmentally friendly are our products really? Measuring the environmental impact of Global Products Group articles is a complex process, in which numerous factors need to be considered. To establish a basis for this, in 2023 we will write a plan of action for a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for each product level. This will allow us to clearly map the environmental impact of our collection in the future. We initially limit these to a cycle from production to waste disposal. Both to keep the focus on the key point of the cycle and to stay within the scope of level 3 of the CSR Performance Ladder. In addition, our intentions are to draw up the LCA of three different suppliers before the end of 2023, so that we can also realise a concrete start to this major project.

Shutting down the computer, switching off the lights, turning off the heating or, in summer, turning off the air conditioning; all things that are a matter of course, but may not be carried out after a long working day. By 2022, the Global Products Group mapped its energy consumption within its premises in terms of gas, water and electricity. Values which are all at, or even below, average usage. Despite this observation, we as a company still see room for further improvement. On the one hand by raising awareness among staff, but also by investing in energy-saving solutions for the benefit of business premises. By 2023, we aim to achieve 2% energy savings compared to 2022 by further exploring and developing the above options.

13. Climate Action

•   CO₂ reduction for inbound deliveries

Global Products Group is aware of the impact of climate change. As such, in recent years we have tried to integrate measures within our strategies and planning each time. Examples include clustering orders, reusing packaging materials and manufacturing from virgin raw materials.

In order to take concrete steps in the future in terms of reducing or offsetting our CO₂ footprint, in 2023 we will map fixed transport routes and convert them into its CO₂ emissions. Thus, Global Products Group’s emissions become measurable and insightful in the service of inbound deliveries, making a zero point obtainable.

16. Peace, justice and strong institutions

•   Respecting the rights of the local population

•   Countering corruption

•   Communication CSR policy

As indicated, the Global Products Group is committed to a fair and safe working environment. Both within our own company and with affiliated suppliers. Through the Global Products Group’s Environmental Code, we protect the local population regarding our suppliers’ production sites. In this, we focus first on the most critical high-risk countries from the CSR Risk Checker9. This distinguishes us from those suppliers who have classified ‘Environment & Surroundings’ as a country risk.

Without peace, security and justice, almost no development is possible. Corruption plays an important role in this. Within our Code of Conduct, a specific section is dedicated to corruption and bribery. This is to prevent such practices within the Global Products Group network. To identify within which countries in the world corruption is a major problem, Transparency International’s ‘Corruption Perceptions Index’ was consulted. A global movement working to end injustice and corruption. This year, we want to ensure that suppliers in countries with a CPI score10 of lower than 60 read, understand and sign the Code of Conduct to prevent these kinds of acts and actions within our corporate network. Thus, together within the entire chain, we create a positive ripple effect.

With the Global Products Group CSR Annual Report, we are literally turning over a new leaf in 2023. The previous chapters have outlined and provided insights into the CSR policy we have adopted. In this, the CSR Performance Ladder gives us the tools to implement a concrete, sustainable policy. This gives us the perfect opportunity to be a leader in CSR in the funeral industry. The intention is to present the CSR report annually. As new developments occur, the information on our website will be updated.