... From Abena UK Abena Bulletin... ...there’s more to Abena than meets the eye ! JUNE 2013 Welcome to Abena UK Ltd’s Quarterly Newsletter ! New Product Information Focus On: Gloves Exhibition News Further News We have successfully moved into our new 50,000sq ft warehouse and offices, at Sprint Point, Coventry, that more than doubles our warehouse capacity. The new facility underlines the investment that is being made in the UK by our owners and it was therefore fitting that our CEO, Preben Terp-Nielsen, was present at the opening to ‘cut the ribbon’ for us. There are investments being made throughout the Abena Group and not least in a team of highly experienced Global Category Managers based in Denmark. The Global Category Managers cover ranges of key concepts such as Continence Management, Fitting Products, Protective Wear, Skin Care, Gloves, Catering Disposables. Cleaning Products, Paper and Plastics. The Global Category Managers will work closely with the Abena UK Product Managers to ensure that we have a range of products for each concept that best matches the requirements for the UK. Our Product Managers will be contacting you to discuss either your likely requirements for a concept or understand from you the products that you would like to see us make available to you. You are welcome to visit our new offices and to see our new warehouse facility – just contact Catherine with the dates when you are able to come. It would give us the opportunity, during your visit, to talk through with you ways that you believe that we may be able to help you grow the sales of Abena products. Thank you for your on-going support that is appreciated by us all at Abena UK and we wish you continued success. We now have an informative flyer on how Abena attempts, and continues in its endeavours, to preserve the environment. We have included a copy of the flyer in this edition of the bulletin for your interest and if you would like to receive more hard copies or an electronic copy by email, please do not hesitate to contact our Customer Service Team. Bambo Nature Following on from our last Bulletin where we advised of the children’s nappy becoming thinner we are pleased to announce that we will be streamlining our current range of products and in the coming months Bambo Nature will be the only range of nappies Abena will produce and will be phased in gradually. The packaging will be updated with a fresh new design and as previously advised using the latest technology the new Bambo Nature nappy will appear thinner which will create a better fit and allow children more freedom of movement. However, there is no change to the quality or materials used to make this product, and importantly, there is no change to the absorbency capacity of this product. The Bambo Nature range will also continue to have the Nordic Swan accreditation. Abena have also decided to follow the current market trend for patterned back sheets and therefore our new nappy will also feature a new unisex design. NB please be aware that the new Bambo Nature range will have brand new product codes. As Abena is continually trying to minimise the impact our products have on the environment our Bambo Nature nappies also carry the FSC Label which guarantees that the fluff used in our products is sourced from sustainable forestry, where more trees are planted than felled. Contact us on 02476 854 800 or email [email protected] Follow us on twitter @abenaUK ! Did you know Gerry Hay’s monthly comment... BR480/UK-Global/03.2013/Abena Grafisk The New Generation of Environment Friendly Diapers Brochures are now available upon request please contact [email protected] to request your copy. Preserving the Environment is Important for Abena The Nordic Eco-label was created by the Nordic Council of Ministers in 1989, with the purpose to provide an environmental labelling system that contributes to sustainable consump- tion and production. The demands to Eco-labelled products are higher than the demands put into environmental legislation by the Danish government. Being approved for the Nordic Eco-label is a long process that requires a great amount of documentation and transpa- rency. Everything from how we produce our products to what our products contain is investigated and analysed. One of the criteria to have incontinence pads certified with the Nordic Eco-la- bel is that 50 % of the product’s raw material must come from renewable materials. At Abena we are aware of our social and environmental respon- sibility and therefore, it is only natural that we live up to this criterion and are able to call us the first producer of incontinence pads to be certified with the Nordic Eco-label! Besides Abena’s own production of incontinence pads, some of our sourced products in the skin care and body wash range have been certified with the Nordic Eco-label as well. This is an indication of our commitment to locate suppliers and sourcing offices around the world that comply with the same standards Abena does, ensuring our customers a uniform service and high quality products. Abena has joined the UN Global Compact (UNGC) initiative that assists the private sector in the management of complex risks and opportunities in environmental, social and governance issues. As part of the UNGC Abena follows ten principles that are based on the areas human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. Once a year, Abena completes a status report known as ‘the Communication on Progress’ (COP). The purpose of this report is to create transparency in how we conduct our business and show our accountability. The status report is published on the UNGC website for the public to see. It is important for Abena that our partners follow the same standards as us, which is why we proactively suggest and strongly recommend our suppliers and business partners to comply with and participate in the ten principals of the UNGC! About UN Global Compact The UN Global Compact (UNGC) is a strategic policy initiative for companies committed to aligning their operations and strategies with ten principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. Abena is Part of the UN Global Compact Initiative Abena is the First and Only Producer of Incontinence Pads to Attain the Nordic Eco-label Preserving the Environment is Important for Abena At Abena we believe it is important to be part of preserving the environment. For that reason, we have made the conscious choice to be a company that strives to ”think green”. We take the necessary precautions to keep our strain on the environment at an absolute minimum! According to the European Commission we throw away 3 billion tonnes of waste in the EU per year. Between 1990 and 1995 the amount of waste in the EU increased by 10 % - a number the OECD estimates will have increased to 45 % by 2020, if nothing is done to reverse this problem. [Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development] At Abena we do not want to add to that statistic. We realise that running a production facility can affect the environment and for that reason, it is important for us to ensure that we take every possible precaution to keep our waste level at an absolute minimum. Our own-production factory in Denmark recycles a full 95 % of all wastecoming from our production of incontinence pads and baby diapers. The waste con- sists of for instance foil wrapping from raw materials, surplus textile from the pad cutting machine or leftover fluff from the changing of fluff coils. Abena’s waste is collected and sold to recycling companies, where it is pro- cessed and transformed into new raw materials. With this method of recyc- ling, our waste becomes part of a crad- le-to-cradle life cycle that is based on the idea of a product never dying, but being re-born as a new useful product or material. This way of recycling does not only allow Abena to handle waste in an environment friendly way, but is also beneficiary to the world, as it decreases the exploitation of the world’s natural resources. Abena Recycles 95 % of All Waste from Own Production - The Cradle-to-Cradle Concept Abena is ISO 14001 Certified ISO 14001 is a worldwide acknowledged standard that addresses various aspects of environmental management and provides practical tools for companies looking to identify and control their impact on the environment. Being certified with ISO 14001 provides assurance to Abena’s employees as well as customers, partners and wholesalers that we comply with environmental management regulations and that our impact on the environment is continuously being measured and improved. One of the initiatives Abena has taken with ISO 14001 is to create a ‘green account’ where we keep track of our use of resources such as fuel oil, electricity and raw materials. It also allows us to track our resources and waste compared to our production levels. In addition, Abena actively works on reducing the levels of CO created during production. About ISO 14001 ISO 14001 is the international standard for environment management. It was created in 1996 and has been revised in 2004. The standard is the most dominating standard for environmental management in the world.