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SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2022
Working towards a climate-positive future
Every day we experience that it is not going well with the environment. Nature is being exhausted, polluted and raw materials are running out. The effect of this is reflected in extreme weather causing major consequences for people and the environment. Adjustments in behavior and making conscious choices ensure that we daily take a step in the right direction.
With this sustainability report we would like to provide more insight into how Mepal contributes to a more sustainable society. In the process of preparing this report, it was confirmed that we have already set up many aspects well from our DNA and our business operations. We believe that sustainability starts with quality products that have a long lifespan and that provide daily user pleasure. You do not throw away what is good and remains good, and you do not need to replace it. In addition, the production of these products is very locally oriented, over 80% is made in the Netherlands. People with a distance to the labor market participate in the assembly of the products through sheltered workshops. This is also typical Mepal. As a company in the Achterhoek, Naoberschap, the social duty to look out for each other, is strongly interwoven in our actions. This is expressed in long-term relationships and employment and a place where everyone can participate and be themselves.
In various areas, we still see opportunities to become more sustainable as a company. We work purposefully with each other to become a little more aware every day. A recent example of this is the opening of our renewed and renovated business premises, which has received a BREEAM excellent certification thanks to investments in sustainable heating and cooling and the use of solar panels. This report tells you everything about our journey towards a climate-positive future.
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Heading for a climate positive future
Sustainability. Being sustainable is what we do at Mepal. Because it’s in our DNA. We are always developing and renewing ourselves. We have been making high-quality products that are recyclable and last a long time for over 70 years. Products that replace single-use plastic products and in which leftovers are perfectly preserved. So very sustainable. We do all this in an environment where everyone can participate.
Waste less together
Food stays fresh longer due to air and aroma tight storage.
Enjoy for a long time
The timeless products have a long lifespan due to their extremely strong and impactresistant material.
90%
1 00% of the production waste is reused.
The alternative for single-use plastic products.
The separated parts can be reused as raw materials.
100% of our cardboard boxes for internal transport are reused for years.
Spare parts are available for the entire collection.
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Not just plastic
The production of plastic is low in C02 compared to other materials
The products remain beautiful with daily use.
Sturdy and lightweight, so handy for on the go and convenient during transport. Plenty of options in shape, color and design.
Local & social
80% of our production takes place in the Netherlands.
This saves more than 2.500.000 kilos of CO 2 per year.
Safe & trusted
All our products are externally tested and meet the strictest food safety requirements.
The majority of our products are being assembled by over 400 people in local workshops.
100% food materials.grade
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Made in Holland
Mepal headquarters sustainably heated by solar panels and heat pump.
Sustainable
6 - 7
Smart design choices
12 - 13
Built to last
Proudly made in Holland
16 - 17
14 - 15 Building
18 - 19
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awareness together
Development Goals
Working together (with a little help)
22 - 23
Naoberschap, respect and job satisfaction
24 - 25
Core values
28 - 29
Partners in progress
30 - 31
Improving, step by step
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Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) are 17 global goals designed to make the world a better place. These goals must be achieved by 2030. SDGs are a global compass for tackling challenges like poverty, education, and the climate crisis. They outline a positive vision for the future, but getting there demands collective action. We have chosen the goals that we believe, taking into account the nature and scale of our organisation, offer the greatest potential for us to make a difference.
SDG 2 | Zero hunger
Mepal designs and develops products that make it easy to store (leftover) food and keep it fresh. This reduces food waste. We have solutions for keeping and carrying all sorts of foods and meals so they can be enjoyed for longer.
SDG 3 | Good health and well-being
We all make choices about what we eat and drink every day. At Mepal, we see it as our responsibility to inspire people with healthy food ideas that help them make better choices. We commission chefs to create healthy recipes on our behalf, and we offer tools on our website and social media channels to help with meal prepping: cooking several meals in advance. Meal prepping ensures that you always have healthy options available, even when you don’t have time to cook. For cooking meals ahead of time, Mepal products offer the ideal solution.
SDG 4 | Quality education
At Mepal, we never stop developing and improving. And it’s something we like to challenge others to do too. This is reflected in our core value of ‘Entrepreneurship’. We want to encourage our employees to engage in continuous personal development, so we offer opportunities for training and education.
