About us
A message to our suppliers
At Packzone we are building an even better business, focused on delivering sustainable value to all
our stakeholders. To us, truly sustainable value is found when balancing the needs of Our Business,
Our Environment and Our People.
Our Business, our products and our services create sustainable value for our customers through responsible recycling, paper and packaging solutions. Our focus is to provide the right packaging and recycling solutions for our customers, whilst simultaneously adding value through increased brand impact and ensuring functionality to reflect changing consumer lifestyles and retail trends.
A commitment to Our Environment is a key part of how we are working to create a sustainable business model.
Throughout our operations and supply chains, from design to production and supply to recycling, we are reducing energy consumption, minimizing waste, and embedding the highest ethical standards to ensure the most positive impact on our environment.
We are dedicated to create sustainable value for Our People. We are committed to the highest standards of safety and are keen to ensure Packzone is an engaging employer where our people can thrive and fulfil their potential. Across our business we play an active role in our communities, enabling our people to support the causes that matter to them.
We are aware of the important role our suppliers play in Packzone fulfilling our mission. We expect our suppliers to have an active approach to monitoring standards of social responsibility and a program to improve their performance in this sphere. This approach will be evaluated and considered in our procurement activities. Each supplier of materials and/or services to Packzone is expected to meet the same standards that we apply to our own operations. Through compliance with these standards, our suppliers help maintain our reputation for excellence, independence, and integrity.
These standards define only the minimum requirements for doing business ethically with or on behalf of Packzone and we encourage our suppliers to go above and beyond these minimum requirements.
GSS.
Purpose and Scope of the global supplier standard
Packzone and our subsidiaries (collectively, “Packzone”) are committed to the highest ethical
standards in the way we engage with each other, our customers, employees, shareholders,
suppliers and other stakeholders.
Our reputation is founded on our achievement of these high standards. At Packzone we build relationships based upon our core values – to be caring, to be challenging, to be trusting, to be responsive and to be tenacious and do so in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. Packzone has developed the Global Supplier Standard (GSS) to ensure our suppliers and business partners are in alignment with our business core values.
The GSS provides clarity to our suppliers regarding our general expectations and requirements in the areas of ethical business practices, social and environmental management. In addition to the general requirements and expectations, the GSS also lays down various product safety and quality assurance requirements and standards directed to suppliers of raw materials, indirect production materials/service,
energy, transport service and paper. The GSS will serve as a complement to Packzone’s Code of Conduct and corresponding practices. The GSS applies to all our suppliers and partners across the globe. We trust and expect our suppliers to honor our values, policies, and standards herein.
In this GSS, the term supplier refers to any business or individual, including subcontractors, agents, manufacturers, distributors, and consultants that provide materials and/or services to, or act on behalf of Packzone.
Corporate Vision
Our vision is to be the number one global marketplace for packaging with an integrated global platform to share information and connect between industry peers
To support our vision, we need a fully aligned and integrated network:
- Customer
- Supplier
- Our people
- Environment
Our corporate expectations:
Suppliers shall be in alignment and act in accordance with our values by:
- Performing business activities responsibly and ethically
- Developing and maintaining comprehensive quality systems that ensure quality and specifications are met
- Conducting continuous improvement activities with a focus on quality, cost, innovation and sustainability for mutual growth and benefit for suppliers and Packzone
- Understanding and complying with the Code of Conduct governing our business
Fundamental standards
This section outlines the basic conditions that all suppliers must meet to continue doing business with GPC. The Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI) Base Code is the basis for these requirements (www.ethicaltrade.org). Sourcing and purchasing ethically
Packzone conducts business in a moral and ethical manner. All vendors must abide by local rules and regulations, as well as be open and honest in all their business dealings. This means that suppliers must conduct themselves in a fair and honest manner by ensuring that these essential requirements are met. Suppliers must have paperwork proving their ethical sourcing and purchasing operations, and they may utilize the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) Base Code or any other similar standard as a basis for doing so. On request, suppliers must disclose this information to Packzone. Furthermore, sellers of recycled materials must comply with European Standard EN643 when supplying such products. Such items must have been procured and moved in conformity with waste legislation, as mandated by the updated EU Waste Framework Directive, as well as in-country waste legislation established by environmental agencies in each nation.
