Sustainability Report 2016/2017

Sustainability Report 2016/2017 Guidelines for responsible entrepreneurial conduct LEGAL NOTICE 4. Zentis GmbH & Co. KG Sustainability Report 1. Edition 2018 © 2018, Zentis GmbH & Co. KG Jülicher Straße 177, 52070 Aachen www.zentis.de [email protected] Design: Communication Agency Schultze. Walther. Zahel. GmbH All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by photographic or electronic means without the explicit approval of Zentis GmbH & Co. KG. Sustainability Report 2016/2017 Guidelines for responsible entrepreneurial conduct LIST OF CONTENTS List of Contents Foreword �� 6 About this Report �� 8 1. Zentis – Our Company �� 11 Company profile �� 11 Business segments and turnover �� 12 Foreign business �� 12 The Zentis brand �� 13 Social commitment �� 15 2. O ur Products �� 16 Innovative product development �� 16 Areas of competence �� 17 Quality and safety �� 18 3. Environmental Responsibility in Production and Logistics �� 23 Important projects and developments �� 23 Resource management �� 24 Logistics �� 28 4. Responsibility when purchasing raw materials �� 31 Procurement of raw materials �� 31 Selection and cooperation with suppliers �� 32 Quality assurance and training courses �� 35 Purchasing of certified raw materials �� 36 5. Zentis Employees �� 40 Corporate culture �� 40 Qualification and personnel development �� 41 Occupational safety and health �� 46 Compliance �� 47 Appendix �� 49 GRI Content Index ........................................................................................................................................................ 58 5 FOREWORD Foreword We have specialised in the processing and refining as nuts. We have steadily increased the use of RSPO of fruit and other natural raw materials for 125 years. certified palm oil and UTZ-certified cocoa. Where we Nature has always been our most important supplier cannot work with certification, we try to take influ- , and thus an essential factor for our company s success. ence on our suppliers. In particular, our consumers are This makes it all the more important to handle avail- paying more attention to these topics. able resources with care. Efficient and resource-saving production is another In our company, sustainable development means equal central point of our activities. The successes are consideration for ecological, economic and social becoming less comprehensive at the high level already issues – in the form of active responsibility for our achieved, yet this does not diminish our ambition. corporate actions along the entire value chain. Another aspect of our sustainability strategy is action As a medium-sized company in family ownership, we geared towards innovation and quality. For innovative, are willing and able to implement long-term strategies future-oriented products, we need not only our many , beyond short-term investors interests. We also con- years of expert knowledge, but also the close coop- sistently make use of this freedom in our commitment eration with our customers. Our quality and safety to sustainability. standards are manifested in established processes that are audited regularly. We take responsibility, both within the company and towards our suppliers and partners. We see the possibilities of digitisation in this area as a great opportunity to optimise processes and supply We maintain long-term and intensive partnerships with chains. We are already active in initial projects, e. g. in our suppliers and customers. We resolutely endeavour the area of “smart containers”. to achieve close cooperation and transparent communication. This was also demonstrated by our first We welcome the fact that, in addition to the quality of Supplier Day. their food, an increasing number of consumers keep an eye on where it originates and on how it is processed. Our responsibility extends even further to working We use proven and new channels for our customer and growing conditions at our producers – especially communication in order to be consistently transpar- for the raw materials palm oil, cocoa and coffee, as well ent and up-to-date. 6 FOREWORD We are proud of the above-average length of service of Henceforth, our sustainability management will be our employees. We want to support this by offering a managed as a separate staff unit and assigned to the safe, interesting work environment. This includes strin- Quality Management Department. gent personnel development and qualification opportu- nities, the shortage of skilled workers is also becoming The current market situation holds significant chal- partly noticeable in our company. New concepts were lenges for the future. Declining demand for consumer successfully launched in the reporting period. goods is characterising European markets. The decreas- ing population in Europe on the one hand and continuing Business development in recent years has been char- globalisation on the other will result in more changes. acterised by declining volumes and sales, partly due to A rise in demand for raw materials and concentration the loss of a major customer and strong competition processes on the consumer side will bring about tan- in Europe. gible changes. The development of our global business and expan- The company also faces risks, for example those result- sion abroad are becoming increasingly important. We ing from exchange-rate fluctuations or the global net- see decisive growth potential here for the future. The working of flows of raw materials and goods. integration of the foreign subsidiaries – also in sustainability controlling – is being systematically pursued. The consequences of climate change, such as drought, Conversely, we have significantly consolidated the frost and crop failures, can also influence

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