Environment Inform Our packaging management does not end when our products leave our company. To simplify the disposal process for our customers, all our packaging is marked with standardised recycling codes so that our customers always know how best to dispose of it. Life cycle analysis It is often difficult to determine just how sustainable packaging items are. To inform our decision-making, we therefore use a life cycle analysis to evaluate the complete product life cycle for our packaging and all relevant environmental factors so that we can build a more comprehensive picture. We currently use life cycle analyses on an ad hoc basis to help us select new packaging options; however, we plan to roll this tool out across all our packaging in future. Product sustainability Our commitment to product sustainability is clear to see in the highly functional and high-quality design of our products. We want to inspire our customers to make sustainable product choices, which is why we put our philosophy of global customer benefits at the heart of our business operations. Our product sustainability management strategy forms an integral part of our Integrated Management System (IMS). Responsibility for product sustainability management falls to our sustainability team but is also a cross-divisional responsibility involving many different organisational units and specialists. This interdisciplinary organisational structure ensures that any product improvements with respect to sustainability are implemented in close coordination with the other elements of our Integrated Management System, notably our environmental and energy management systems. The overriding aim of our product sustainability management strategy is to improve the sustainability of Blum’s products and services over their complete life cycle. Fundamentally, this means developing products that are useful, high-quality, durable, environmentally friendly and as recyclable as possible. To improve our sustainability credentials across the complete product life cycle, we analyse our practices and optimise our processes at every stage, from research and development, procurement and manufacturing through to recycling at the end of the product lifespan. This enables us to introduce targeted actions that, in turn, provide us with further insights for the development of new products. Our certified environmental (ISO 14001), energy (ISO 50001) and FSC® management systems are also useful tools in improving our product sustainability. We work hard to minimise our environmental impacts at every stage of the product life cycle. Jochen Lubetz, Head of Quality 51
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