Corporate Responsibility

Environmental Policy

 

We are committed to providing a quality service in a manner that ensures a safe and healthy workplace for our employees and minimises our potential impact on the environment.

 

We acknowledge our daily activities can directly impact the environment, using natural resources and can create emissions and waste.  We will operate in compliance with all relevant environmental legislation and we will strive to use pollution prevention and environmental best practices in all we do.

As a business, we choose not to fly to see suppliers or customers. This choice is made purely out of respect for our low carbon footprint. 

Our current carbon footprint is 10.41 tonnes of Co2e annually. This is lower than average for a buisness of our size, and we are reporting this to be transparent and to hold ourselves accountable to strive to lower it.

 

We commit to continual improvement of processes and practices and have to date achieved a sustainable supply chain in terms of goods in.  We have achieved this through close partnership with specifically chosen suppliers who value our environment and our commitment to reduction of the impact on climate change as much as we do. 

 

We also reduce energy in our HQ where possible, by closing doors in all rooms, low energy heating systems, and a lights off policy in rooms when not in use. During 2023 we renewed and re-insulated our entire business premises in an attempt to minimise the energy we are using in all of our business premises. This was a substantial cost to the business, but one we saw as unavoidable in our quest to be carbon neutral. 

 

Supply Chain:

 

We have conducted extensive work with our supply chain, and have made a brave and bold choice to only use suppliers who can supply sustainable products.  Sustainability as a word is one that can have many meanings attributed to it, but for clarity we only bring in paper products that are EU Ecolabel accredited. The EU Ecolabel is a label which certifies environmental excellence.  This label is only given to products that meet high environmental standards throughout their life cycle: from raw material extraction to production, distribution and disposal.  We believe we are the only distributor to have achieved this.

 

The assurance that we seek from our suppliers in that all wood fibres are harvested from sustainable forests, and not harvested illegally from protected forests is given to us through the rigorous criteria which has to be met by the EU Ecolabel standard which all of our paper products must meet. 

 

Where we stock EU Ecolabel chemical products i.e. environmentally friendly, all must have the EU Ecolabel accreditation.

 

Where some products cannot be environmentally friendly, due to what they are designed to do, i.e Machine Dishwash (too high an acid content to strip the dishes of grease and oil), sanitiser (because anything that is killing bacteria and viruses is not eco-friendly) we require the manufacturer to be shipping the goods as ecologically economically as possible – with offset carbon emissions and full loads, recycling materials and waste and working towards refilling 5ltr containers once returned.  We also require the procurement of raw materials to be sustainable and environmentally friendly. 

 

Operations:

 

In consumption of energy, we think very carefully about how we use energy and particularly how we can reduce the use of energy. We use low energy vehicles, we train our drivers to plan the route in the most ecological way possible.  We reduce the amount of electricity we use through a ‘lights off’ policy, we only heat warehouses where necessary due to either regulations or cold weather conditions.  We also consider renewable energy sources where appropriate to do so. 

 

With regards to waste, we reuse boxes to send out our web orders, we sort and recycle our waste through out our operation, and have a waste recycling partner to recycle all waste we put in our recycling bin.

 

We use water very sparingly, and have a water metre on all of our premises to monitor and address water wastage.

 

We provide a consolidated delivery method on all of our deliveries by stocking a wide range of cleaning and hygiene goods, allowing every customer to get more than one thing at a time.  We review suppliers and their sustainability with every project review meeting and this is addressed frequently throughout the year. 

 

 

We will:-

 

• integrate the consideration of environmental concerns and impacts into all of our decision making and activities,
• promote environmental awareness among our employees and encourage them to work in an environmentally responsible manner,
• train, educate and inform our employees about environmental issues that may affect their work,
• reduce waste through re-use and recycling and by purchasing recycled, recyclable or re-furbished products and materials where these alternatives are available, economical and suitable,
• promote efficient use of materials and resources throughout our facility including water, electricity, raw materials and other resources, particularly those that are non-renewable,
• avoid unnecessary use of hazardous materials and products, seek substitutions when feasible, and take all reasonable steps to protect human health and the environment when such materials must be used, stored and disposed of,
• purchase and use environmentally responsible products accordingly,
• where required by legislation or where significant health, safety or environmental hazards exist, develop and maintain appropriate emergency and spill response programmes,
• communicate our environmental commitment to clients, customers and the public and encourage them to support it,
• strive to continually improve our environmental performance and minimise the social impact and damage of activities by periodically reviewing our environmental policy in light of our current and planned future activities.

 

 

Our environmental policy is owned by our Managing Director, Yewan Armstrong.  The policy and standards associated, and dictated in this document are reviewed regularly.  This policy is reviewed every year by our Corporate and Environmental Responsibility Committee and new initiatives and ideas are put forward and voted on. 

