Commitment
Koch & Co is dedicated to continuously ensuring our products are safe to use and are manufactured under acceptable ethical and environmental conditions by our suppliers. We acknowledge our responsibility to our customers, our suppliers, the community, and the environment.
Ethical Sourcing
At Koch & Co, we believe ethical sourcing is an important standard to pursue and uphold. Ethical sourcing requires Koch & Co to ensure the products we develop and source are manufactured in ways that are safe for employees and the environment.
Being a manufacturer's agent and direct importer for many years, we have established long-term supplier relationships and maintain regular contact and visits to our factories and suppliers. At all times, we expect our supply chain partners to ensure their employees are treated fairly and to consider the environment in their processes.
Labour Rights
We expect our suppliers to uphold the highest standards of labour rights within their operations and those outlined the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Specifically, we require our key suppliers to:
- Uphold all universally recognised human rights, as detailed in the International Bill of Human Rights.
- Refrain from any form of forced labour, bondage or involuntary labour.
- Ensure that the working environment is neither cruel nor inhumane, maintaining adequate health and safety standards.
- Provide their employees with clear, fair, and comprehensible employment contracts, which should cover wages, benefits, and working hours in a non-discriminatory manner (discrimination could be based on race, colour, religion, nationality, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, family responsibilities, pregnancy or potential pregnancy, membership or non-membership in a union, mental or physical disability, or any other status protected by law).
- Prohibit harassment, abuse, or threats within the workplace, which includes assault, physical and sexual harassment, threats, and any form of workplace bullying or intimidation.
- Adhere strictly to local laws and comply with applicable environmental standards.
We expect our suppliers to maintain appropriate certifications, demonstrating their commitment to these matters.
Environmental and Social Responsibilities
We request our suppliers to respect and not exploit the environment by not engaging in activities that may be unsafe, dangerous, or harmful to the environment. The facility shall comply with national and local environmental laws and regulations.
Koch & Co shall dispose of its production waste in accordance with local environmental laws and regulations.
As a constant and necessary evolution of our social and environmental responsibilities, Koch & Co continually takes steps to assess and improve our social and environmental footprints. We work hard to make sure there is minimal impact on the environment and the community. Every bit counts, including recycling and reusing cartons to send out orders.
We are constantly looking to develop environmentally friendly products. We work with our suppliers and encourage social and environmental activities that that are not only in the interest of the company and laws of our country, but also impact the interests of our employees, customers, consumers, and our community.
We aim to increase sustainability awareness and social responsibility by educating the supply chain and related parties on our strategies, policies, procedures, and best practises. We also take the responsibility of making our internal staff aware of our social and environmental policies.
Sustainability is taking actions today that will not be harmful to our economy, environment and the community in the future. Social responsibility is how our company delivers the message ethics, financial responsibility, human rights, health and safety, and sustainability in the workplace that will ultimately benefit the individual, community, environment, and the company in the future.
Some of our initiatives include:
Recycling – we recycle over:
- 100 cubic metres of cardboard per week
- 12 cubic metres of soft plastic per week
- Have separated office recycling bins for weekly recycling
Packaging
- We re-use second-hand cartons where possible
- We utilise degradable and bio-degradable void fill packaging such as crushed Kraft paper
- We don’t use plastic strapping machines
- We use Kraft paper tape to seal our packaging boxes and have stopped using plastic tape
- Reusable shopping bags are used in our Cash & Carry store
- We send broken pallets for recycling rather than sending them to a landfill
Warehouse Processing
- We have reduced the use of gas forklifts and replaced them with electric powered ones
- We have steadily moved to a paperless warehouse pick-and-pack operation
Energy
- We have refitted our facilities with energy-efficient LED lights saving over 35% in energy costs
Product Management & Development - Our product development team is continuously looking to source environmentally friendly products such as:
- Natural jute fabrics
- Wooden products
- Biodegradable kraft paper for flower wrapping
- Plastic components and floral bowls made from recycled materials
- Recycled glass vases
- Paper shopping bags
- Degradable floral wool
Understanding ECO-FRIENDLY Terminology
There are many terms and definitions that are relevant around environmentally friendly or eco-friendly terminology. At Koch & Co we follow these simple definitions:
What is Eco-friendly?
The main principles that are considered when assessing if a product is eco-friendly is if it can either be reduced, reused and/or recycled:
- Reduce – Try and reduce the impact on the environment by using organic raw materials.
- Reusable – Durable enough to be reused many times.
- Recyclable – Made from materials that are recycled e.g., plastic or paper.
What is considered Eco-friendly?
- Renewable Source – Material that can be renewed naturally such wood, paper, and leather.
- Biodegradable – Material that can be broken down back to its natural elements.
- Compostable – Breaks down in about 90 days.
- Degradable – Chemicals are added to the product to break it down into smaller recyclable pieces.
- UV Printing Ink – Does not contain harmful solvents. Creates less emissions and less waste.
- Soy Based Printing Ink – Produced using soybean oil and is environmentally friendly.
- Water Based Printing Ink - Does not contain toxic PVC or phthalates. Only water is required to clean, no solvents.
- Vegetable Blend Wax – Made from palm wax which is more environmentally friendly than paraffin wax.