SDG 5 | Gender equality
It’s particularly important to us that our employees enjoy their work and can carry out their tasks without any kind of obstacle. Essential to this is the creation of a safe working environment. Our employees should be able to take it for granted that they will be given respect and have job satisfaction. Everyone ought to feel at home at Mepal, regardless of their ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. It’s essential to use that everyone feels included and has something valuable to contribute. Making our products easy to assemble is considered right from the start of the development process. This allows them to be finished in sheltered workshops by people with disabilities, helping to provide equal employment opportunities for everyone.
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SDG 8 | Decent work and economic growth
We are a member of amfori BSCI. Amfori BSCI aims to improve working conditions by ensuring that companies operate without using slave or child labour and that employees have safe working conditions and the right to form a trade union. For us, it’s vital that everyone involved with our products works for fair pay, not just in-house but throughout our entire supply chain. Local and long-term partnerships ensure that we can monitor and maintain this. Manufacturing and assembling Mepal products locally means that we contribute to the local economy and create jobs.
SDG 12 | Responsible consumption and production
All our products help to promote a sustainable lifestyle. We see it as our duty to inform and support our customers when it comes to living sustainably. Using our products makes it easy to help create a cleaner environment with less disposable plastic and waste. We do this in-house too, for example, by reusing packaging materials like boxes when transporting things between our own facilities. We’re also introducing an entirely circular product to the market: Mepal Pro. After use, this product can be completely recycled into a new product. Mepal Pro is the ultimate in responsible manufacturing.
SDG 13 | Climate action
More than 80% of our products are made in the Netherlands. Our aim has always been to continue to improve this number. We keep our CO2 footprint as small as possible by increasing the amount that we manufacture locally, which avoids using pollution-heavy modes of transportation. The Mepal warehouse uses sustainable heat and energy generation methods, making it completely CO2 neutral.
SDG 14 | Life below water
Our products offer a sustainable alternative to single-use plastic. They help reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in the sea. Just by using a lunch box, you can save 220 plastic sandwich bags in a year.
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Environmental
At Mepal, We’re committed to making smart design choices.
“Since the day Mepal was founded, we have chosen to use the highest quality raw materials.”
Innovation Director Simon van Es explains: “These raw materials allow for more flexibility in terms of design, but they also produce a better product, one that lasts. Rather than responding to short-term trends, we create products that meet people’s everyday needs, so they are always relevant. That’s not the only thing we do to make our products sustainable. When we design a product, we look at how easily it can be taken apart so that any broken components can be replaced and recycled. To us, this is an obvious choice, and it’s a principle we’ve been applying for years.”
“In our newest range, we take this a step further. Mepal Pro has been designed to be completely circular. This line was specifically developed for the catering industry. Mepal Pro’s reusable containers offer a real solution to the use of single-use packaging and disposable plastic. Mepal offers the unique option of returning used containers so that they can be recycled. We use the recovered raw materials to make new Mepal Pro containers. This is a fantastic step in terms of design, development, and sustainability.”
Six design strategies
To ensure we meet Mepal’s high quality standards, we adhere to the following principles:
#1 Standardisation & compatibility
When designing a product, we consider the degree to which its parts are interchangeable. Individual products can be combined with other products, allowing the user to determine how they are used. You can see this principle in our lunch pot range, in which the lids and pots are all interchangeable.
#2 Assembly & disassembly
When designing a product, we consider how easily it can be taken apart and put back together again. The advantage of this is that our products can be put together by people as well as machines. They can also be easily repaired, or, when they reach the end of their useful lifespans, be disposed of in separate waste streams.
#3 Customisability & upgradability
When designing a product, we consider how easy it will be to modify. This makes it possible to deliver customer-specific orders and adapt products to our customer’s needs. This could be printing a logo or even making changes to the components and construction.
#4 Loyalty & trust
When designing a product, we consider the possibilities for personalisation, for example, with colour and prints. This provides added value for the customer. We also focus on providing an optimal user experience so the user attaches more value to the product.
#5 Sustainability
When designing a product, we consider our promise that it will last, in terms of looks as well as function. Optimising the design for production allows it to be made competitively and locally. This keeps the carbon footprint lower than manufacturing it elsewhere.
#6 Ease of maintenance & repair
When designing a product, we consider how simple it will be to maintain and repair it so that the user can do this independently. This means that the quality of the product is maintained for longer, making it less likely to be thrown away.