 

Reviewed by our Sustainability Committee January 2024

Ethical and Sustainable Sourcing Policy

 

Our suppliers have been selected on strict environmental, sustainability and ethically motivated criteria. For us, here at Astral we put the customer and the environment at the heart of everything we can do.  It is not simply about fulfilling a need, it about filling that need in the most responsible, customer focused manner possible.

 

Selection of our suppliers is of course about

• Do they have what we need?
• Is the quality high enough to enhance our reputation?
• Can they deliver on time and on budget?
• Is the supply chain reliable enough?

But before any of these questions are asked, we are asking

• What is your environmental policy?
• Can we have a look at where you obtain your raw materials from?
• How do you save energy?
• Are you EU Ecolabel accredited?
• Do you recycle?
• Do you use renewable energy sources?
• Are your vehicles low emissions?
• Do you off-set your carbon footprint?

 

To us, these questions are absolutely integral to how we run our business, and the answers are deeply personal to everyone who works here at Astral Hygiene.

 

Our extensive stock holding allows every customer to use us as a one stop shop, getting all of their cleaning and hygiene products from one place, which reduces transport emissions.  Every customer can have confidence that our supplier relationships are ethically based and that we hold them to the highest of standards.

 

Within this policy you will find evidence of how Astral Hygiene work with our suppliers to ensure consistent product criteria are met, but also a demonstration of our ethical relationships and how we have strict criteria to ensure that social, economical and sustainable markers are met and continually improved upon.

 

Supplier Code of Conduct

Our supplier code of conduct which we expect every Astral Hygiene supplier to sign up to sets an expectation that every supplier in the areas of labour, human rights, health and safety, environment, ethics and sustainability.  This code applies to every supplier we select to work with us, and all suppliers accept and abide by this code.

 

We require compliance with the International Labour Organisation, which specifically prohibits child labour (including slavery and human trafficking), unfair working hours and wages and discrimination.

 

We further require all of our suppliers to be ethical and honest when dealing with others, obeying all applicable laws and regulations governing fraud and anti-bribery and corruption. 

 

We selectively and frequently audit our suppliers for human rights, corruption, legal compliance and quality compliance.  Suppliers whose standards have fallen below the expectations set by Astral Hygiene will be given an appropriate period for compliance and then they will be reassessed.  If a serious breach is identified following re-assessment, an action plan should be documented and the supplier will be expected to commit to addressing all the areas where discrepancies have been identified. The process of improvement via this method is principally down to the commitment of the supplier’s management team/owner/agent to ensure that all areas are addressed. If we have reason to believe that the supplier is not making sufficient or committed progress, then this could lead to a suspension in the relationship until such time that we are confident that all areas were being satisfactorily addressed.

 

Our Ethical and Responsible Sourcing Policy is owned by our Managing Director, Yewan Armstrong.  The policy and standards associated, and dictated in this document are reviewed regularly.  This policy is reviewed every year by our Corporate and Environmental Responsibility Committee and new initiatives and ideas are put forward and voted on. 

 

Reviewed by our Sustainability Committee January 2024

 

 

One of the core principles of Astral Hygiene is to play as significant a part as we can in reducing plastic pollution.  We see plastic pollution as one of the defining challenges of our time. 

We are in a unique position at the very middle of the distribution and decision-making system to influence and provide choice to our customer base and offer alternative solutions to using plastic.    

 

It is of grave concern to everyone who works at Astral that our environment is being more and more damaged by human activity, and it is distressing that plastic that is only being used once, or plastic that isn't being properly recycled is not only damaging our environment and our seas, but is also entering the food chain. As a distributor to some of the largest brands, we take our responsibility to act very seriously.  We work with every supplier on their supply chain, as Astral Hygiene do not procure any stock items from an unsustainable source.  We are entirely unique in the Cleaning and Hygiene market place, a distributor that has sustainability as a very heavily weighted criteria to work with us... there is no other distributor who behaves in this way. 

 

This directive has come directly from our Managing Director, so the passion for this sustainability and caring for our environment comes right from the grass roots of our business, and runs through every Astral team member.  When we recruit, to ensure new employees fit our organisational culture, they must have a natural desire to care for the environment, and have a love of all things natural. 

 

As a result of this choice, we no longer sell polystyrene, or plastic cutlery.... we just simply don't because it is harmful to the environment.  

 

Our view is if every distributor behaves this way the harm we are inflicting on our world would be considerably diminished, and it is because of this we want to lead the way.  

 

Many of our customers are setting ambitious targets for their packaging to become environmentally sustainable. A simple change of distributor will help them to meet that goal and that is one of Astral's unique selling points. 