The fundamental mandatory standards of our company are listed below and explained further over the next few pages:
1. Ensure that employment can be selected freely
2. Respect freedom of association, including the right to collective bargaining
3. Maintain safe and sanitary working conditions
4. Make certain that no child labor is used
5. Make sure you pay at least the legal minimum wage (the minimum national legal standard or industry benchmark, whichever is higher)
6. Make sure that your working hours aren't too long
7. Tolerate no form of discrimination
8. Provide regular employment
9. Ensure that harsh or inhumane treatment is not permitted
10. Be environmentally conscious and defend the environment
11. Fight bribery and corruption and make it a thing of the past
12. Encourage open and fair competition
13. Safeguard confidential information
14. Establish grievance procedures
15. Obey all applicable laws and regulations
16. No tax avoidance is permitted
17. Adhere to sanction regimes
18. Indigenous peoples' rights must be respected
1. Freely selected employment must be ensured
Forced labor refers to any task or service that is imposed on a person under threat of punishment and that the individual did not volunteer for. Forced or obligatory labor is a fundamental human right that no one should be subjected to. As a result, suppliers must prohibit the use or practice of any type of forced labor. The statement should detail the efforts the organization is taking, or has taken, to guarantee that slavery and human trafficking are not occurring in its own activities and supply networks during the financial year. The Act has our full support, and we are dedicated to upholding the highest ethical standards throughout our supply chains.
We encourage our providers to uphold human rights by:
1. Adhering to policies
2. Putting in place processes to avoid the use of child labor
3. Putting in place processes to prohibit the use of forced labor
Suppliers must certify that they follow the Act's and equivalent local and international laws prohibiting the practice of modern-day slavery in any manner. Suppliers must put in place a mechanism to track and remove coercive or compulsory labor throughout their entire supply chain. Modern slavery and human trafficking occur when employees for example:
- are forced to work
- Ware "owned" or controlled
- are trafficked to a workplace for a fee
- have no or limited freedom to leave
- work under extremely difficult conditions with no recourse
- are physically punished
- have no working rights
- owe debts to their employer or trafficker
Suppliers must certify that they follow the Act's and equivalent local and international laws prohibiting the practice of modern-day slavery in any manner. Suppliers must put in place a mechanism to track and remove coercive or compulsory labor throughout their entire supply chain.
2. Uphold the right to free association, which includes the right to collective bargaining.
Employees have a fundamental right to freedom of association and collective bargaining. Suppliers must respect this by allowing employees to freely form or join labor organizations of their choosing, as well as freely bargain. National norms and laws, as well as globally recognized labor standards, should guide this approach.
3. Make certain that working conditions are both safe and sanitary.
Suppliers must ensure that their workers work in a safe and healthy environment. Suppliers must create a system or procedures for tracking and reporting occurrences and performance related to health and safety. Suppliers must manage occupational health and safety issues and performance, as well as implement continuous improvement activities. A management representative must be assigned to be responsible for employee health and safety management. The International Labor Organization (ILO) convention or corresponding national law must be followed by suppliers. Packzone expects its suppliers to provide safe and humane working conditions to all their employees in general.
4. Make certain that no child labor is used
Suppliers shall not directly or indirectly engage in any sort of child labor (using sub-contractors). According to national or international law, suppliers must verify that personnel are at least of legal age. Suppliers must set up mechanisms to verify that child labor is not used within their own company or in their supplier chains.
5. Make sure you pay at least the legal minimum wage
Wages and benefits paid to employees for a regular work week must meet minimum national law criteria or industry benchmark norms, according to suppliers (whichever is higher). Wages must always be sufficient to fulfil basic demands while also providing some discretionary money. Before starting work, all workers must be given written and intelligible information regarding their working conditions in terms of remuneration, as well as the specifics of their earnings for the pay period in question each time they are paid. Furthermore, suppliers must not allow deductions from wages as a disciplinary measure, nor shall any deduction from wages not authorized by national law be made without the express approval of the employee.
6. Make sure that your working hours aren't too long
Working hours must be in accordance with national legislation, collective bargaining agreements, and the ETI Base Code.
7. Discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated
Suppliers shall not discriminate based on race, color, sexual orientation, gender, political opinion, religious belief, age, or disability in any way. Suppliers must create anti-discrimination policies and methods to track compliance across their whole enterprise. Suppliers must follow national anti-discrimination laws and regulations, or international laws and regulations in the absence of a national law.
8. Make certain that regular employment is available
Work must be done based on recognized employment ties established by national law and practice to the fullest degree possible.
9. Ensure that no brutal or severe treatment is tolerated
Physical punishment, threats of physical punishment, sexual or other types of harassment, and verbal abuse or other forms of intimidation must all be forbidden.
