SUSTAINABILITY

Our commitment to a sustainable world

OUR STRATEGY

Sustainable Development for Bolton Adhesives means doing good and prosperous business, respecting the rights of the people involved in our value chains, the communities around us and protecting the resources of the Earth, thanks to which our business itself stems.

Driven by our will, people and brands, we strive for healthy and sustainable growth to guarantee the prosperity of current and future generations.

That’s why we believe that our business development has to respect the people and the planet, imagining new solutions for the future and doing better in our daily actions.

The new Bolton Sustainable Development Strategy sets priority areas we want to focus on in the next years, clearly underlines high-level commitments in the long term and sets precise targets in the short and medium term. It has been adopted by Bolton Adhesives.

PILLARS

The new Sustainable Development Strategy is built on 3 pillars:

  1. Positive impact BRANDS: All our brands are committed to create value by enabling people to live sustainable lifestyles.
  2. Our commitment for NATURE: We want to persistently improve our footprint on the Planet and support regenerative initiatives to have a positive impact on Nature.
  3. Our commitment for  PEOPLE: We want to ensure that all our value chains guarantee human rights and offer equal and thriving opportunities to employees and local communities.

OUR COMMITMENT TO A BETTER WORLD

Our branded products touch the lives of millions of people every day and, through our brands, we create value that is shared for the benefit of People and the Nature.

The majority of our products are manufactured in our own factories in Germany and the Netherlands. We are aware of our social responsibility towards our employees, our business partners and the communities around us. We support an active participation of our employees.

We will continue to leverage our influence for sustainable supply chains by collaborating with Ecovadis the world’s largest and most trusted provider of business sustainability ratings. We will progressively assess our strategic suppliers against their environmental and social performances and provide them guidance on how to improve in the areas of ‘Environment’, ‘Labor & Human Rights’, ‘Ethics’, and ‘Sustainable Procurement’.

Our activities are based on relevant laws, regulations and agreements on occupational health & safety and environmental protection. We are daily committed to systematically reducing risks in everything we do. In this context, we can ensure safe and sustainable workplaces that respect people and the surrounding ecosystem and offer opportunities for growth and development.

To meet these requirements in the long term, we are committed to operating an Integrated Management System in accordance with the international standards 9001, 14001 and 45001. We are also committed to continuous improvement of our environmental performance and to a zero-accident-policy.

We feel the urgent responsibility to contribute to tackling the global warming. We believe that everyone has a part to play in making a positive impact. That’s why we aim to reduce the amount of CO2 emissions in the atmosphere and do our best to protect the natural ecosystem on which are business depends. In 2023, we have published our first Corporate Carbon Footprint which represents a robust baseline for setting a clear decarbonization strategy with concrete mitigation actions. 

Since 2017 we have reduced our CO2 emissions (scope 1 and 2)* by 40%. We have switched to 100% renewable electric energy as of 2022 in all our production sites and warehouses in Germany and the Netherlands. 93% of our waste is recycled or recovered, thus following our aim to create zero waste to landfill. We apply a strict water management with closed-loop cooling cycles to keep the water intensity** at a low level. We are also committed to sourcing our raw materials from suppliers as close to our production sites as possible. To date, we have around 300 raw material suppliers, 96% of which are based in Europe.

* 2022 compared to 2017.

** Water intensity index related to finished product = water withdrawal/tons products produced = 0,97 in 2022

OUR PRODUCTS

We develop high-quality products for different target groups. From the youngest pupils at school to professionals in the field, we offer suitable adhesive solutions. 

We continuously aim to improve our products and offer innovative and sustainable solutions in order to meet the needs of our customers and end-users as well as of future generations.

GREEN BRANDS AWARD

One example is our ReNATURE adhesives, which are made from particularly sustainable formulations and packaging. They have been awarded with the Green Brands Award Germany and the Nordic Swan eco-label.

BISON RUBBER SEAL

Our Bison Rubber Seal is a coating for waterproof sealing, protecting and repairing. Its cartridge is made from >80% recycled plastics. Thanks to its solvent free and low emission formula it is suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications. It has a durability of at least 20 years (tested according to EN 1297).

BISON MAX REPAIR POWER

For durable repair solutions, Bison has many different adhesives. Bison Max Repair Power is a product produced in the Netherlands with sustainable packaging. The adhesive itself is solvent-free and the cardboard blister card is made of 90% recycled material.

OUR APPROACH TO FOSTER A SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE

Furthermore we are committed to promote new consumption patterns and a more sustainable lifestyle, in which the life of objects is extended and the resources available are used more wisely. With our campaign “Waste? Just Fix It!” we aim to make consumers more aware of the need to extend the life cycle of a product and to show how broken items can be repaired quickly and durably using our adhesive products.

The campaign includes a partnership with Repair Café International Foundation, a non-profit organization that aims to minimize waste, use resources responsibly and connect people in new and exciting ways.

OUR APPROACH TO PACKAGING

We are committed to follow an approach that starts with the overarching aim to rethink and redesign our packaging (and products when needed) in line with the principles of a circular economy through innovation and taking inspiration from market best practices.

Our approach starts by giving priority to the use of less packaging and materials, then increasing the level of circularity of our packs or keeping resources in the loop as long as possible and engaging consumers in recycling, composting or, if applicable, reusing our packaging. This approach will be applied to all our packaging starting with those with the highest sale volumes.

We are also committed to proactively engage with our key internal and external stakeholders, both upstream and downstream to make this approach work, because we are aware of the need to have the whole packaging value chain working in the same direction and with the same approach to maximize results. For more information see our “Packaging Policy

OUR APPROACH TO RESPONSIBLE FORMULAS

We strive to minimize health and safety risks for consumers and employees, as well as environmental and social risks resulting from raw materials and formulations, both in existing products and during our innovation and development process. All our products and technologies are carefully tested to ensure their safety both for our health and the environment. For more information see our “Policy on ingredients and raw materials

Besides, we have set a new target to increase the circularity of the ingredients starting from a level of 28% in 2022, aiming to reach 50% ingredients from circular sources intended as renewable/bio-based, recycled/regenerated/upcycled, coming from abundant minerals and biomass balance certified ingredients by 2030.

PUBLICATIONS

Download our last sustainability report and discover more about our commitments.

Download our latest ISO certifications.

ISO 14001:2015 (environment).

ISO 45001:2018 (occupational health and safety).

CONTACT

We wish to engage in open dialogue with all stakeholders.
If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact us:

Bolton Adhesives
Adriaan Volker Huis
14th Floor
Oostmaaslaan 67
3063 AN Rotterdam
The Netherlands

Phone: +31 (0)88 3 235 700
E-mail: info@boltonadhesives.com