 

Many leading companies have set bold targets to minimise the impacts of the products they use. For example, at Davos 2018, 11 major companies including Unilever, Walmart and The Coca-Cola Company announced that they are working towards 100% sustainable packaging by 2025. That date is not very far in the future, but Astral Hygiene has already achieved this. This has been executed through bold decision making, and proactive buying decisions and is being driven by the most senior leadership team.  

All of our paper products that are wrapped in plastic come from sustainable and recycled plants, meaning we are reusing and increasing the life of plastics already in our environment. 

As an organisation that only partners with manufacturers that offer sustainable solutions in terms of plastic we are very specific in our selection criteria.  For example we only buy our plastic refuse sacks from recycled materials.  We do this with quality as well as sustainability in mind.  Every bag is drop tested from a specific height with a specific weight contained within the bag.  The quality of our products is not compromised, but sometimes it takes us longer to procure our suppliers.   This is a sacrifice we are willing to make, because this goal is one we have been working towards for the last 15 years. 

 

Now that we have got the procurement of sustainable products all sown up, we are now working on end of life plastic products which come through our distribution centre.  We are working with our suppliers on a new innovative solution for our delivery fleet to collect used 5ltr containers of chemicals and return them to the supplier to be refilled and reused. This initiative is in its infancy, but it is one we are passionate about making happen. When this is achieved we will be impacting on the whole supply chain we are involved with.   

Reviewed by our Sustainability Committee January 2024

 

Equality and Diversity Policy

 

1. Astral Hygiene Ltd recognises that discrimination and victimisation is unacceptable and that it is in the interests of Astral Hygiene Ltd and its employees to utilise the skills of the total workforce. It is the aim of Astral Hygiene Ltd to ensure that no employee or job applicant receives less favourable facilities or treatment (either directly or indirectly) in recruitment or employment on grounds of age, disability, gender / gender reassignment, marriage / civil partnership, pregnancy / maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation (the protected characteristics).

 

1. Our aim is that our workforce will be truly representative of all sections of society and each employee feels respected and able to give of their best.

 

1. We oppose all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination or victimisation. To that end the purpose of this policy is to provide equality and fairness for all in our employment.

 

1. All employees, whether part-time, full-time or temporary, will be treated fairly and with respect. Selection for employment, promotion, training or any other benefit will be on the basis of aptitude and ability. All employees will be helped and encouraged to develop their full potential and the talents and resources of the workforce will be fully utilised to maximise the efficiency of the organisation.

 

1. Our staff will not discriminate directly or indirectly, or harass customers or clients because of age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation in the provision of Astral Hygiene Ltd’s goods and services.

 

1. This policy and the associated arrangements shall operate in accordance with statutory requirements. In addition, full account will be taken of any guidance or Codes of Practice issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, any Government Departments, and any other statutory bodies.

 

 

OUR COMMITMENT

 

• To create an environment in which individual differences and the contributions of all our staff are recognised and valued.
• Every employee is entitled to a working environment that promotes dignity and respect to all. No form of intimidation, bullying or harassment will be tolerated.
• Training, development and progression opportunities are available to all staff.
• To promote equality in the workplace which we believe is good management practice and makes sound business sense.
• We will review all our employment practices and procedures to ensure fairness.
• Breaches of our equality policy will be regarded as misconduct and could lead to disciplinary proceedings.
• This policy is fully supported by senior management and has been agreed with trade unions and/or employee representatives.
• The policy will be monitored and reviewed annually

 

 

RESPONSIBILITES OF MANAGEMENT

 

Responsibility for ensuring the effective implementation and operation of the arrangements will rest with the Managing Director. Directors / Managers will ensure that they and their staff operate within this policy and arrangements, and that all reasonable and practical steps are taken to avoid discrimination. Each manager will ensure that:

 

• all their staff are aware of the policy and the arrangements, and the reasons for the policy;
• grievances concerning discrimination are dealt with properly, fairly and as quickly as possible;
• proper records are maintained.

 

Human Resources will be responsible for monitoring the operation of the policy in respect of employees and job applicants, including periodic departmental audits.

 

 

RESPONSIBILITIES OF STAFF

 

Responsibility for ensuring that there is no unlawful discrimination rests with all staff and the attitudes of staff are crucial to the successful operation of fair employment practices. In particular, all members of staff should:

 

• comply with the policy and arrangements;
• not discriminate in their day to day activities or induce others to do so;
• not victimise, harass or intimidate other staff or groups who have, or are perceived to have one of the protected characteristics.
• ensure no individual is discriminated against or harassed because of their association with another individual who has a protected characteristic.
• inform their manager if they become aware of any discriminatory practice.

