DELI MEATS PRODUCED SUSTAINABLY AND ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUSLY
SUSTAINABILITY POLICY WITH A FOCUS ON ESG
At Theo Bauwens NV, we recognize the growing urgency to integrate sustainability and responsibility towards the environment, social aspects, and good governance (ESG) into our business activities. We aim to have a positive impact on society and the environment while creating value for our stakeholders.
Environment (Environmental):
THEO BAUWENS NV considers minimizing the environmental impact of its business operations as one of its primary objectives. Managing environmental burdens and reducing environmental risks are both a primary responsibility of management and every employee of THEO BAUWENS N.V.
Environmental care will be a structural part of and coherent with the other company objectives. All employees commit themselves to carry out their activities in accordance with the established procedures and the corresponding policy of the company and to consider this as a matter of course.
The policy of N.V. THEO BAUWENS is to:
Provide services that meet and respond to visitors' expectations.
Carry out its operations in such a way that the environment is protected and the safety and health of its employees, visitors, suppliers, and the public are ensured.
To achieve this policy, THEO BAUWENS N.V. observes the following rules:
Recognize the importance of the environment when business and commercial matters are at issue, and therefore minimize the impact of its activities on the environment in accordance with the following principles:
- Compliance with the legal environmental regulations and other requirements prescribed by the various authorities and that are applicable to our activities and services.
- Strive for continuous improvement of our environmental performance and our environmental policy. This through regular follow-up and evaluation and, if necessary, adjustments.
- Maintain an open and constructive dialogue with the regulatory authorities, environmental organizations, and neighbors.
- Provide our employees with the necessary training to increase environmental awareness and protection, so that environmentally conscious behavior becomes automatic.
- Rational use of other raw materials such as water, through the implementation of water-saving measures, but also paper, fuel, etc.
- Through conducted studies, we can save energy where possible in the areas of electricity, gas, and compressed air and reduce CO2 emissions; installed solar panels are an example of this.
- Limit the discharge of wastewater and reduce air and water pollution by reducing the risk of unwanted emissions or discharges of chemical products. For this, preventive measures are taken, and there is a monitoring program in place.
- Reduce and implement thorough selective collection of the released waste, together with correct disposal and processing by an authorized waste processor.
- Aim for the lowest possible environmental impact by seeking the "best routes" for the transport of our products - as much as possible grouping deliveries and as much as possible avoiding passages through village and city centers.
- Strive for minimal inconvenience of noise, odor, etc. to our neighbors.
Society & Governance (Social & Governance):
We will maintain fair and ethical business practices and comply with all applicable laws and regulations; for this, we adopt an ethical trading policy that is in line with the Ethical Trading Initiative Base Code (B-member of Sedex (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange / 4-Pillar SMETA)).
We will implement clear reporting and communication mechanisms to monitor and share our sustainability and ESG performance with our stakeholders.
We will listen to the needs and concerns of our stakeholders, such as employees, customers, suppliers, and take them into account in our decision-making.
We will set ambitious goals in the areas of sustainability and ESG, and regularly measure our progress to make improvements where necessary.
We will implement training and awareness programs to inform our employees about sustainability issues and encourage them to contribute to our efforts.
We will collaborate with relevant stakeholders, industry organizations, and other companies to share best practices and find joint solutions to sustainability challenges.
This sustainability policy will be reviewed and updated to ensure that we comply with changing sustainability standards and to seize new opportunities. We aim to continuously innovate and contribute to a more sustainable future for everyone.
Herman BAUWENS, Managing Director
10 PRINCIPLES FOR A FAIR AND RESPECTFUL WORK ENVIRONMENT
1 Employment is freely chosen.
1.1 There is no forced labor, bonded labor, or involuntary prison labor.
1.2 Employees are not required to submit their "disposits" or identity papers to their employer and are free to leave their employer with reasonable notice.
2 Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining are respected.
2.1 Employees, without distinction, have the right to join a union or establish a union and to engage in collective bargaining.
2.2 The employer adopts an open attitude towards the activities of unions and their organizational activities.
2.3 Employee representatives are not discriminated against and have access to their representative function in the workplace.
2.4 Where the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining is legally restricted, the employer facilitates the development of parallel means for independent and free association and negotiations, and does not impede them.
3 Working conditions are safe and hygienic.
3.1 A safe and hygienic working environment must be provided, taking into account the prevailing knowledge of the industry and any specific hazards. Adequate measures must be taken to prevent accidents and injury to health arising out of, linked with, or occurring in the course of work by minimizing the causes of hazards inherent in the working environment, as far as is reasonably practicable.
3.2 Employees receive regular recorded health and safety training, and such training is repeated for new or transferred employees.
3.3 There must be access to clean toilet facilities and potable water and, if applicable, sanitary facilities for food storage.
3.4 Accommodation, if provided, must be clean and safe and provide the basic needs of workers.
3.5 The company that complies with the code must assign responsibility for health and safety to a management representative.
4 Child labor shall not be used.
4.1 No new recruitment of child labor shall take place.
4.2 Enterprises develop or participate in and contribute to policies and programs that provide for the transition of children engaged in child labor to enable them to access and remain in quality education until they are no longer children: "child" and "child labor" are defined in the appendices.
4.3 Children and young persons under 18 years of age shall not work at night or under hazardous conditions.
4.4 These policies and procedures must comply with the provisions of the relevant ILO conventions.
5 Living wages are paid.
5.1 Wages and benefits paid for a standard working week meet, at a minimum, national legal standards or industry benchmark standards, whichever is higher. In any case, wages should always be enough to meet basic needs and have some discretionary income.
5.2 All workers receive written and understandable information about their terms of employment with respect to wages before they enter employment and about the particulars of their wages for the pay period concerned each time they are paid.
5.3 Deductions from wages as a disciplinary measure are not permitted, nor is any deduction from wages not provided for by national legislation, without the express permission of the employee concerned. All disciplinary measures must be recorded.
6 Working hours are not excessive.
6.1 Working hours comply with national legislation and industry benchmark standards, whichever affords greater protection.
6.2 Employees shall not, on a regular basis, be required to work in excess of 48 hours per week and shall be provided with at least one day off for every 7-day period on average. Overtime is voluntary, shall not exceed 12 hours per week, shall not be requested regularly, and shall always be compensated at a premium rate.
7 No discrimination is practiced.
7.1 There is no discrimination in hiring, compensation, access to training, promotion, termination, or retirement based on race, caste, national origin, religion, age, disability, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, union membership, or political preference.
8 Regular employment is provided.
8.1 To the extent possible, work is performed on the basis of a recognized employment relationship established under national law and practice.
8.2 Obligations to employees under labor or social security laws and regulations arising from the regular employment relationship are not avoided by using labor contracts, subcontracting, or home-working arrangements, or by apprenticeship schemes where there is no genuine intent to impart skills or provide regular employment, nor by excessive use of fixed-term contracts.
9 No harsh or inhumane treatment is allowed.
9.1 Physical abuse or discipline, the threat of physical abuse, sexual or other harassment, and verbal abuse or other forms of intimidation are prohibited.
10 Immigration law compliance.
10.1 Only workers with a legal right to work shall be employed or hired by the supplier.
10.2 All workers, including agency workers, shall be validated for their legal right to work by the supplier by viewing original documentation (not photocopies) before they are allowed to work. Procedures shall be in place to demonstrate compliance with these validations.
10.3 Employment agencies shall only supply workers who are registered with them.
10.4 Suppliers shall regularly audit employment agencies from which they hire workers to verify compliance with this policy.