Translations Best practice in French version Best practice in English version

ECOVER, a choice that is 100% ecological

1. Organizational Governance

Strategy and organization

Context

ECOVER, a pioneering company in sustainable development, is a model in its field, the production of ecological and biodegradable detergents, by continuously improving its corporate culture.

Objectives

Respect, Integrity, Commitment are the values supported by ECOVER.  It is by respecting these values and philosophy which are inherent to the company that makes environmental, social, and economic considerations at the forefront of all decisions made by the company.  For ECOVER, it is the only way to guarantee a sustainable future.

APPROACH

- People: their social policy promotes equality between men and women, as well as the inclusion of people from various nationalities, employment procedures based on skills and values, and ambitious training programs, especially for learning foreign languages.
- Raw materials: the company seeks quality for its products and uses raw materials coming from natural, plant products. Their R&D laboratory has cutting edge technological innovations and is constantly looking for new ecological processes and raw materials with a sustainable approach. 
- Transport: the company favours suppliers located next to its production lines or destinations and thus, limits the ecological impact of its production, favouring human relationships. The plant of Hesdin l’Abbé was built there because it is located next to the commercial port of Boulogne-sur-Mer. Each road haulier is classified according to ethics-based criteria.
- Packaging: for its products conditioned in bottles (95% of the production), the company, since April 2011, packages its products in bottles made of polyethylene from sugar cane. These bottles are 100% recyclable, renewable and reusable. With the use of this new material, the CO2 emissions from the production of packaging have been reduced by two thirds. The aim in a very near future is to use the sugar cane for all its packaging (5L and 25L cans). This desire to reduce the impact of its packaging is also found in the production of larger packs such as the " Bag in Box".   
The company has also developed sustainable and ecological solutions that limit the environmental impact of its activities and has set up a system of returnable packaging with boxes used to transport empty bottles. The same box can be used over 10 times before being recycled.
- Factories: In 1992, the first plant was built in Malle, Belgium: a building made completely from recycled materials (façade and timber from sustainable wood, recycled bricks), garden roofs, and an extensive waste and recycling scheme.  In 2007, a second plant was built in Landacres, near Boulogne-sur-mer, with even higher environmental standards: situated in the 1st  ISO 14001 certified European industrial park.  This is also a strategic choice for ECOVER as the proximity of the port of Calais facilitates the transportation of goods by sea.  The plant also has a garden rooftop, light shafts, and reuses rainwater for the bathrooms.

Best practice awarded in 2007 by Réseau Alliances and updated in 2011 for its evolution.

CONTRIBUTION TO COMPANY PERFORMANCE

  •  Corporate image towards consumers and pride to belong to the company;
  • High growth of the company thanks to the demand in green products; 25% increase in sales in terms of market shares, and 330% accumulate growth since 2000).

Benefits

  •  Pollution reduction;
  • 100% recyclable, renewable, and reusable packaging
  • Energy savings, respect of water and waste reduction;
  • Employee’s well-being and fulfilment.
Country
Belgium

Mise à jour le 29/06/2016

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