UNILIN, division flooring site also subscribed to the Corporate Sustainability Charter, a programme in which companies can voluntarily participate. To do so they must propose actions on 10 sustainability themes which are evaluated each year by a committee of external experts. Unilin Flooring received the annual certificate of the Corporate Sustainability Charter in 2010 and 2011. The longer-term intention is to apply the principles of the Charter to UNILIN´s other Belgian sites as well.
UNILIN wants to integrate sustainability principles even more explicitly into its management: in all business processes and all decisions, not only economic but also ecological and social aspects will be taken into consideration. In this way, the company wishes to base its further growth and development on the respect and trust that it builds up and continuously earns from all stakeholders:
The shareholders expect not only that profit is made, but also that the company has a long-term vision and perpetuates its growth within a framework of social responsibility.
The employees find their salary important, but also such elements as working conditions, working circumstances and atmosphere.
Our customers want a beautiful and robust product that is easy to handle and install, as well as one that doesn´t release harmful substances in the home during use. Customers are also interested in what can be done with the products at the end of their service life.
Nearby residents, environmental authorities and environmental organisations expect that our production and products cause only a minimum amount of nuisance and harm to the environment. Environmental organisations, consumer associations and environmentally-aware customers also count on the fact that the wood that is used has come from sustainably-managed forests and consequently bears the PEFC or FSC label.
Each stakeholder has a certain set of expectations based on his or her particular values. The challenge for a company consists in striking the right balance between these different wishes.
In order to know and understand these wishes even better, UNILIN attaches great importance to developing and maintaining a good relationship with the different stakeholders. Hence (among other things) our internal information meetings and safety meetings for employees, our contribution to the sustainability policy at the European Forum of employee representatives, our contacts with environmental associations and neighbourhood committees, and our active cooperation with the Federations, both national and European, of the wood-processing industry. The vision of all these stakeholders will, directly or indirectly, help to define the company´s long-term strategy.