Walki Group. Executive Summary Sustainability at Walki

Transcription

1 2017 Walki Group Executive Summary

2 932 This is Walki - Innovating for a be er world Employees 10 Walki Group is a leading international producer of innovative, sustainable multilayer laminates and protective packaging solutions.we specialise in the production of intelligent fiberbased multilaminate products for markets ranging from energy saving construction facings and membranes to barrier packaging applications. Our four business areas are Industrial Packaging, Consumer Packaging, Construction and Asia Pacific (APAC). Walki is a Finnish company operating mainly in the Nordics and Europe. We have 10 production facilities which are located in Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, UK, Russia and China, with a workforce of more than 900 people in total. Walki s solutions are sold all over the world, our main markets are Europe, Scandinavia and Asia. Our supply chain extends to several countries in Europe and Asia. Walki has a long history dating back to the early days in the Finnish packaging industry. Walki was founded in 1930 and our production started with the founding of the first plant in Valkeakoski. Everything we do is strongly rooted in our extensive knowledge of technical multilayer laminate solutions. We produce a number of energy saving and intelligent laminates that are used in for example the construction, Production plants in 7 countries 11 Countries of operation paper and consumer packaging industries. Our expertise in multilaminates is also crucial for developing solutions for flexible packaging applications as well as for barrier board and lining materials used by the solid and corrugated board industry. Our business model builds upon innovation and collaboration. At Walki we work together with our customers to find the best solutions. We have a history of more than 85 years of innovative product development. Our heritage of customerdriven innovation lives on as we create new products and solutions in our Technology Competence Center. In addition our business area specific Technical Service & Development Managers work closely with our clients in developing new solutions to meet environmental and customer needs Net Sales Years of history

3 Year 2017 highlights -50% Decrease in frequency of accidents at work (LTIFR) 358 safety reports per 100 employees Recovery of waste over 97% -38% Total reduction of VOC emissions from baseline year Number of near misses and safety observations 38% of total fiberbased material used are FSC & PEFC certified papers Over 80% of our products are produced using renewable materials 68% Share of suppliers accepted Code of Conduct in relation to total purchage value 13,3% Sales of new products of our total sales