10. Be environmentally conscious and defend the environment
Packzone conducts business in a way that is environmentally conscious and protective. We stress the need of measuring and managing our products' environmental impact throughout their lifecycle. Suppliers must execute business activities that minimize waste, energy, and water usage, as well as carbon emissions, from sourcing through delivery. Service providers must provide services in a way that promotes environmental sustainability.
11. Fight bribery and corruption and make it a thing of the past
Bribery is described as a specific crime including the practice of offering or receiving anything, usually money, to acquire an illegal advantage or to influence the recipient in a way that benefits the supplier. Corruption is the misappropriation of power or the abuse of a position of trust for personal benefit. Bribery, corruption, extortion, and embezzlement must all be prohibited by suppliers. To counteract all forms of corruption, bribery, extortion, and embezzlement, suppliers must design and implement policies and robust mechanisms. Anti-corruption and bribery legislation, both international and national, must be followed by suppliers.
12. Encourage competition that is free and open.
Packzone is a firm believer in and supporter of free and open competition. Anti-competitive agreements, anti-competitive unilateral conduct that exploits market dominance or market power, cartels, anti-competitive mergers and acquisitions, and any other kind of anti-competitive activity must all be prohibited by suppliers. Suppliers must follow all applicable antitrust and anti-competitive rules and regulations on a national and international level. Packzone conducts business in a way that is environmentally friendly and safeguards the environment.
13. Keep confidential information safe.
Suppliers must keep all Packzone private and sensitive information secure, utilize it only as directed by Packzone, and protect the information from unauthorized or inadvertent exposure. The supplier's obligation to protect Packzone’s sensitive information is ongoing and persists long after the supplier's business relationship with Packzone has ended.
14. Establish processes for handling complaints.
Formal grievance processes must be established by suppliers. Employees must be able to report any disputes that arise, such as those involving employment practices, corruption, or human rights. Suppliers must record and disclose such incidents, as well as the number of grievances raised and resolved. Suppliers must keep track of the methods they used and/or the steps they took to settle any employee grievances.
15. Obey all applicable laws and regulations
Suppliers are totally responsible for their supply chains and must ensure that they adhere to all applicable rules and regulations. Packzone maintains the right to investigate any allegations of supplier noncompliance. Noncompliance with the GSS may result in the termination of any business connections with suppliers by Packzone.
16. No tax avoidance is permitted
Suppliers shall not engage in any action, practice, or behavior that could be construed as tax evasion or tax evasion facilitation. Suppliers must make certain that this commitment is followed throughout their supply chain.
17. Adhere to sanction regimes
Suppliers must not sell, export, distribute, transfer, or otherwise give materials and/or services to any country, any entity or person acting on behalf of Packzone in violation of any current economic or trade sanctions, laws, or regulations of the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, the United Nations, or any other applicable sanctions authority, as amended from time-to-time Suppliers of raw materials and industrial goods (Section I), as well as transportation providers, are subject to additional laws and regulations (Section II).
18. Indigenous peoples' rights must be respected
Indigenous peoples' rights and traditional livelihoods must be respected by suppliers. Suppliers must obtain stakeholders' free, prior, and informed permission for resettlement, provide adequate compensation, and prevent cooperation in forceful evictions. All stakeholders' rights to water and other key resources must be respected by suppliers.
Section I Raw Materials and Industrial Materials
Suppliers of any raw materials and/or industrial materials to Packzone should review this part of requirements and standards. Suppliers must ensure that:
1. There are quality assurance processes in place
Suppliers of Packzone must have a quality management system in place to ensure that we receive products and services that meet our specifications. Our vendors must implement a quality management system that meets all current ISO 9001 or similar requirements and promotes continual development. An ISO 9001 certification is the preferred quality standard.
2. Documents and records are kept under strict monitoring
The document control of the supplier must ensure that approved, dependable, and effective documents are used. For a period of five years after delivery of the product or service, Packzone must have access to the quality system records for evaluation.
3. A quality management review is carried out
Suppliers must assess the quality system on a regular basis to guarantee consistency, effectiveness, and appropriateness, and keep track of the outcomes. Documentation of audit results, feedback, process monitoring outcomes, and product performance should all be included in the quality system review. Packzone retains the right to demand proof of these quality reviews and the measures done as a result of them.
4. Product/material specifications are met
During regular supply and development periods, all materials must be described by an accepted specification or technical data sheet and have a unique identification code. The identification can be transitory during the developing period. Suppliers may not make any modifications in raw materials/components used, or in their processes, including changes of production unit or line, unless such changes have been reported to and accepted in writing by Packzone prior to implementation. This is true even throughout development. If any such changes relating to commercially distributed content occur, Packzone must be notified at least three months in advance, but preferably six months. If raw materials or process circumstances are drastically altered, a new material identity must be employed, especially if the changes may affect the chemical composition of the material.
