MVO

Corporate Social Responsibility

Let’s go the extra mile with a smile

The only corporate social responsibility that works is the one that is embedded in our daily work. Almost like a habit. A habit takes time to develop and therefore we are grateful that acting responsibly has always been part of ELEQ’s DNA. Using time, money and energy as effectively as possible is a daily task.

Today we could be asking ourselves: can we reduce the amount of energy we use? Can we use renewable sources like the sun? Tomorrow we might ask: can we take an initiative to improve our production process? So it always starts with asking questions and then taking the time and the energy to find new ways to go the extra mile. We invite you to come along and join in, and smile with us at the prospects of a better future.

All in all, we strive for continuity. In operations, in returns and in our relationships with the people we work with. For us, good business practice means treating people, society and the world with respect. Therefore we focus on:

• People
  ELEQ uses social employment and labour integration, surveys safety and stimulates participation.
• Planet
  ELEQ offers you an objective look at what we actually do for a better planet.
• Profit
  ELEQ offers awareness of energy use, a starting point for better, sustainable profits.

Always feel free to ask us any question you may have. Let’s get together and create some great new insights.

People

ELEQ uses social employment and labour integration, surveys safety and stimulates participation.

Labour conditions
We strive to ensure that our employees work safely, with passion and pleasure. We therefore continuously invest in improving the working conditions of our employees to reduce physical stress, environmental stress and psychosocial stress.

Safety is an important topic in our company. For a long time we have assessed order and tidiness in the workplace through 5S audits. In 2015 we also started making security rounds. These are performed by supervisors to chart potential safety risks and then eliminate or minimise these. Through workshops with supervisors we have been able to establish a risk matrix, with security being one of the aspects measured. Safety and safety risks within the company are evaluated every three years through an RI&E.

Furthermore, we have appointed a counsellor who employees can consult when dealing with possible psychological complaints on the job.

Participation
We believe it is important that our employees have a say in our operations by means of a Participation Council. Every employee should be able to grow and contribute to our professional organisation. Participation also stimulates commitment and involvement with the company. In Steenwijk we have a Participation Council. This gives employees a say in business affairs both small and large. The number of employees in the Participation Council is five from every office. The council is re-elected every four years. This guarantees that the entire organisation is involved with the representation of ELEQ employees within the Participation Council.

ELEQ Steenwijk also has a Staff Association, supported by the company. They organise relaxing, cultural outings several times a year. Additionally, every year all members choose a charity for sponsoring. In recent years these were usually national charities, but regional charities have also been chosen. Through monthly savings, the ELEQ employees put aside a small, fixed amount for this charity. Over the years donations have been made to KiKa, De Nierstichting, Familiehuis Daniel den Hoed and Make a Wish.

Social employment and labour integration
For many years our Steenwijk location has collaborated with the NoordWestGroep, an organisation for social employment and labour integration. In recent years this collaboration has intensified, resulting in the integration of the NoordWestGroep into ELEQ in 2013. Every day some forty people from the NoordWestGroep make an important contribution to the manufacturing of around five hundred different products. This lasting deployment of the NoordWestGroep guarantees quality because these employees know the products and procedures within ELEQ. It also provides continuity for the NoordWestGroep.

From our location in Kerpen we also work together with an organisation for social employment and labour integration called Caritas. This organisation works for the Kerpen location at its own location, where they are specialised in the assembly of a multitude of products.

Indirectly our close collaboration with the NoordWestGroep and Caritas creates an estimated 7% social return on investment by our clients for their customers.

Local community
We greatly value the environment and culture surrounding ELEQ. By investing in the environment we want to involve the local population —with many of our employees among them— with each other’s activities as well as with the surroundings.

We sponsor a diversity of regional events and sports clubs. Examples are great initiatives such as the Skeelerklim and the Wielerrun in Steenwijk. We are also a longstanding sponsor of Rabo Theater de Meenthe, a theatre where our employees receive a discount on several shows. Through such investments we stimulate the regional economy. At the same time we are offering employees a chance for a nice evening out, which benefits the balance of work and private life. We have also sponsored the soccer club FC Kerpen for a number of years.

On top of all that, we prefer to outsource work locally if the price quality ratio is acceptable.

Social responsibility
ELEQ also sponsors organisations that contribute to a better world. We currently sponsor Artsen zonder Grenzen (Doctors Without Borders) and Oxfam Novib. Both organisations strive to improve the world on all continents. Oxfam Novib fights against poverty and injustice, and Doctors Without Borders gives medical aid regardless of religion, ancestry or political conviction.

ELEQ is also proactively identifying, analysing and reducing risks connected to our products during their entire life cycle, for instance by increasingly adding manuals to products to prevent or reduce possible dangers for society.

Planet

ELEQ offers you an objective look at what we actually do for a better planet.

Environment
ELEQ wants to comply with the most stringent environmental laws. We therefore develop, produce and sell according to the environmental care system NEN-EN-ISO 14001:2015 and we are TUV certified. We continuously adapt all our processes to reduce harmful substances.

Download: TUV-ISO certificate ELEQ Steenwijk bv
Download: TUV-ISO certificate ELEQ Kerpen GmbH

ELEQ also complies with the European directive of the EC Regulation 1907/2006 concerning REACH. REACH stands for Registration Evaluation Authorization and restriction of Chemicals. ELEQ also complies with the EU legislation for the Restriction of Hazardous Substances RoHS (EG) 2011/65/EU and 2015/863. RoHS contains a list of restricted chemicals.

Download: REACH and RoHS ELEQ Steenwijk bv
Download: REACH and RoHS ELEQ Kerpen GmbH

Additionally, the remaining copper, brass and plastic from the production process are recycled and reused. After this, the remains are removed from the production process by authorised companies, all NIWO affiliated.

All our products are produced according to high quality standards —our own and those of our buyers— to ensure they are durable. Every ELEQ product distinguishes itself by its simple, smart design and solid construction, which ensures a long lifespan. Our precision has become our standard practice. We will never abandon our high demands for development and production of our products.

Materials
Our ethical and social responsibilities are integrated in our everyday operations. Therefore we actively avoid any violation of human rights. An example? By subscribing to the ‘Conflict Minerals’ Policy Statement we support the activities of the EICC and GeSi, which demands that we do everything within our power to ensure gold, tin, tantalum and tungsten originate from conflict-free zones.

Download: Policy Statement Conflict Minerals

Besides the origins of our materials we also examine their quality and implement improvements for the benefit of our products. For example, we recycle used parts and reduce the quantity (weight) of materials used in our products.

Sustainable energy
We encourage electric driving, also among visitors. Electric cars contribute to a better environment by reducing CO2, emissions. So at our facilities in Steenwijk and Kerpen we offer visitors charging points for their electric cars.

At our Kerpen location we have used solar energy since 31 October 2012. With a total of 1,084 solar panels, reaching across 1,791 m2 we can generate 36% of the required energy ourselves. This maximises sustainable production at Kerpen.