4 Greetings from the CEO For example, in 2017 we introduced the biodegradable mulch paper for farmers as a smarter choice to the million tons of plastic film currently used to cover our farmlands. Already in 2017, over 80% of our products were produced using renewable materials. This year we set an ambitious target to reach 100 % by the year 2030 for all the materials where a renewable solution is available. Hereby we want to demonstrate the potential in the new solutions and thus offer our approach in the shift from a linear to a circular economy. Fire has had a devastating impact on people s lives and poses a threat to their homes. As an example of Walki s commitment to fire safety, we have started a comprehensive 5-year R&D program partnering with rawmaterial suppliers and several universities to develop a range of fire retardant, multilayer products. Responsible operations beyond our factory walls Lead with the ability to adapt For Walki, the year 2017 has been a year of innovation and growth. Our net sales were a total of 318 million euro. Through our products we are present in the everyday life of our customers. Walki s solutions directly affect the functionality, safety and user friendliness of how food is packaged, houses are insulated and how industrial goods are protected. Our products have also have an undeniable impact on the environment around us. Understanding our customers and staying agile in an ever changing surroundings has kept Walki ahead of the curve throughout its long history. We have been and continue to be commi ed to leading change rather than following others. At Walki our sustainability work is realized through the responsibility we have towards the customers we serve, the people we employ and the society we operate in. Our sustainability work focuses on creating a positive environmental and social impact through our products, in our production and with our people. Already in 2017, over 80% of our products were produced using renewable materials The linear plastic economy an environmental challenge tackled by the circular economy Climate change is evident in the drastic global weather changes and in the impacts it has on countless people around the world. In Walki s view being environmentally responsible is a fundamental part of quality. We want environmentally responsible choices to reflect our operations and the solutions and services we provide our customers. At Walki we focus our efforts on the efficient use of materials and energy, using energy from renewable resources as well as producing light weight and durable products. All of this helping our customers minimize their environmental impact. In the last years especially plastics have played a key and central role in the story of the linear take-use-dispose economy and daily culture of over consumption. Images of plastic mountains filling landfills, oceans turning into seas of floating plastics and microplastics entering our food chains have demanded our a ention. Moreover the plastics economy has underlined a major design flaw in our societies as studies show that a massive 86 % of plastics used for packaging are currently not recycled. As a durable and cheap material plastics have become an essential part of our industries and every-day lives. Therefore as a producer of multilayer laminates and packaging solutions, we see that we have a responsibility to tackle this global issue by investing in alternative materials to plastics. At Walki we focus on providing material efficiency solutions to our customers. We see that in the long run our direction will be changed away from fossil-based materials like conventional plastics to renewable and recyclable choices. Bio-based plastics can be degradable and thus have a reduced risk of ending up in our land and seas. When somebody asks us what Walki is doing, we want to be able to answer we are developing alternatives to plastics! Our greatest asset is our experienced and skillful workforce. Therefore our main and top priority is to keep our personnel safe and well. Safety first lessons we abide by From a business point of view safety, productivity, and quality are related. Our greatest asset is our experienced andskillful workforce. Therefore ourmain and toppriority is to keep our personnel safe and well. We recognize that human behavior in manufacturing is one of the fundamental causes for safety hazards. In the past years we have focused on ge ing more people to participate in our safety procedures and we have promoted safety as an a itude and mind set to all our employees. Our efforts have shown positive results with the number of accidents per million hours worked decreased from more than 12,8 in 2016 to 6,6 in Thinking about safety is a core assumption when we develop Walki s products and solutions. For example, how food is packaged has an enormous impact on its quality. Similarly how houses are insulated affects safety and wellbeing. Many of the threats people are exposed to daily are not on their radar even though they come into contact with these risks continuously. For example radon is a colorless and odorless gas that sneaks into homes through cracks in building structures and has proven to have significant effects on human health. Walki provides different types of radon and methane barriers, which prevent these dangerous gases from entering homes and workplaces and can improve the health of residents. The responsibility of our operations expand beyond our factory walls to include our supply chain. Today our global supply chain includes over 350 suppliers. We recognize that our supply chain stretches to environments and countries where the general level of operations might not be up to the same standards to which we abide by in the Nordics. Therefore, we require our suppliers to comply with the same ethical principles we demand from ourselves. Looking into the future In 2018 our key focus will be on operational excellence (Walki Operational System), new product development, quality and safety. Our next step is to focus on further improving our own operations and investing in environmentally sustainable solutions, such as replacing fossil-based polymers by products based on renewable and recyclable materials. We conclude that the greatest ambassador for our sustainability message is our own personnel and therefore we will choose Sustainability Spokespersons to lead by example and to train others on how to integrate sustainable working habits and behaviors throughout the Walki Group. In the years to come innovation and the ability to adapt to changes will be paramount for Walki because we wish to continue to provide our customers with meaningful and climate smart solutions. CEO Leif Frilund

