Business Ethics Story - Governance
Business ethics is an essential area of focus for our organization. Compliance with these standards is not a matter of choice but a fundamental necessity. Our approach is straightforward and committed, ensuring that we operate within the bounds of these important regulatory guidelines.
Learn more about our efforts on this strategic topic in the interview by Patricia Simoen, the CSR Manager.
Responsible Business Conduct for the PGS Group
Our company is currently preparing for the upcoming legislation of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D). We also follow the OECD Guidelines and UN Global Compact principles to ensure responsible business conduct.
We employ several instruments to ensure that our workforce behaves ethically, including a thorough revision of our code of conduct, updating our whistleblower procedure, targeted ethical training for specific groups. Strengthening our risk assessment practices is of utmost importance, with particular emphasis on enhancing our understanding of potential risks related to adverse impact of human rights, corruption and data protection.
Driving a Sustainable Supply Chain
Our company is dedicated to driving a sustainable and responsible supply chain. This commitment is marked by our efforts to enhance our supply chain practices, which include rigorous onboarding and adherence to a stringent supplier code. We place a high priority on certified sourcing and are aiming for steady growth in Chain of Custody volumes.
When it comes to our own operations, we successfully integrated all PGS entities under scope into a single PEFC multisite certificate (PEFC/07-32-193) in September 2023, marking a significant milestone. Regarding new mergers, our objective is to ensure their alignment with our sourcing and certification standards within the initial year.
New Regulatory Requirements
In light of the upcoming CS3D legislation, we are actively preparing to comply with its requirements, which will further strengthen our commitment to a sustainable supply chain. Additionally, we closely monitor the recently introduced EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). This regulation expands upon and intensifies the former EU Timber Regulation (EUTR), setting broader and stricter criteria to prevent deforestation and ensure legality. In response, we have updated our due diligence systems, informed our suppliers of these new requirements, and are conducting a thorough review of our supply chain to ensure full compliance.
Endorsement
As we navigate the landscape shaped by the CSRD, we understand the current relevance of certifications and ratings in demonstrating our commitment to sustainability. Our engagement with the EcoVadis rating system is focused, particularly at production sites where such evaluations are most pertinent. While we are open to the possibility of a future group-wide assessment, our immediate priority is aligning with the forthcoming CSRD and CS3D legislation, ensuring compliance and continued focus on sustainability itself.
In relation to external recognition, it should be noted that our production locations, PGS Ullu Paletten and PGS Den Doelder, have maintained ISO 9001 (*PGS Den Doelder for specific services) and ISO 14001 certifications for a considerable duration. As of November 2023, our largest production facilities in Belgium – PGS Rodanar, PGS De Backer, and PGS Maton – are also compliant with ISO 9001 and ISO 45001 standards. This progression aligns with our wider strategy of gradually extending these standards to additional locations, with the objective of achieving certifications in due time.
All above mentioned documents and certificates are available on our downloads page.
Dedicated Community Investment
We believe in social engagement and making a positive impact in the communities where we operate. Whereas we have always invested and engaged in our local communities, we wanted to keep track of our positive contributions in a more structural and efficient way. In line with this, we have established the PGS Community Investment Program. This program offers all of our employees the opportunity to support social projects and organizations.
Offer eco-responsible products and services
We are dedicated to providing eco-responsible products and services. Through product reuse practices like PGS Reverse, we offer a circular service for our wooden pallets and strive to extend it to all pallets we deliver. Furthermore, we collaborate closely with customers to convert existing products into eco-designed alternatives and actively propose sustainable solutions to new customers.
Safe and Healthy Work Environment
At our organization, we prioritize safety without compromise. Our goal is to achieve zero accidents, and we set strong targets to drive this commitment. Whenever feasible, we endeavor to obtain ISO certifications to uphold the highest standards. Another key focus area is alleviating physical labor in our production environment through the development of innovative automation solutions.
Should you require further information or have any inquiries pertaining to our sustainability initiatives, we invite you to reach out to us at CSR@pgsgroup.com.