5. Controlled design and development Suppliers should use their design outputs to set up a controlled environment at their production, testing, and inspection facilities.
A documented cross functional process should be followed when developing and launching new materials and products.
6. To be in charge of their purchases
Suppliers must create specifications and supplier selection processes to verify that the components and raw materials used in production meet Packzone’s requirements, as outlined in Section I. The quality of the raw materials and components that suppliers purchase for manufacture is their responsibility. As a result, suppliers are expected to perform additional controls as needed to ensure that components and raw materials meet Packzone criteria. Suppliers must audit their supply chains to ensure that purchases are made from suppliers who comply to these criteria, as well as to ensure that ethical business practices and the fundamental standards outlined in this document are followed.
7. Products/materials are handled, stored, and delivered according to requirements
Suppliers must adhere to the stated packaging specifications and guidelines. Mislabeling, cross contamination, and errors must all be avoided during packaging procedures. Suppliers must establish and follow packaging standards and processes to guarantee that materials are sufficiently safeguarded during transit against tampering, damage, and contamination. Supplier labelling must comply with all applicable regulations and standards, be readable, and remain attached to the product/material during routine handling, storage, and distribution. Suppliers must ensure that vehicles are acceptable for sanitary product/material transportation and that they are cleaned and inspected on a regular basis to ensure that they are free of smells and contaminants. Before loading, all vehicles, regardless of origin, must be inspected, and inspection records must be retained.
8. To control non-conformance of materials/products Nonconforming materials and products must be identified, separated, and evaluated
The supplier must inform Packzone of the reason for non-conformance and the steps taken to prevent it from happening again.
9. Adherence to chemical limitation and handling laws
Annex A1 lists the substances that are subject to restrictions and the activities that describe their allowed use. All materials given must adhere to all applicable national and international chemical laws. Because the finished Packzone product may be marketed globally, suppliers may be obliged to observe chemical legislation in other regions of the world than where the material is provided. Additional chemical compounds have been identified by Packzone as being of particular concern and are subject to certain limitations.
10. Keep track on environmental initiatives
When applicable, suppliers must use Environmental Management Systems (EMS) to help them manage their environmental effect.
11. Protect environment
Packzone is trying to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions from start to finish, from resource extraction to manufacture, shipping, usage, and end of product life. Suppliers must actively contribute to reducing emissions, both in terms of energy for manufacture, transportation, and material source, and collaborate with Packzone to enhance its own energy efficiency, if applicable. Packzone prefers that suppliers use more renewable energy and work with more environmentally friendly products. Water should be used wisely, and water resources should be conserved whenever possible. Wastewater should be treated to meet industry standards or legal requirements, whichever is higher. Waste should be minimized by suppliers. Hazardous waste, including solid waste and air emissions, should be effectively treated to industry standards or legal requirements, whichever is larger. Suppliers should make optimal use of materials and conserve them whenever possible. Wherever possible, suppliers should reduce, reuse, and recycle resources. Reusable and recyclable products and packaging should be designed.
12. Evaluate the environmental impact
The environmental performance of suppliers will be evaluated. This will be accomplished through self-audits and assessments, as well as ad-hoc audits as needed.
Section II Transport Services
This section outlines the Packzone transportation standards for all providers that deliver Packzone items. Suppliers must ensure that:
1. There is a quality management system in place
Where relevant, suppliers must have a quality management system in place to ensure that services offered to Packzone fulfils the specifications and criteria. The quality management system of suppliers must be focused on continuously increasing performance in a cost-effective and efficient manner. An ISO 9001 certification is the preferred standard of quality.
2. Transportation activities are in accordance with applicable rules and regulations
Suppliers must use the appropriate mode(s) of transportation as specified by Packzone. For the delivery of materials or goods to Packzones’ clients, suppliers must use efficient, safe, secure, and environmentally friendly mode(s) of transportation.
3. Employee health and safety systems are ensured Suppliers must have health and safety management systems in place to ensure that employees' health and safety are protected
Employee health and safety must be continually improved through health and safety systems. The health and safety management of suppliers must meet the OHSAS 18001 standard. OHSAS 18001 is the preferred standard of health and safety.
4. Help to create a more sustainable environment
Suppliers are required to do business responsibly by using transportation modes that contribute to low emissions. Suppliers must have procedures in place to track and monitor their environmental impacts as a result of their transportation activities. Suppliers are expected to have environmental mitigation measures or plans in place. ISO 14001 accreditation is the preferred standard of environmental management.