5 Developing sustainable solutions for the end-user At Walki we strive for a life-centric approach. Life-centricity means being aware of how interdependent all forms of life are.this means that a life-centric business always considers the life-cycle of materials. It assesses the sustainability of the processes used to manufacture goods.the needs of customers and the needs of future generations can be met but this requires innovation in how we use and reuse materials and energy. We contribute with our actions by helping the packaging and construction industry to provide more carrying capacity and shelter in the world by designing and manufacturing our solutions in a sustainable way. We focus on innovation, creating value and fueling the growth of our customers businesses. The products we provide are customer dedicated solutions and have a thorough understanding of the needs of our customers and the end-user. We provide the end-users with safe sustainable materials and solutions. We make sustainable choices easy for the end-users by focusing on solutions that make business sense whilst not forcing our customers to compromise on sustainability or safety. Safety is an important aspect of our solutions in all of our business areas. At Walki we see that safety and quality go hand in hand. High quality performance is one of the key elements of our competitiveness and we want to be a high quality supplier to our customers. Our solutions have been designed to meet all of the major requirements and recommendations on quality. However, we aim to be proactive in offering our end-user protection that is above standard levels. Walki s guiding principle of maximum protection with minimum use of materials describes the environmental perspective on our product responsibility. Being environmentally responsible is a fundamental part of quality. We want the solutions and services we provide to reflect environmentally responsible choices. Walki grows on innovation and opportunity. We want to use our abilities to create new business opportunities from environmentally responsible solutions. We also focus our efforts on efficient use of materials and energy, using energy and materials produced from renewable resources, enabling the use of recyclable materials and minimizing discharges. We strive to develop our solutions and services so that they have minimal environmental impacts by using materials that are of sustainable origin and minimize waste. Therefore they should be recyclable, reusable or possible to dispose of safely. We use intelligent materials that create added value and help our customers minimize their environmental impacts. Industrial packaging sustainable and safe protection Walki is among the market leaders in Europe of Industrial Packaging. Walki s Industrial Packaging business area offers solutions for reel packaging and ream wrapping for the paper industry and a wide range of technical solutions helping to protect steel and other valuable products during storage and transportation, as well as carrier materials for soft foam industry, material In the Consumer Packaging business, Walki focuses on capturing growth in specific segments. Our competitive advantage is the ability to provide our clients with tailored solutions. Walki s Consumer Packaging business area offers packaging material solutions for the food and retail industry including barrier lining, barrier board and flexible packaging materials. Walki s solutions have a big impact on the quality, safety and environmental impact of the packaging product. Environmental friendly solutions, food safety legislation, and the consumer demand for green products has grown considerably. This has become the target for finding solutions for Walki and its customers. for advertising billboards and specialized products for the automotive industry. We aim to provide value to our customers by developing efficient, competitive, lighter and high quality solutions. With our industrial packaging solutions we have many opportunities to develop sustainable choices that help our customers and the end users to Plastics are one of the most common materials used for consumer packaging and are therefore a big part of our daily lives. However the use of plastics have a negative impact on the environment. The waste generatedby the fossil-based plastic materials is creating a growing problem when it is ending up in landfills or even worse polluting the oceans and our living environment. We want to provide our customers with smart alternatives to traditional plastics. Walki s daily task is to provide its customers with ways of drastically decreasing their negative environmental impact by offering new, sustainable solutions. reduce their environmental footprint. To improve resource efficiency we have continuously developed solutions that give perfect protection, minimize both raw material use in production and waste in the whole value chain, and maximize the use of renewable raw materials. Consumer products environmentally smart solutions Walki offers a range of biopolymer products that have barrier properties, which may include protection from light, moisture, mineral oil, gases and aromas while ensuring that the packaging material is water repellent. Packaging made from biopolymers has proven to be especially popular in consumer packaging where a lot of companies are looking at sustainable choices. Using biopolymers is also ecofriendly. When materials are based on bio-based polymers sourcing is done from renewable sources, such as plant starch, sugar cane, wood residues and other renewables. One of the main perks of using material made of biopolymers is that the packaging materials can also be designed to be biodegradable. Constructions functional and safe solutions Walki is a leading global producer of construction materials. Walki offers a range of membranes and facings, industrial laminates and energy saving laminates for the construction and insulation industry. We focus specifically on the end-use functionality, safety and energy saving qualities of the products we provide to our customers. These products are used for decades in buildings and need to be sustainable, functional and safe. We do not use any harmful materials in our products and continuously assess their quality and safety features. To assure the safety aspect we require the help of our partners. Our products include a variety of decorative and moisture protective laminates for flooring laminates and work top lamination. We also offer a range of breathable construction membranes, facings and laminates, which address issues of increasing importance: energy saving and healthy, sustainable buildings. Proper insulation is crucial but it must however be accompanied by moisture control to avoid decay and mold. This also has a major effect on the health and wellbeing for the occupants in these homes. Our excellent vapor control systems include moisture barriers as well as breathable membranes. There is a growing demand in the construction market for solutions that increase the quality and lifespan of buildings. The regulatory environment is changing regarding for example the health and safety aspects of materials used in construction. In addition the EU energy saving targets for 2020 are urging the construction industry to look for energy efficient solutions. Walki has been preparing for the tightening regulations and the growing demand of the modern market.

6 High quality service customers in the center At Walki we provide our customers with reliable and high quality products and services. Our business is built upon understanding the needs of our customers and being able to develop tailor-made, relevant and purpose-specific solutions. Our product responsibility is based on strict principles concerning the health, safety and the environmental aspects of our products. Quality is one our focus areas and will continue to be so in The Walki Quality Principles define our view on quality. For Walki quality means fulfilling all our promises to the customers. This includes not only product performance but also our actions, like meeting confirmed delivery times and providing correct documents to our customers. A good measure for quality is the number of customer claims and remarks we receive, but it can also be measured by collecting feedback and actively asking how we can improve in all interactions with our customers. Focusing on satisfied customers We focus our efforts on maintaining a high customer satisfaction level. In order to serve our customers in the best possible way, we focus on improving our product development and customer service. Therefore we want to highlight customer focus in all our processes. We aim to improve delivery performance by ensuring fast reaction times, being reliable and providing technical customer service. We continuously monitor our customer satisfaction levels to know how we can improve our services. Walki Quality Principles Right first time Quality secures our future I can make a difference