 

 

THIRD PARTIES

 

Third-party harassment occurs where a Company employee is harassed, and the harassment is related to a protected characteristic, by third parties such as clients or customers. Astral Hygiene Ltd will not tolerate such actions against it’s staff, and the employee concerned should inform their manager / supervisor at once that this has occurred. Astral Hygiene Ltd will fully investigate and take all reasonable steps to ensure such harassment does not happen again.

 

 

RELATED POLICIES AND ARRANGEMENTS

 

All employment policies and arrangements have a bearing on equality of opportunity. Astral Hygiene Ltd policies will be reviewed regularly and any discriminatory elements removed.

 

 

RIGHTS OF DISABLED PEOPLE

 

Astral Hygiene Ltd attaches particular importance to the needs of disabled people.

 

 Under the terms of this policy, managers are required to:

 

• make reasonable adjustment to maintain the services of an employee who becomes disabled, for example, training, provision of special equipment, reduced working hours. (NB: managers are expected to seek advice on the availability of advice and guidance from external agencies to maintain disabled people in employment);
• include disabled people in training/development programmes;
• give full and proper consideration to disabled people who apply for jobs, having regard to making reasonable adjustments for their particular aptitudes and abilities to allow them to be able to do the job.

.

 

 

MONITORING

 

• Astral Hygiene Ltd deems it appropriate to state its intention not to discriminate and assumes that this will be translated into practice consistently across the organisation as a whole. Accordingly, a monitoring system will be introduced to measure the effectiveness of the policy and arrangements.

 

• The system will involve the routine collection and analysis of information on employees by gender, marital status, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, religion / beliefs, grade and length of service in current grade. Information regarding the number of staff who declare themselves as disabled will also be maintained.

 

• There will also be regular assessments to measure the extent to which recruitment to first appointment, internal promotion and access to training/development opportunities affect equal opportunities for all groups.

 

• We will maintain information on staff who have been involved in certain key policies: Disciplinary, Grievance and Bullying & Harassment.

 

• Where appropriate equality impact assessments will be carried out on the results of monitoring to ascertain the effect of Astral Hygiene Ltd policies and our services / products may have on those who experience them.

 

• The information collected for monitoring purposes will be treated as confidential and it will not be used for any other purpose.

 

• If monitoring shows that Astral Hygiene Ltd, or areas within it, are not representative, or that sections of our workforce are not progressing properly within Astral Hygiene Ltd, then an action plan will be developed to address these issues. This will include a review of recruitment and selection procedures, Company policies and practices as well as consideration of taking legal Positive Action.

 

 

GRIEVANCES/DISCIPLINE

 

Employees have a right to pursue a complaint concerning discrimination or victimisation via Astral Hygiene Ltd Grievance or Harassment Procedures.

 

Discrimination and victimisation will be treated as disciplinary offences and they will be dealt with under Astral Hygiene Ltd Disciplinary Procedure.

 

 

Our Equality and Diveristy Policy is owned by our Managing Director, Yewan Armstrong.  The policy and standards associated, and dictated in this document are reviewed regularly.  This policy is reviewed every year by our Corporate and Environmental Responsibility Committee and new initiatives and ideas are put forward and voted on. 

 

Reviewed by our Corporate and Environmental Responsibility Committee January 2024

 

Health & Safety Policy

 

The Health and Safety of our employees and customers is of paramount importance to Astral Hygiene and we always remain committed to a healthy and safe place to work. Whilst compliance to legal obligations are always observed we also seek to identify and share best practice across our businesses to ensure all our major risks are addressed.

 

Warehouse safety. We ensure that our warehouses are laid out and equipped appropriately and our workforce is trained to minimise risks from manual handling, as well as ensuring good housekeeping to reduce the risks of trips, slips and injury from falling objects.

 

Vehicle safety. Our drivers receive regular training and our fleets are well maintained. We continue to introduce appropriate monitoring systems into our fleets and review accidents to improve efficiency and safety.

 

We provide appropriate resources, supervision and training and keep people well informed on matters affecting their health, safety and well-being; We will report and investigate accidents, incidents and near misses to drive improvement in our health and safety management.

 

Any lessons learned from such events will be used to take corrective action to prevent recurrences. Our supplier code of conduct includes a principle on providing safe and hygienic conditions for workers in our supply chain.  We reserve the right to review or audit compliance with the Code and expect a timebound programme of improvement to address any shortcomings.

