Sustainability | NITRAS SAFETY PRODUCTS

NITRAS PRODUCTS COMPANY ENGAGEMENT FUTURE PROSPECTS

SUSTAINABILITY AT NITRAS

We are your reliable partner for PPE and workwear since 1986. Since then our aim is to protect peoples‘ health as well as the enviroment and to facilitate life. Our owner-managed medium-size compay located in Bedburg, Rhineland is delivering our products throughout Germany and more than 40 countries around the world.

The attachement to the people and to the region as well as our national and international collaborations are not contravening, but for us everyday and loved daily business. Target-oriented investments in terms of product development, logistics and environment are conducive to a growth referring to economic and sustainable aspects. Social, economic and ecological responsability are among others important modules for a reliable and future-orientated alignment.

In our sustainability report we are informing you about all topics which are moving us as a company. For that purpose we have put our entire company and the complete supply chain to the test. Many measurements which are proudly presenting were already implemented – many more will follow. A task force dealing with the topic sustainability with employees of different departments offers a wide diversity to look at this aspects from various angles. The aim is the constant development and implementation of meaningful and effective actions.

Download our complete sustainanility report here (version 2022).

Our guiding principles:
We always demand highest quality standards which are beyond the scope of what is required by legal requirements. At every step and in all processes we are driven to meet our demands and to improve them constantly. In order to fulfil our standards, we need a close and trustful cooperation with all of our business partners. Regarding this, our general principles are:

✓ Management practices, that respect all employees‘ rights
✓ Providing all employees with a safe and healthy work place
✓ Providing all partners with safe to use products
✓ Minimising of negative environmental impacts

We summarise our guiding principles and core core standards in a code of conduct.

Find our complete code of conduct here (version of august 2022).

Potential incidents along the supply chain and/or environmentally relevant topics can be reported anonymously via the reporting portal of AS Arbeitsschutz GmbH. More information and the exact procedure can be found here.

In 2022 NITRAS was also awarded the Silver Medal for sustainable

commitment. EcoVadis, the world‘s leading provider of business

sustainability ratings, certifies that our company consistently achieves

above-average results in the four assessed topics of environment, labor

and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement.

Our environmental policy:
AS Arbeitsschutz GmbH has expressly set itself the goal of acting in harmony with our environment in all its business activities and thus making a decisive contribution to protecting and preserving it.
To realise our claim, we have defined environmental guidelines as binding contents of our business policy.

Find our complete environmental policy here (version of june 2021).

Our core standards:
Next to our guiding principles, which are constituting our basis for a close and trustful collaboration we have developed and specified core standards. These core standards can be divided into three aspects:

✓ Social ethical aspects

✓ Prohibited and/or restricted substances and allergens
✓ Ecological sustainability

SUSTAINABILTY IN THE PRODUCTION SITES

We set great store in working with suppliers who are certified and audited in terms of human rights and who are ensuring the healthwise innocuousness of raw material e.g. BSCI-audit, SA8000 and OEKO-TEX®. Moreover, we are checking the infrastruture in order to ascertain how e.g. water is treated or the way energy is provided. These all are parameter next to the quality of the product which are important for the company valuation.

Exemplaric process:
→ Inspection of raw and base material
→ Quality check of the produced goods
→ Transport of the goods to the central warehouse in Bedburg
→ Quality check by the product management
→ Goods are available for sale

Beside all measurements in terms of quality control and sustainability our primary target is to protect peoples‘ health and to protect the environment in order to facilitate life. Each product be it protective clothing, protective gloves or safety shoes etc. is subject to strict quality requirements, which are constantly checked by a multi-stage quality control system.

NITRAS products - you can rely on the following:

✓ Certified and / or audited production

✓ Quality check

✓ Sustainability

Dipping process of knitted safety gloves

COMPANY

Our aim is to protect peoples‘ health and to protect the environment in order to facilitate life. With our brand NITRAS we want to make a promise in terms of qualities and characteristics: We want to make our brand value come alive and want the development of a distinct brand awareness. This promise we do not take easy. Our products are constantly subject to strict quality standards and quality controls and are regularly checked regarding sustainable optimizations.

Further restrictions in order to act even more sustainable in the company:

- Reduction of plastic waste by omission of single packaging

- Implementation of a new hangtag with natural fiber instead of plastic tag for fixing

- Reduction of paper waste (e.g. image brochures)

- Digital catalogue as alternative - Digital archiving

- When inactive, switching off devices (PC, printer, fork lift trucks etc.)

- Prevention of plastic bags and –flap bags, re-use of cartons

- Both-sided print of inofficial documents, re-use as jotting paper

NITRAS articles are only available for sale after a multi-stage quality check.

NITRAS products – packed safely and sustainably:

We are permanently looking for possibilites for more sustainable goods, also in terms of packaging. In this context we have made a big step in 2019 when we have decided to omit all single packing of safety gloves (exception: chemical resistant gloves). This voluntary measurement is leading to a enormous reduction of plastic waste which we hence actively influencing. Even if a single plastic bag does not seem to be much: the mass is making the difference.

For 10 million plastic bags (pairs safety gloves) 30.000kg plastic is saved.

ENGAGEMENT

AS Arbeitsschutz is a medium-sized company, located in the Rhineland which is generating job regionally but also supporting regional, national, as well as global projects. We are inspired by people who are taking action and want to change something. Our engagement is ranging from local food supply organisations to donation campaign and aid projects in Ghana. Each time we are impressed by the great ideas and the peoples‘ sacrificially efforts for their projects which we can luckily support with donation and commodity contributions.

[...] „ for your donation [...], which we have received and for the regular support of our organisation, we thank you very much. Every time we are delighted. We really appreciate that you remain steadfastly at our side for so many years.“ [...] Förderverein Kinder- und Jugendhospiz Düsseldorf e.V.

AUSBLICK

Sustainability is becoming more and more important in private and business life. A sustainable development is not only helping to cut costs (sinking electricity costs by means of energy-saving systems, minor resource usage etc.) but also to prepare the company for many future challenges. A change of thinking has taken place which is also impacting the market.

With our vision, we and that means the entire company NITRAS have consciously given a promise to our partners and customers. For us sustainable acting is as essential as our economic acting. Each aim, each product and each innovation is carefully checked in terms of its economic but also of its ecological impacts.

We want to set ourself a new, realistic but also ambitious goal in order to make AS Arbeitsschutz and the brand NITRAS more sustainable. Our sustainabilty task force has a keen eye on all departments within the company and is exploring the need for optimization. Afterwards the task force is openly discussing the topics and its realization with the managing directors.

We keep you informed about our latest developments. Contact us any time, we look forward to receiving your response, suggestions and proposals for improvement. Thank you.

Your NITRAS Team