Environmental Policy

Introduction

Ontex is committed to sustainable business practices which are seen to be integral with good corporate governance. Having won the “Better Environment Award for Industry” in 1996, Ontex has continued to demonstrate its commitment to the environment through its activities and product development.

Ontex specifies that its own activities and those of its suppliers meet both environmental codes of practice and codes of fair and ethical conduct. The principles that Ontex employs in caring for the environment are covered by the following:

Raw Materials

Suppliers must demonstrate environmental management systems that ensure:

Responsible sourcing - for example pulp must only come from certified forests. Third party certification is preferred.
Sustainability – only materials bleached with non elemental chlorine are considered suitable for use.
Traceability & Chain of Custody – to verify compliance with corporate policies and national legislation.
Energy consumption – sourcing of energy from “renewables” with a commitment to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Manufacturing Processes

Ontex Healthcare manufacturing processes are based on a zero waste philosophy. This was a key factor in achieving the “Better Environment Award for Industry”. The key steps in the manufacturing process are:

Raw material usage
Process Flow
Production
Packaging

Based on ISO14001 the following principles are used:

Streaming of waste for recycling – cardboard, diecut plastic waste and plastic packaging waste
Where possible rework of rejected or damaged product.
Conversion of non recoverable waste into combustible pellets. Clean combustion of non recoverable waste pellets generates power for the factory
Zero emission policy to air, ground and water – nothing leaves the factory unless it is recycled or ready for recycling!

Policies and Accreditation

Ontex operates or adheres to the following:

ISO14001 based system
FDA and / or BGVV approved raw materials
EN 94/62 for packaging materials
“Der Grune Punkt” – eco packaging label

Research and Development

Environmental factors are key drivers in all Ontex R&D projects. The environment is a key pillar of our current business and will be a major factor in the future success of the business. Ontex is working in two main areas - biodegradability and sustainability, taking care to ensure that these work together and not against each other.

Primary objectives:

Biodegradability

Increasing the use of renewable resources
Continuous search for new raw materials to maximise biodegradability for example starch based packaging
Full product lifecycle evaluation
Continuous product development including detailed evaluation of the environmental impact
Continuous process improvement aimed at reducing waste and energy consumption
Use of recycled materials for example all cardboard boxes are made out of recycled cellulose based materials
Logistics – load and journey optimisation reducing truck miles