Paul van Helden | Purchasing Manager
"Sustainable purchasing concerns the application of, for example, recycled plastic and aluminium, or the use of more sustainable steel, Green Steel, but also the development of products with a very long life.”
Sustainable purchasing
Looking further than price, quality and delivery time
Corporate social responsibility also means sustainable purchasing. But what is that in practice? And how do we implement sustainable purchasing – also called Socially Responsible Procurement or Circular Procurement – in our policy?
At Van der Valk Horti Systems, our purchasing policy considers more aspects than just price, quality and delivery time. We attach equal importance to social and environmental aspects. For example, we expressly search for possibilities for circular procurement, while striving for optimal reuse of products and materials at the end of their lifespan.
Paul van Helden, Purchasing Manager, talks about this:
"Because we want to exercise corporate social responsibility, we pay a lot of attention to developing products with an extremely long lifespan and to separating and recycling production waste. But there is more. The purchasing of sustainable materials also contributes to our CSR goals. If the quality and lifespan of our products are ensured, we always choose a sustainable alternative, like recycled plastic and aluminium.
We are proud of playing a pioneering role in the Netherlands in the purchasing of more sustainable steel, Green Steel. This steel comes with certificates confirming that considerable CO2 savings were made throughout the entire production chain of the steel. This is registered by the independent authority DNV, which assures us that we are purchasing a more sustainable product to offer to our customers. The steel industry is highly polluting, and as a sustainable company we are working hard to reduce our CO2 footprint."
How does Paul envisage the future?
"By talking to other business relations in the chain, you can make a difference in curbing the depletion of raw materials. In addition, reducing our dependence on scarce, expensive raw materials and the unstable raw materials market makes us all stronger. We shall continue to strive for this!”