Company profile

PEOPLE

We want to be a good employer which means operating in accordance with standards and values and having a policy of ‘zero-tolerance’ to corruption, discrimination, intimidation, violence and sexism.

The creation of good working conditions is the top priority of our personnel policyand we promote equal opportunities and respect the privacy and rights of every individual.

We offer an honest reward and guarantee the minimum wage.

We accept responsibility for the health and safety of our employees and take every possible precaution to prevent accidents and job-related illness.

The Van der Windt  Group work pro-actively with the  Dukdalf Sheltered Workshop in Maassluis and with a number of training establishment and educational institutes in the field of work experience places, secondment, information and exchange of knowledge.
 

The Van der Windt Group is an approved work experience place provider. 

We sponsor a number of social, cultural and sporting activities and have donated to charitable projects for many years; until 2005 we supported ‘Cordaid People in Need’ and since 2006 we have adopted the living room in the Ronald McDonald House Sophia in Rotterdam (which was opened in 2009).

We care about the welfare of our suppliers’ employees and we operate in accordance with strict regulations based on the SA 8000 standard, which relates to child labour, forced labour, health & safety, freedom from (trade) unions, discrimination, disciplinary measures, salaries and management systems.
Compliance with this SA 8000 standard is a component of our procurement strategy and is actively monitored during visits to suppliers.

PLANET

The concerns when thinking about the Planet are to ensure a clean living environment, the efficient use of raw materials and the minimising of harmful gas and particle emissions.
Efficient heating of areas, separated waste collection, green electricity and energy-saving lighting are visible examples of this.

Packaging sometimes has a negative image but it can contribute towards reducing pressure on the environment. Plastic films, for example, can extend the shelf-life of products which means far less food is thrown away.
Properly evaluating packaging’s effect on the climate means not only taking the manufacturing and waste phases into consideration but also the usage phase. In many instances we can offer our customers material saving alternatives or packaging that can be reused many times this contributes towards a responsible use of raw materials and we supply a wide range of bio-based packaging.

We are constantly on the look out for products and concepts that are more environmentally friendly.
The Van der Windt Group’s active involvement in the development and promotion of packaging made from renewable raw materials led to it being nominated for the 2009 NRK ‘PRIMA Ondernemen’ (Operating EXCELLENCE) prize for CSR.

The Van der Windt Group is currently drawing up a plan for reducing CO₂  the details of which will be announced as soon as this long-term plan has been finalised.

PROFIT

Achieving a healthy profit is vital for the continuity of our company and provides a firm foundation for our CSR policy and the Van der Windt Group has set itself a profit target. There is no reason why achieving our objectives in the fields of ‘people’ and ‘planet’ should conflict with the achievement of our profit target.

Our striving to be a good employer stimulates staff loyalty and our selection of respected suppliers is the best guarantee of the good quality of our products.

Offering sustainable packaging solutions, for example by improving the protection from deterioration or by reducing the amount of materials used  can also be advantageous from a business economics perspective both for us and our customers. Using less energy and an economical use of raw materials can also result in cost savings.

'A business that makes nothing but money is poor business' (Henry Ford)