Quality and responsibility

To us, Quality Management and responsible care are a big part of Chemical Excellence. Our thorough and meticulous way of operating is clearly visible when it comes to legal requirements, risk management, policies and documentation, provision of information, employee training, emergency response, ongoing improvements and community interaction. We make sure all quality is rock-solid, we aim for perfection.

GMP+ Feed Safety System

AAKO is GMP+ B3 certified. GMP stands for ‘Good Manufacturing Practices’. GMP is a full-fledged certification scheme that integrates ISO quality management requirements, HACCP and other elements. GMP+-certified companies like AAKO practice a controlled Feed Safety System. The GMP+ Feed Certification scheme does not only impose requirements regarding animal feeds production facilities, but also for storage, transportation, personnel, procedures and documentation.

AAKO is authorised to enter GMP+ FSA-assured animal feeds into the GMP+ chain. We meet all the local and international statutory requirements in the animal feeds industry. We also meet the additional requirements from the GMP+ gatekeeper protocol. Therefore, we act as a gatekeeper in specific situations, assuring feed safety.

HACCP Food and Feed Hygiene

AAKO complies with all HACCP demands with regard to foods and animal feeds. HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) is a tool to assess risks and establish control systems that focus on prevention rather than relying mainly on end-product testing. The HACCP system identifies specific hazards and takes measures to ensure the safety of food.

European food and feed hygiene regulations require a NVWA registration before you are allowed to conduct your own HACCP assessments. NVWA (Nederlandse Voedsel en Waren Autoriteit) is the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority. AAKO’s NVWA-registration comprises trade in food and feed (feeds) and an accreditation for animal feeds (additives).

VHCP Safety First

AAKO is an active member of VHCP – the Dutch association of chemical distributors. VHCP safeguards the interests of Dutch companies engaged in trade and distribution of chemical products. VHCP was founded in 1946. Partnership has always been the key principle. We believe in improving human and environmental safety in a favourable business environment.

Together with other chemical industry associations, VHCP initiated ‘Safety First’. This action plan aims to improve the safety culture within companies that work with hazardous substances on a large scale. Safety First is about leadership, attitude and behaviour – to create a better world we need to put our hearts and minds to it and focus on continuous improvement.

RSPO Sustainable Palm Oil

We all know that palm oil cultivation has a negative impact on the environment and communities in palm oil-producing regions. AAKO recognises and embraces the importance of sustainable palm oil. That’s why we joined RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil). RSPO unites almost 4,000 stakeholders worldwide who represent all links along the palm oil supply chain. We have committed to source and/or use sustainable palm oil certified by the RSPO.

AAKO complies with a set of environmental and social criteria which are part of the global standards for sustainable palm oil, developed by RSPO. When these criteria are properly applied, they can help to minimize the negative impact. Let’s make sustainable palm oil the norm.

Responsible Care®

The chemical distribution sector has a huge responsibility when it comes to safety. Not only within the companies, but throughout the chain. And not only with other distributors, but also with manufacturers. To ensure that organisations pro-actively fulfil their responsibilities, our industry association VHCP joined the Responsible Care-program. Responsible Care® is a worldwide initiative of the chemical sector aimed at continuous improvement of the performance in the field of safety, health and environmental sustainability.

As a member of VHCP, we endorse the Responsible Care principles. The Responsible Care system of checklists, performance indicators and verification procedures enables us to obtain relevant safety information and act upon it immediately. Every year, our Responsible Care efforts are subjected to a Third-Party Audit.

Code of Conduct

AAKO attaches great value to its Corporate Social Responsibility. Our commitment is emphasized by our Ecovadis score and our Code of Conduct, which includes our policy on:

  1. Legal Compliance
  2. Corruption Bribery & Intellectual Property
  3. Workplace Health & Safety
  4. Conditions of Employment & Work
  5. Child Labor & Young Workers
  6. Forced Labor
  7. Freedom of Association
  8. Discrimination
  9. Company Products
  10. Environment & Safety Issues.

Corporate Social Responsibility is not an endpoint, but a journey we want to make with our employees and stakeholders. We have made commitments to become a more sustainable company by improving our service to the community and the environment. For example, within AAKO we work as much as possible paperless and partly from home, which is limiting  traveling. In addition, we have set up our work processes in such a way that they have the least possible impact on the environment. We consider this an important point of attention, especially within an organization in which the intercontinental transport of products plays a major role.

High ethical business standards

Our employees comply with the legal requirements and high ethical business standards. Our conditions are a great example of this: we give all our employees the opportunity to lease an electric bicycle, so they will use their car less. For the most part, our fleet consists of hybrid and electric cars.

In the near future, our goal is that all AAKO suppliers will be fully compliant with our Code of Conduct. We therefore hope that they will appreciate our standard and support us in our choice. Only then, we can shape a more sustainable future together and actually deliver “Chemical Excellence”.

 

 

AAKO’s membership of NVZ and NCV

AAKO is member of the NVZ (the Nederlandse Vereniging van Zeepfabrikanten); the trade Association for Manufacturers and Importers of products related to cleaning and disinfection. AAKO is also a member of the NCV, the Nederlandse Cosmetica Vereniging, the Dutch Cosmetics Association. Together with its members, they strive to create a positive climate for sustainable growth of the Dutch cosmetics industry.

For us, membership in both industry associations is of significant added value. Through continuous exchange of information, the members are always updated on laws and regulations, but also on trends within the cosmetics and detergent industries. This allows AAKO to take, with our partners, initiatives for more sustainable operations. Also, through our membership and direct contact with other organizations in the industry we can make an impact for, for example, making consumer products more sustainable. In this way, we try to contribute to improving our environment.

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