Sustainability at Bison International

Transcription

1 Sustainability at Bison International BISON Griffon bison professional bostik imedio uhu

2 Bison International At Bison International, we have been developing high quality adhesives, sealants and maintenance products for over 70 years. Our brands - Bison, Griffon, Bison Professional, Bostik (Italy), Imedio and UHU - are used by do-it-yourselfers and professionals all over Europe and the Middle East. For us high quality means creating long lasting products that work well and are safe. It also means developing these products and their packaging so that they have as little impact on the environment as possible both during production and use. Since 1996, Bison International has been a member of the Bolton Group an international company manufacturing and marketing a wide range of high quality branded consumer goods worldwide. These range from Food and Household Care products, Adhesives and Glues to Personal and Beauty Care products. your reliable partner

3 Bison International s sustainability policy At Bison International, we believe that it is very important to continuously improve our products and to innovate. Well aware of the link between quality of work and the use of properly functioning products, we focus on consumer needs to create products that deliver on their promise. This is both a challenge and a commitment for our company, in addition to our sustainability engagement. Indeed, we have always been creating environmentally sound & safe products. We also always keep in mind that using glue to repair something naturally helps to avoid waste. As environmental awareness is central to our business, we apply measures in all areas from product development and production processes, to usage and disposal by consumers. Bison International constantly finds ways to protect and improve conditions for the health of our employees, the environment and our millions of consumers worldwide. This is well illustrated by the fact that solvent emissions occurring during our production process are far below the legal limit. 4 sustainability pillars Our sustainability policy is based on 4 important pillars: Quality Products Innovative Packaging Clean Factory Inspiring People

4 Quality products At Bison International, we have been developing high quality and innovative products for a wide range of applications by do-it-yourselfers and professionals for decades. We are convinced that our high standard of quality makes these products reliable, long lasting and safe, both during production and use. Most of our products are made at our factory in Goes, the Netherlands, where our Research and Development team is in close contact with our consumers and professional users. Here, their needs are translated into tangible solutions according to international standards, and in collaboration with our trade partners and suppliers of raw materials. The quality of our products is recognized by numerous independent institutes including KIWA and British Standard with which we maintain close cooperation. We are proud of developing products that contain increasingly more sustainability aspects, among which: - Our aromatics free contact adhesives, which guarantee a strong bond with the use of friendly solvents - Our lead free soldering products, specially designed for use in drinking water pipelines - Our solvent-free products on MSP-basis like Poly Max. In future, Bison International will continue developing innovative and high quality products while taking sustainability aspects into account. Quality The certification approvals indicate that the products are successfully tested by independent institutes on compliance with laws, regulations and international standards regarding quality, safety and durability. Giel Dijsselbloem, Technology Manager Griffon

5 Innovative Packaging All packaging used for Bison International products is recyclable, and a large part of it is also made up of recycled material. For example, our blister card packaging is made of recycled cardboard. We are very much aware that the type of packaging material we use is very important, both for safe use and storage of products. As a result, our Marketing and Research & Development team continuously looks for packaging that is better, more innovative and easy to use. We focus on easy application of our products to enable efficient use and to help preserve natural resources. We develop packaging to minimize accidental spillage and waste. Examples include the All Purpose Glue in the handy Twist & Glue bottle, Tipper Super Glue and PVC adhesive with an integrated brush. Special cartridge packaging, which enables less than 1% of the product to remain in the cartridge after use, is also a good example of how we help to avoid waste. We also continuously improve packaging in order to extend the storage life of products. User friendliness is utmost important and resulted in an easy to use twisted brush with our hard PVC adhesives. Furthermore, we match the packaging size and content with the wi shes of various user-groups. For instance, a consumer can purchase a smaller tube Bison Kit for small do-it-yourself jobs, while a pro fessional who needs to bond a large surface can buy several litres. Another example is the squeeze tube Blue Gel from Griffon and the newest way of sealing screw threads with Griffon s Flon-100. Innovation

6 Clean Factory Our factory in Goes (the Netherlands) is safe and clean, which is even more important as we are located near to the city centre. We use Key Performance Indicators to continuously improve our production process. In addition, we monitor and set targets in the following areas: packaging materials, (chemical) waste, waste water and energy efficiency. We also use solvents that have been recycled from other industries. As a result, our safety record is outstanding, we have managed to reduce the waste and water consumption in our factory and our solvent emissions are substantially below the legally set level. Bison International actively strives to ensure that its activities have no repercussions on the environment. This policy is implemented via the management system, which is ISO 9001 certified. We feel that safety, health, wellbeing and the environment are everyone s responsibility, and therefore expect our employees to actively contribute to their own safety and to that of their surroundings. One of the tangible results of this policy is that in 2009, the amount of chemical waste generated by our factory was reduced by 40%. clean factory Bison International has sustainability in its DNA. We work in an environment where we use hazardous goods from time to time and we have always put safety and working conditions at the centre of our policy. At the same time, we focus on developing innovative solutions for our consumers. Sjef Christiaansen, Managing Director Bison International.

7 Inspiring People Bison International strives to inspire both do-it-yourselfers and professionals with a range of bonding, sealing and maintenance solutions. To help our consumers in the best possible way, we also provide advice through a variety of channels on how to use our products. We provide product training on a regular basis, and every week hundreds of consumers call our helpline to receive advice. Bison was also the first to offer consumers an in-store interactive glue computer to help them find the best solution for their job. The Bison glue computer now helps consumers every day in stores all over Europe. In addition, the interactive glue advisor tool on our website also provides advice to consumers all over the world. Bison International contributes to a safer adhesive and sealant industry by actively playing a role in the development of the Health and Safety Catalogue that is established for all adhesive and sealant producing companies. The Catalogue describes instruments, methods and solutions for the main work-related health hazards in the sector. Inspiring people also means doing our best to make our employees proud of the company that they work for. We regard all of our employees as adhesives specialists who demonstrate passion and pride for our products. We feel that providing a safe and healthy working environment with opportunities for growth and development is instrumental to inspired employees, and - ultimately - to the consistent quality of our products. Inspiration Our people should take every opportunity to communicate with our partners about Bison International s approach on sustainability. This way it will allow us to seek feedback and improve where possible. Sjef Christiaansen, Managing Director Bison International.

8 Bison International and the Future We strongly believe in an integrated and continuous improvement process. Therefore, within our four pillars, we will continue with efforts towards sustainability and will communicate about them in all transparency to key stakeholders. We take responsibility in international organizations such as FEICA, CEN and KOMO, for continuous improvement of quality, durability and drinking water aspects of building materials. We are also committed to responding to our consumers increasingly specific expectations, offering innovative solutions made for easier use and effective results based on Bison International s mission: We offer the best solution for each bonding, sealing and maintenance job. continuous improvement Quality Products Contact us : Innovative Packaging Clean Factory Inspiring People We wish to engage in open dialogue with all stakeholders. If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact us: Bison International Dr. A.F. Philipsstraat 9, P.O. Box 160, 4460 AD Goes, the Netherlands T F info@bisoninternational.com

9 Realization by Schuttelaar & Partners Bison International Dr. A.F. Philipsstraat 9, P.O. Box 160, 4460 AD Goes, The Netherlands t F info@bisoninternational.com