TEXTILES.ORG
TenCate has achieved the next step in implementing its sustainability policy. The company has announced that all four of its market groups have been certified in accordance with the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Performance Ladder level 3 standards. Accredited certification bureaus have established that business operations at the Dutch production company satisfy the certification standards for corporate social responsibility. This makesTenCate the first company in the Netherlands to have simultaneously certified four different divisions with CSR Performance Ladder standards.
In the past six months all TenCate market groups in the Netherlands have implemented CSR Performance Ladder level 3. The first three of the four market groups were certified independently at the end of 2012 for corporate social responsibility: TenCate Protective & Outdoor Fabrics by Bureau Veritas, TenCate Advanced Composites by certification bureau LRQA and TenCate Grass by DEKRA. Recently the fourth Dutch market group, TenCate Geosynthetics, was also certified for CSR by DEKRA. Each certificate is valid for three years.
The CSR Performance Ladder is built around three core components based on international CSR guidelines (such as ISO 26000, ISO 9001, AA1000 and the Global Reporting Initiative). The certificate imposes management standards and requirements on how each business unit introduces and develops corporate social responsibility. Stakeholders’ interests are demonstrably taken into account and each market group regularly reports CSR matters to its stakeholders. Furthermore, the 33 CSR indicators – such as energy consumption, waste and wastewater, safety, sustainability of suppliers and welfare – were incorporated into the CSR management system for each market group.
CSR Performance Ladder level 3 certification also requires the TenCate market groups to involve direct and indirect stakeholders in the company’s activities. This underlines the value chain management the textile technology group has pursued for more than a decade on the basis of the TenCate business model. The CSR certification is also based on at least one of the ISO 14001 or ISO 9001 certification standards.
In preparation for certification, the four TenCate market groups in the Netherlands were advised by Royal HasKoning DHV. Rob van Tilburg, manager, sustainable enterprise, praised TenCate’s performance: “In just a short time TenCate has produced the hitherto unique achievement of obtaining the certificate for the CSR Performance Ladder within four divisions in parallel. This is a great achievement that will enable the company to excel in sustainability and to make a difference in the field of corporate social responsibility. This certification is further evidence of the fact that the TenCate group is serious about its sustainable solutions.”
The public sector will increasingly require demonstrable CSR during requests for proposals. The TenCate textile technology multinational company offers a broad range of sustainable materials and systems, such as protective fabrics for military, emergency response and industrial applications, lightweight composites for the aerospace sector and automotive industry, armour solutions, geotextiles for infrastructure and water management, as well as recyclable synthetic turf systems.
In 2013, work will be carried out to obtain the first such certification for TenCate business units in other countries. Achieving this will be a first, as the CSR Performance Ladder has thus far only been implemented by Dutch companies.