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The advantages of plastic
“Plastic is in our DNA,” says Simon. “We’ve been using this raw material for over 70 years, and it’s where most of our knowledge and expertise lies. Nevertheless, with each new design, we assess whether plastic would be the most suitable material. Ultimately, we want to use the material that most suits the way a product will be used, and plastic is often the best choice. However, plastic perhaps doesn’t have the best image. It’s usually thought of as being bad for the environment. But there is a difference between single-use plastics and plastic products that have a long lifespan, which have significant advantages over disposables. Mepal’s decision to use plastic is a conscious one.”
‘‘For every possible purpose, there’s a plastic that perfectly matches consumers’ diverse requirements and wishes. There are unlimited possibilities in shape, colour, and design. Plastic is easy to clean, making it incredibly hygienic, and because it’s lightweight, you can take plastic products along wherever you go. Plastic is also incredibly durable. It has a long lifespan, is extremely strong, and its manufacture emits less CO2 than the manufacture of glass, for example. Another advantage of plastic is that the Netherlands has many excellent injection moulders, with whom we have worked for many years. This enables us to make our products locally, saving a huge amount of emissions compared to transporting them from places like Asia. Plastic has many advantages that make it an excellent material for making our products.”
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Environmental
‘‘Unlimited possibilities in shape, colour, and design’’
Built to last
Although the word “sustainable” is used to describe an increasing number of products, what this word actually means is often not explained. That’s not so surprising because sustainability is a fairly broad concept.
A sustainable product must meet three requirements:
1. The product should be manufactured in a people-friendly way.
2. The product should be safe for humans and the environment.
3. The product should have a long lifespan.
Making sustainable choices isn’t just about choosing products that have a smaller impact on the environment or on people. It’s also about choosing products that last longer so that they need to be replaced less often. This results in fewer products needing to be manufactured, which in turn leads to a reduction in the use of raw materials. This has a positive effect on the environment.
Mepal products have a very long lifespan. This is a fundamental criterion that we consider when selecting materials. Mepal products are super robust and can take a knock or two, and timeless designs ensure that our product ranges have impressive longevity. If a customer wants to order products from a particular line years after they were first released, there’s every chance that they’ll still be available. This means we can provide service support for many years.
Timeless designs ensure that our product ranges have impressive longevity. This means we can provide service support for many years. If a customer wants to order additional products at a later date, the chances of the range having been discontinued are very small. If something is lost or broken, we can provide replacement parts.
Extending use with spare parts
Why throw something away or replace it if it’s still good? If something is broken, repair it. This mindset dovetails beautifully with how we do things at Mepal. Unfortunately, Mepal’s products are not completely indestructible. Even our products sometimes break, get lost, or simply need replacing after extensive use. That’s why we make spare parts available for all our products. A cap, a rubber ring, a straw – it can all be found on our website. These parts ensure that you can enjoy using our products for longer.
Recyclable products
Our ultimate goal for Mepal products is that they last a lifetime. Sadly, we can’t guarantee that they will, so we like to make sure they can be given a second life. Thanks to smart design choices, our products are easy to take apart. The disassembled parts can be recycled into raw materials. We use recyclable plastics for most of our collection.
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Environmental
Proudly Made in Holland
From the initial sketch to the packaged product, we like to keep everything close to home. This might be because we have a bit of a perfectionist streak. But it’s also because it means we can tell you where and how our products were made and what they’re made from. Mepal is based in Lochem, in the east of the Netherlands. We work closely together with partners in our local area.
Currently, over 80% of our products are made in the Netherlands. The only products still made abroad are those for which we’ve so far not been able to find a suitable manufacturer at home. We’re very proud to be working with local injection moulders and freight suppliers. And with sheltered workshops in our region, where 80% of our product assembly is done. The remaining 20% is done in-house.
We do what we can
Working with local partners has great advantages, such as low CO 2 emissions. By making our products locally, we avoid having to ship to and from places like Asia. Manufacturing 80% of our products at home saves 2,500 tonnes of CO 2 emissions. That’s equivalent to heating 1,000 homes for a year.
When we were considering the expansion of our facilities, we knew immediately that we wanted to do this sustainably.
Thanks to the investments we’ve made in geothermal heating and cooling methods and in solar panels to generate electricity, the Mepal head office and warehouse are already largely selfsufficient; currently, our own alternative sources supply twothirds of our energy.
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“An 80% local manufacture rate saves 2,500 tonnes of CO 2 .”
We also try to do what we can when it comes to recycling our waste. All our manufacturing waste is collected and reused. If waste products aren’t suitable for reuse, they’re returned to the supplier for reprocessing. We try not to throw anything away.
If we can’t avoid throwing something away, we make sure it’s separated so that it can be recycled.
We make a conscious choice to use as little packaging as possible and to only use the packaging materials that are essential for protecting our products during transport. We continually review our packaging materials to make sure that we are always using the best option. We reuse our cardboard boxes for internal transport to and from our regular suppliers and workshops. Many of those boxes last for years!
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Environmental
Building awareness together
“If we all pay a little more attention to what we buy and how we store it, we can make a big difference.” Commercial Director Jeroen de Bos explains what Mepal is doing to help create a more sustainable world.
“We inspire people to cut down on waste in easy, enjoyable ways. And we do everything we can to reduce the amount of waste we create ourselves. It starts on a very small scale, for example, by thinking about whether printing something out is really necessary; if it is, we print double-sided.”
“All our products help to promote a more conscious lifestyle. This means that we help to promote a way of life that’s both healthy and sustainable. We provide daily support and information about living consciously via our communication channels, such as our website and social media. Using our products is a simple way to do your bit for the environment by using less disposable plastic and producing less waste.”
Reducing single-use plastic
“You won’t need to buy single-use plastic bottles if you use one of our water bottles. And your sandwiches will stay fresher for much longer in our clever lunch box than they would in a sandwich bag. Good to know: use your Mepal lunch box for a whole year, and you’ll save 220 plastic sandwich bags!” says Jeroen. “Grabbing a coffee at the station? Take your own coffee mug with you. (It’s often cheaper too.) Or even better, make your favourite coffee at home and take it with you in an insulated coffee mug. Small steps towards creating less waste.”
Limitless storage
“We make food storage containers with an almost limitless number of possible uses. That means you’ll never have to throw food away again. See what’s left in the fridge or freezer and use it to make a delicious meal. Leftover couscous makes a tasty lunch, and a little pasta sauce is delicious in soup. Or store all your pasta, rice, and cereals in our storage boxes so you can enjoy them for even longer. Our storage boxes are 100% airtight and aroma-tight, thanks to their seal.
Healthy food, easy life
We’ve all been there. It’s been a long day, and you can’t face cooking a meal from scratch. Why not prepare a healthy meal at the weekend or the day before? We provide regular tips on getting started with meal prepping, with new recipes posted every month and advice on maintaining a healthy balance. Our storage products make it easy to keep dishes in the freezer and then reheat them in the microwave so you can have a healthy meal on the table in no time.”
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“Using our products is a simple way to do your bit for the environment.”
Environmental
Working together (with a little help)
Not everyone is able to work in a conventional workplace. For a variety of reasons, the world of work often doesn’t work for people living with disabilities. But regardless of ability, we all want to belong, have a job, and be a part of society. Sheltered workshops offer extra support and guidance in an adapted environment, much more than would be expected from a conventional workplace. They make it possible for many people who would otherwise be excluded to find employment.
Mepal recognises the vital importance of these workshops. One of our organisation’s core values is ‘‘togetherness”. It’s important to us that we provide an environment where no one is left out, and everyone can be themselves. This is a good reason for us to make sure our products are easy to assemble, right from the first stages of their development.
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Different locations
Currently, 80% of our products are assembled at external locations. Here, the components are put together to make the final product, information leaflets are placed on or inside the product, and then it’s put into its packaging and prepared for shipping. Around 400 people in social workshops throughout the Netherlands work together to make Mepal products. All in their own way and at their own pace.
Once assembled, the products are transferred to our warehouse in Lochem before being shipped for sale all over the world.
Social
Naoberschap, respect and job satisfaction
Naoberschap means ‘neighbourhood’ in the dialect of the Achterhoek region where Mepal is based. A naoberschap is a social network, usually in a predominantly agricultural community, where neighbours have a duty to help each other.
Mepal is located in the east of the Netherlands, in the town of Lochem. Our region has its own dialect, Achterhoeks, and its own distinct character too: Sober, down to earth, and above all, friendly. Because many of the people who work for us come from the Achterhoek, naoberschap is very much part of the culture at Mepal. We look out for and take care of each other.
Respect for one another is also essential. We want everyone to enjoy working for us. And when we say everyone, we mean everyone. That means regardless of their gender, their ethnicity, or what they look like. We value everyone as an individual and strive for equality.