 

We commit to:

 

• Carry out audits on compliance with the Group health and safety standards and applicable regulatory requirements. Criteria for selection and prioritisation of locations to be audited should be established.
• Establish objectives for improvement of health and safety performance and allocation of adequate budget for achievement of these objectives.
• Implement a process to review and report lost time accidents and other specified safety performance indicators to the Group in line with agreed deadlines.
• Nominate a representative with the responsibility to coordinate health and safety matters in the business area.
• Identify health and safety risks associated with their activities (risk assessment)
• Implement health and safety management systems and safe working procedures, covering at a minimum the group safety standards, any additional safety risks as identified by risk assessments and applicable legislative requirements.
• Communicate health and safety requirements to employees and provide appropriate training to apply the safe working procedures.
• Investigate accidents, incidents and near misses to drive improvement of health and safety management.

 

Our Health and Safety policy is owned by our Managing Director, Yewan Armstrong.  The policy and standards associated, and dictated in this document are reviewed regularly.  This policy is reviewed every year by our Corporate and Environmental Responsibility Committee and new initiatives and ideas are put forward and voted on. 

 

Reviewed by our Corporate and Environmental Responsibility Committee January 2024

How is Astral Hygiene doing in the quest to become a sustainable company?

 

Astral Hygiene have a strategic initiative to become a sustainable company with a carbon neutral way of working making sure that the business we conduct, only enhances the environment and the world in which we live and doesn’t take any more of the scarce natural resources that are ever depleting in the world I which we live. 

 

We want to be really open and transparent about the actions we are taking, and the work we still need to do.  We want to make our updates as accessible as possible, so we will do vlogs about our progress, but we also thought we would share it here.

 

 

We acknowledge our daily activities can directly impact the environment, using natural

resources and can create emissions and waste. We will operate in compliance with all

relevant environmental legislation and we will strive to use pollution prevention and

environmental best practices in all we do.

 

Our carbon footprint at the time of print is 10.41, tonnes of C02e; we will strive to bring this down. 

 

We commit to continual improvement of processes and practices and have to date

achieved a sustainable supply chain in terms of goods in. We have achieved this

through close partnership with specifically chosen suppliers who value our environment

and our commitment to reduction of the impact on climate change as much as we do.

We also reduce energy in our HQ where possible, by closing doors in all rooms, low

energy heating systems, and a lights off policy in rooms when not in use.

 

Headquarters

 

In terms of the most obvious place we could save energy, we have done this completely at our HQ, and all of our buildings are now completely carbon neutral.  We have done this by changing energy supplier and have moved over to a completely green energy tariff, meaning that all our energy is offset, and all the energy we use at our head quarters is replenished via renewable energy sources either wave, wind or solar energy. 

 

In consumption of energy, we think very carefully about how we use energy and

particularly how we can reduce the use of energy. We use low energy vehicles, we train

our drivers to plan the route in the most ecological way possible. We reduce the amount

of electricity we use through a ‘lights off’ policy, we only heat warehouses where necessary due to regulations or cold weather conditions.

 

With regards to waste, we reuse boxes to send out our web orders, we sort and recycle

our waste through out our operation, and have a waste recycling partner to recycle all

waste we put in our recycling bin.

 

We use water very sparingly, and have a water metre on all of our premises to monitor

and address water wastage.

 

We provide a consolidated delivery method on all of our deliveries by stocking a wide

range of cleaning and hygiene goods, allowing every customer to get more than one

thing at a time. We review suppliers and their sustainability with every project review

meeting and this is addressed frequently throughout the year.

 

We will:-

• integrate the consideration of environmental concerns and impacts into all of our

decision making and activities,

• promote environmental awareness among our employees and encourage them to

work in an environmentally responsible manner,

• train, educate and inform our employees about environmental issues that may

affect their work,

• reduce waste through re-use and recycling and by purchasing recycled, recyclable

or re-furbished products and materials where these alternatives are available,

economical and suitable,

• promote efficient use of materials and resources throughout our facility including

water, electricity, raw materials and other resources, particularly those that are

non-renewable,

• avoid unnecessary use of hazardous materials and products, seek substitutions

when feasible, and take all reasonable steps to protect human health and the

environment when such materials must be used, stored and disposed of,

• purchase and use environmentally responsible products accordingly,
• where required by legislation or where significant health, safety or environmental

hazards exist, develop and maintain appropriate emergency and spill response

programmes,

• communicate our environmental commitment to clients, customers and the public

and encourage them to support it,

• strive to continually improve our environmental performance and minimise the

social impact and damage of activities by periodically reviewing our

environmental policy in light of our current and planned future activities.

 

Supply Chain

 

We have conducted extensive work with our supply chain, and have made a brave and

bold choice to only use suppliers who can supply sustainable products. Sustainability as

a word is one that can have many meanings attributed to it, but for clarity we only bring

in paper products that are EU Ecolabel accredited.

 

The EU Ecolabel is a label which certifies environmental excellence. This label is only given to products that meet high environmental standards throughout their life cycle: from raw material extraction to production, distribution and disposal. We believe we are the only distributor to have

achieved this.

