Together, as SPIESers, we take on the topic of sustainability. With heart and care, we stand for a responsible approach to our resources and our environment.
Christof Spies, CEO SPIES Packaging
Trust, innovation, passion and responsibility. These are the four core values of SPIES, according to which we shape our cooperation. As a family-run company, we attach great importance to a pleasant company culture as well as the health and further development of our SPIESers.
Beyond the boundaries of our company, we also see our responsibility in increasing the transparency of our supply chain as well as in giving something back to society, for example by promoting projects worth supporting.
No business success can be achieved without the tireless commitment and loyalty of our employees. That is why we practice fair human interaction at all levels and promote teamwork. We promote internal communication with various dialog formats and an employee app. In order to measure and optimize employee satisfaction, we survey it at regular intervals. We comply with the applicable provisions of German Employment Law.
All employees receive vacation and christmas bonuses, and SPIES also promotes capital-forming benefits and pension plans. In the technical professions, SPIES specifically advertises for female trainees or skilled workers and selects female candidates with the same qualifications in the application process in order to increase the quota of women. In selected areas, there is also the option of mobile working. We support applications for parental leave for all genders and develop individual solutions for reintegration into the workplace. To make vocational training more attractive to young adults, pupils and students can complete an internship with us - for many young adults, the first step toward becoming a "SPIESer".
The only location for production is in Germany. Here, all specifications and laws regarding human rights as well as employment rights and the interaction with each other are adhered to. Furthermore, SPIES commits itself in a behaviour code to certain principles such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations and the ILO core labor standards. SPIES is present on the SEDEX platform, where we transparently disclose data regarding ethical behavior and human rights compliance, and commit to adhering to ethical standards.
For the future, SPIES plans to check the supply chain more closely for ethical aspects and to increasingly integrate these into supplier audits and assessments. We plan to develop a supplier code of conduct, with initial research already underway. Additionally, we aim to expand and improve our supplier management system, including the introduction of a comprehensive supplier evaluation system.
SPIES shows attitude by regulating the behavior among each other in a behaviour code and by documenting ethical principles such as the exclusion of discrimination, harassment or the protection of freedom of expression and privacy. The establishment of a whistleblower e-mail is intended by employees to anonymously report violations of rules and to communicate with management. We promote integration with the introduction of a language learning app, and in order to promote the compatibility of family and career, we offer mothers and fathers alike the option of part-time work or shift changes. In production, physical differences are compensated, for example, through the use of lifting aids.
The education of our SPIESers is promoted and expanded at various levels. Our managers take part in a leadership program lasting several weeks, and we enable our technical and commercial employees to regularly attend internal and external training courses to acquire and deepen knowledge relevant to their tasks. Our web-based knowledge management system can be accessed from all workstations, including terminals in the production halls. Work instructions, process flows and other information can be accessed via this system.
We are planning to establish the SPIES Academy with the aim of launching a digital learning and training platform for all employees, thereby strengthening our internal expertise. SPIES is happy to train new apprentices in now five apprenticeship professions. We offer internships for pupils, students and positions for working students.
We avoid accidents at work and quality deficiencies by only employing persons trained for this purpose at the respective workplace. In addition, annual safety instructions according to the guidelines of the Employer's Liability Insurance Association for Wood and Metal (BGHM) consolidate the knowledge of all SPIES employees. An occupational safety specialist and an occupational safety committee take care of all occupational safety issues at SPIES. SPIES recorded just five minor workplace accidents in 2023, compared to 20 in 2022. Since we consider health to be the highest good, we want to promote and maintain it in all areas of work and life. To this end, SPIES organizes for its employees, for example, back schools, ergonomics training in the workplace and smoking cessation courses. During the Corona pandemic, SPIES offered vaccinations and an internal testing station for employees. In addition, flu vaccinations and other activities are offered as part of our health management program.
At SPIES, however, we not only keep an eye on the internal production processes, but also on the upstream and downstream processes. SPIES' suppliers are mostly located in Germany or the European Union. For this reason, human rights risks in the supply chain are classified as low. Nevertheless, the review of suppliers in terms of social and environmental criteria will be further accelerated and structurally addressed in the future.
Among other things, our membership of the EcoVadis supplier platform will contribute to this. In 2021, we had our sustainability performance assessed there for the first time in the categories of environment, labor & human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement and received the bronze seal. Through the platform, we can connect with suppliers and customers and increase transparency in the supply chain in social and environmental aspects. In the future, we aim to achieve Gold certification.
Furthermore, we plan to expand the evaluation scheme of our suppliers and start in 2022 with the creation of a Code of Conducts to regulate certain conditions of cooperation.
Transparency about social and ethical processes within the supply chain.
This award demonstrates our transparency and our environmental, social and ethical performance, as well as our commitment to continuous improvement.
From the region, for the region. As a relevant employer and economic factor for the city of Melle, we have always taken our responsibility for the region seriously. Local commitment but also the support of other social or ecological projects is very important to us. That is why we are currently supporting the following initiatives: