Westpack's new CSR report is here: a report that sums up the CSR-related activities from the company’s recently completed fiscal year 2019-20. Read on to learn more about some of the new initiatives.
“In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis it is imperative that we do not compromise our CSR efforts”, Morten Dalsgaard writes in his CEO statement that opens Westpack’s new CSR Report.
When the economy is in a critical state, he reflects, companies may be tempted to diminish their CSR efforts in order to get momentary financial gain. But Westpack’s customers can rest assured:
“It is Westpack’s mission to ensure that all our internal affairs are in sync with both the UN Global Compact and the Sustainable Development Goals. It is equally important that we ensure continued decent CSR conduct in our supply chains. We will not allow any link in the chain to be weakened.”
Looking through the CSR report, it becomes evident that there has been continuous CSR improvement in the past year – with regards to eco-friendly production, monitoring processes, humanitarian collaborations and much more.
Read Westpack’s CSR report for 2019/2020 here >
Collaborations with NGOs
For several years, Westpack has had a strong focus on Sustainable Development Goal #17: Partnerships for the Goals. The fiscal year 2019-20 saw a continuation and intensification of this focus.
For example, Westpack continued to work with Etnia Barcelona Foundation and support their projects to provide eye examinations and eyewear to local communities in Senegal. The latest collaboration between Westpack and the Etnia Barcelona Foundation is a response to the COVID-19 crisis. The project aims at supporting particularly vulnerable individuals who, due to the COVID-19 crisis, are now facing additional problems. The project is called "Opticians with You" and is scheduled to be launched during the summer of 2020 and will run throughout the year.
Many new eco-friendly products
In the past year, Westpack has introduced several new products in the ECO category. Notably, the popular cardboard jewellery boxes in the Boston, Frankfurt and Milano series have been made in eco-friendly versions. All of them are made from FSC®-certified cardboard. A range of eco-friendly postal boxes for e-commerce have also been introduced. Another interesting addition is a range of eco-friendly padded envelopes. The envelopes have the same functionality as conventional bubble mailers, but the plastic bubbles have been replaced by 100% recycled paper cut out in a pattern.
New energy-efficient warehouse
On January 1, 2020, Westpack’s new warehouse was inaugurated. This 47,000 square-feet state-of-the-art warehouse replaced an old rented facility located 10 miles from the Westpack headquarters. The new warehouse uses district heating, which is much more efficient and environmentally friendly than the pellet stove that was used in the previously rented warehouse.
More transparency with amfori
From July 1, 2020, Westpack has become a full member of amfori (the leading global business association for open and sustainable trade). This gives access to the BSCI platform, which is renowned for its transparency in the monitoring process. Going forward, data can be shared across the different links of Westpack’s supply chain, improving both tracking and monitoring.
As confirmed by Westpack’s values, CSR, responsibility and credibility have high priority in our organisation. And since CSR is a point of emphasis for many of our partners, it is also one of our absolute field of focus.
In 2015 the Member States of the United Nations made a plan for achieving a better future. 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were described, including No Poverty, Zero Hunger and Climate Action. There is a consensus that all sectors in society (including business) need to work together to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.