 

The assurance that we seek from our suppliers in that all wood fibres are harvested from

sustainable forests, and not harvested illegally from protected forests is given to us

through the rigorous criteria which has to be met by the EU Ecolabel standard which all

of our paper products must meet.

 

Where we stock EU Ecolabel chemical products i.e. environmentally friendly, all must

have the EU Ecolabel accreditation.

 

Where some products cannot be environmentally friendly, due to what they are designed

to do, i.e Machine Dishwash (too high an acid content to strip the dishes of grease and

oil), sanitiser (because anything that is killing bacteria and viruses is not eco-friendly)

we require the manufacturer to be shipping the goods as ecologically economically as

possible – with offset carbon emissions and full loads, recycling materials and waste and

working towards refilling 5ltr containers once returned. We also require the procurement

of raw materials to be sustainable and environmentally friendly.

 

As a small family business with suppliers across the world, we accept that we have a

duty to trade responsibly.

 

We therefore want to ensure that those people with whom we deal and in particular our

suppliers and our representatives live up to our values and standards and share that

responsibility. This is why we have set out Astral Hygiene’s Supplier Code of Conduct.

 

Accordingly, suppliers and representatives should comply with and seek to develop

relationships with their own supply chains consistent with the principles set out below

and should be compliant with all local laws and the following principles as a minimum.

 

Our principles are as follows

1. Employment is freely chosen
2. Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining are respected
3. Working conditions are safe and hygienic
4. Child labour shall not be used
5. Land Acquisition
6. Living wages are paid
7. Working hours are not excessive
8. No discrimination is practised
9. Regular employment is provided
10. No harsh or inhumane treatment is allowed
11. Confidentiality
12. No bribery or corruption will be tolerated
13. Environmental management
14. Quality
15. Audit and termination of agreements

 

Single Use Plastic

 

 

One of the core principles of Astral Hygiene is to play as significant a part as we can in

reducing plastic pollution. We see plastic pollution as one of the defining challenges of

our time.

 

We are in a unique position at the very middle of the distribution and decision-making

system to influence and provide choice to our customer base and offer alternative

solutions to using plastic.

 

It is of grave concern to everyone who works at Astral that our environment is being

more and more damaged by human activity, and it is distressing that plastic that is only

being used once, or plastic that isn't being properly recycled is not only damaging our

environment and our seas, but is also entering the food chain.

 

As a distributor to some of the largest brands, we take our responsibility to act very seriously. We work with every supplier on their supply chain, as Astral Hygiene do not procure any stock items

from an unsustainable source. We are entirely unique in the Cleaning and Hygiene

market place, a distributor that has sustainability as a very heavily weighted criteria to

work with us... there is no other distributor who behaves in this way.

 

This directive has come directly from our Managing Director, so the passion for this

sustainability and caring for our environment comes right from the grass roots of our

business, and runs through every Astral team member. When we recruit, to ensure new

employees fit our organisational culture, they must have a natural desire to care for the

environment, and have a love of all things natural.

 

As a result of this choice, we no longer sell polystyrene, or plastic cutlery.... we just

simply don't because it is harmful to the environment.

 

Our view is if every distributor behaves this way the harm we are inflicting on our world

would be considerably diminished, and it is because of this we want to lead the way.

Many of our customers are setting ambitious targets for their packaging to become

environmentally sustainable. A simple change of distributor will help them to meet that

goal and that is one of Astral's unique selling points.

 

Many leading companies have set bold targets to minimise the impacts of the products

they use. For example, at Davos 2018, 11 major companies including Unilever, Walmart

and The Coca-Cola Company announced that they are working towards 100%

sustainable packaging by 2025. That date is not very far in the future, but Astral

Hygiene has already achieved this. This has been executed through bold decision

making, and proactive buying decisions and is being driven by the most senior

leadership team.

 

All of our paper products that are wrapped in plastic come from sustainable and recycled

plants, meaning we are reusing and increasing the life of plastics already in our

environment.

 

As an organisation that only partners with manufacturers that offer sustainable solutions

in terms of plastic we are very specific in our selection criteria. For example we only buy

our plastic refuse sacks from recycled materials. We do this with quality as well as

sustainability in mind. Every bag is drop tested from a specific height with a specific

weight contained within the bag. The quality of our products is not compromised, but

sometimes it takes us longer to procure our suppliers. This is a sacrifice we are willing

to make, because this goal is one we have been working towards for the last 15 years.

 

Now that we have got the procurement of sustainable products all sown up, we are now

working on end of life plastic products which come through our distribution centre. We

are working with our suppliers on a new innovative solution for our delivery fleet to

collect used 5ltr containers of chemicals and return them to the supplier to be refilled

and reused. This initiative is in its infancy, but it is one we are passionate about making

happen. When this is achieved we will be impacting on the whole supply chain we are

involved with.

 

Moving forward into 2023, we will be monitoring our carbon footprint, and trying to bring it down.  We will also be reducing the amount of water and waste we produce; we have only just started monitoring how much we use, so we are trying to establish a benchmark.

 

We will also begin to look at electric vehicles to see if we can procure one that can do the mileage we need on a daily basis within the energy consumption available on the marketplace.

 

There is still lots for us to do, but we are proud of the strides we have made and will continue to improve our sustainability. 

Reviewed by our Corporate and Environmental Responsibility Committee January 2024

Tackling Modern Slavery

Our Responsible Sourcing Code of Practice (RSCOP) sets out our commitment to workers’ rights and our expectations of our suppliers regarding issues such as pay, working hours, and child labour.

The RSCOP is the first point in a journey of continuous improvement within our supply chains, and is supported by strong governance on how we are managing and mitigating the risk of modern slavery and other human rights issues within our supply chains. Embedding both the RSCOP and strong governance of human rights issues in our supply chains is critical to enabling us to meet and exceed our responsibilities as a business, and the requirements of the Modern Slavery Act.

Astral Hygiene is committed to the principles of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and the abolition of modern slavery and human trafficking. The Modern Slavery Act is a globally leading piece of legislation. It sets out a range of measures on how modern slavery and human trafficking should be dealt with in the UK. Whilst not all of the Act is directly relevant for business, section 54 entitled 'Transparency in supply chains' impacts the corporate sector. The Act, which came into force on 29th October 2015, requires many businesses to disclose a 'slavery and human trafficking statement'

As an equal opportunities employer, we're committed to creating and ensuring a non-discriminatory and respectful working environment for our staff. We want all our staff to feel confident that they can expose wrongdoing without any risk to themselves.

Our recruitment and people management processes are designed to ensure that all prospective employees are legally entitled to work in the UK and to safeguard employees from any abuse or coercion.

We do not enter into business with any organisation, in the UK or abroad, which knowingly supports or is found to be involved in slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour.

We will continue to embed the principles through:

• providing awareness training to staff on the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and informing them of the appropriate action to take if they suspect a case of slavery or human trafficking
• ensuring staff involved in procurement activity are aware of and follow modern slavery procurement guidance on GOV.UK
• ensuring that consideration of the modern slavery risks and prevention are added to Astral Hygiene's policy review process as an employer and procurer of goods and services
• making sure Astral Hygiene's procurement strategies and contract terms and conditions include references to modern slavery and human trafficking
• continuing to take action to embed a zero tolerance policy towards modern slavery
• ensuring that staff involved in buying or procurement and the recruitment and deployment of workers receive training on modern slavery and ethical employment practices

Reviewed by our Corporate and Environmental Responsibility Committee January 2024

Recruitment and Rentention Policy

 

Purpose

• Astral Hygiene Ltd recognises that its staff are fundamental to its success. Astral Hygiene Ltd therefore needs to be able to attract and retain staff of the highest calibre and a strategic, professional approach to recruitment is essential to do this.
• The purpose of this policy is to provide a sound framework for the recruitment and selection of staff based upon the principles outlined below, which also meet the requirements of Astral Hygiene Ltd Equal Opportunities Policy and the Equality Act 2010 and all other relevant employment legislation.

2. Scope

This policy and procedure cover all activities that form part of the recruitment and selection process. It is applicable to all staff recruitment except casual staff. In order for the policy and procedure to be effective it is essential that any employee who is involved in any aspect of the recruitment and/or selection of staff is aware of this document and follows it. Ultimately it is the responsibility of the senior management in Astral Hygiene Ltd, including Heads of Departments, in conjunction with HR to ensure that this is the case.

3. Core Principles

• Astral Hygiene Ltd has a principle of open competition in its approach to recruitment.
• Astral Hygiene Ltd will seek to recruit the best candidate for the job based on merit. The recruitment and selection process should ensure the identification of the person best suited to the job and Astral Hygiene Ltd.
• Astral Hygiene Ltd wishes to encourage the recruitment of staff with disabilities and will make reasonable adjustments to all stages of the recruitment process and as required in order for a successful candidate with a disability to undertake the post.
• Astral Hygiene Ltd will ensure that the recruitment and selection of staff is conducted in a professional, timely and responsive manner and in compliance with current employment legislation.
• Recruitment and selection is a key public relations exercise and should enhance the reputation of Astral Hygiene Ltd. Astral Hygiene Ltd will treat all candidates fairly, equitably and efficiently, with respect and courtesy, aiming to ensure that the candidate experience is positive, irrespective of the outcome.
• Astral Hygiene Ltd will promote best practice in recruitment and selection. It will continuously develop its recruitment and selection practices to allow new ideas and approaches to be incorporated.
• Astral Hygiene Ltd will ensure that its recruitment and selection process is cost effective.
• If a member of staff involved in the recruitment process has a close personal or familial relationship with an applicant they must declare this as soon as they are aware of the individual’s application and avoid any involvement in the recruitment and selection decision-making process.

4. Recruitment & Selection Procedure

There are a number of key stages in recruiting and selecting for a post.

4.1 Preparation Stage

• The recruitment and selection process should not commence until a full evaluation of the need for the role against the area’s strategic plans and budget has been completed.
• The recruitment of staff will take into account Astral Hygiene’s need for new ideas and approaches and additionally should support Astral Hygiene’s commitment to ensuring a diverse workforce by proactively seeking to attract groups that are under-represented in Astral Hygiene’s profile to maximise its ability to meet diverse student requirements.
• Recruitment should form an integral part of the staffing strategy for the area and should take account of the need for any ‘positive action’ initiatives in process.  ‘Positive Action’ is lawful under the Equality Act 2010 and refers to the steps that an employer can take to encourage applicants from people who share a protected characteristic (e.g. a certain gender or race) who under-represented in a particular area of the workforce, for example:
• placing advertisements in the minority ethnic press, the women's press and any other publication which is targeted at groups which are under-represented;
• including statements in advertisements that encourage individuals from under-represented groups to apply for the advertised position.
• All new or changed posts must be formally reviewed and graded before they are advertised in order to help ensure equal pay for work of equal value.
• Formal authorisation to recruit to a post should be sought before commencing the recruitment process.

4.2 Job Description & Person Specification

• A job and person specification must be produced or updated for any vacant post that is to be filled.
• The job description should accurately reflect the elements of the post.
• The person specification should state both the essential and desirable criteria in terms of skills, aptitudes, knowledge and experience for the job, all of which should be directly related to the job and applied equally to all applicants. Care should be taken when writing the person specification to ensure that criteria used do not indirectly discriminate against certain groups of applicants.

4.3 Advertising

• As a minimum all positions will normally be advertised within Astral Hygiene Ltd. This will help maximise equality of opportunity and provide staff with opportunities for career development, thus maintaining the skills and expertise of existing staff.
•  
• 5. Selection of Candidates

5.1 Shortlisting

• Shortlisting may involve the whole panel but must be carried out by a minimum of 2 people to avoid any possibility of bias, one of whom would normally be the direct line manager.
• Shortlisting and selection panels for all appointments must meet the minimum composition requirements, and should be constituted with due consideration to the promotion of Equality and Diversity.
• All candidates (internal and external) should be assessed objectively against the selection criteria set out in the person specification, and only candidates who meet all the essential criteria should be short-listed. Assumptions about the qualities of internal candidates should not be made.

5.2 Selection & Interview

• All redeployment candidates who meet the essential criteria for the post (as set out in the person specification) will be offered an interview.
• Interview should normally be carried out by a minimum of two people, one of whom should be the Recruiting Manager.
• Selection is a two-way process: candidates are assessing the role and Astral Hygiene Ltd. Those involved in recruitment should consider how best to convey a positive image.
• Interview questions and the structure of the interview should be consistently applied to all candidates and should be based on the person specification.
• Notes recording the salient points of the interview should be taken, ideally by the interviewers, so that they can refer back to these when assessing candidates against the person specification and making decisions. Notes of the interview and any other notes on the candidate taken during the recruitment and selection process should be passed back to HR Services following the selection process and will be kept for a minimum of 6 months following the selection process.
• In the event that a candidate requests feedback about their performance in the selection process this should be arranged by the Recruiting Manager, although he or she may delegate this to another member of the panel where appropriate.
• Unsuccessful interview candidates should be dealt with courteously and sensitively and will, as a minimum, receive telephone or written notification of the outcome of the selection process.

5.3 Making the appointment

• It is recognised that in many cases it is desirable to make a verbal offer very shortly after the selection process to enhance Astral Hygiene Ltd’s ability to recruit the selected candidate.
• Astral Hygiene Ltd recognises open contracts as the general form of employment relationship between employers and employees and will appoint new and existing staff to indefinite contracts unless necessary and objective reasons justify use of a fixed-term contract.

5.5 Induction

 

• Induction is the final stage of the recruitment process. Once the successful candidate has accepted the offer of employment and a start date has been agreed the line manager is responsible for preparing a comprehensive induction programme for the new employee.

Reviewed January 2024