Our success in living up to these values can be seen across the company. For example, many of us have worked for Mepal for a long time. Tenures of 25 years or more are not at all unusual. Of course, although this seems normal to us, we never take it for granted. We know it’s something we need to appreciate and nurture, so we celebrate our milestones and successes with each other regularly and reflect on what we’ve achieved together.
“Sober, down to earth, and above all, friendly”
Social
Core values
We want everyone to enjoy working for us. For this to be possible, it’s essential that we provide a workplace that is – and feels – safe. This begins with looking out for each other and establishing appropriate safety measures and good working practices.
Mepal’s core values are Togetherness, Entrepreneurship, Originality, Practicality, and Awareness.
The value Togetherness links back to our company culture and means that we treat each other with respect, work as a united team, and treat each other equally. In addition to this, our company believes in the importance of fair pay.
At Mepal, we never stop developing and improving. We’ve been doing that since 1950. We like to challenge ourselves and others to find ways to improve. This is reflected in our core value of Entrepreneurship. This means that we encourage our employees to work on developing themselves too. We provide tools for personal development by offering courses and the opportunity to gain certification. In addition to this, we
also focus on developing and building teams so that colleagues can work together even more effectively and pleasantly.
Practicality is built into our products, but it’s an essential part of our way of working. We strive to get things right first time. We think ahead in everything we do by anticipating how our (internal) customer will respond. This makes working together not just much more efficient but also much more enjoyable. We also try to bring this value to the way we interact with each other. We communicate with Originality, but also in a way that is easy and approachable by being honest, transparent and authentic. From our entrepreneurial spirit comes our pursuit of innovation and fresh ideas.
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We have an Awareness of the world around us and our responsibility towards it. We are considerate of people and the environment. This demands a focus on practical matters, such as the availability of safe and efficient pathways in the warehouse, safety instructions, and office workstations that meet Dutch health and safety standards. But it’s also about good secondary employment benefits. Because we also expect this from our partners and suppliers, we have become a member of Amfori BSCI.
Amfori BSCI
In a global market, supply chains can become increasingly complex. Now more than ever, it’s essential for companies to be aware of how their products are made and to bring about improvements in their supply chains wherever possible.
This was our reason for joining amfori BSCI. It helps us work in a targeted way on improving our social performance in our supply chain.
This safeguards several important factors, such as fair pay, reasonable working hours, and bans on child labour and discrimination. But it also applies to the environment, health and safety at work, and the prevention of slave labour.
By being a member of amfori BSCI, we can improve the social performance of our supply chain. It also helps us guarantee that our organisation’s approach is clear and consistent and builds our resilience in the sector and in the wider market.
Governance
Partners in progress
Mepal’s corporate governance reflects our commitment to monitoring the effectiveness of policy and decisionmaking, both at the Supervisory Board and the Executive Board level. Mepal works continuously to develop and further strengthen the organisation in the long term. Creating long-term value is achieved by formulating clear business objectives and involving our entire organisation in the process by translating these into departmental objectives. We engage several external, impartial organisations to assess us according to fixed criteria.
And at the executive level, we try to make decisions that are right for people and the environment, every day. To do this, we consider financial results, transparency, social issues, and the environment, and we strive to maintain the balance between them all. These considerations could involve choosing packaging materials, investing in research, or making our own working environment more sustainable.
100% approved
We are making significant advances in many areas, such as food safety. All our products are tested externally and meet the strictest requirements of Commission Regulation EU 10/2011. Mepal products are made of 100% food-grade materials.
LCA
Environmental Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) is a method for identifying the effects products and human activities have on the environment. Specialised mathematical models are used to look at the entire life cycle of a product or activity, from the extraction of raw materials to manufacturing and (re)use to waste processing. LCA is viewed as a chain analysis, and this method has been used to assess a number of our products, including our newest collection, Mepal Pro.
FSC
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certificate guarantees responsible sourcing from sustainably managed forests and/ or from recycling. Most of our packaging is made from FSCcertified paper.
BREEAM excellent
BREEAM stands for Building Research Establishment
Environmental Assessment Method. BREEAM provides a benchmark for the construction of sustainable buildings with minimal environmental impact. Thanks to our investments in sustainable heating and cooling and the use of solar panels, our premises in Lochem have been awarded the BREEAM Excellent certificate.
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Governance
Improving, step by step
Improving, step by step
We want to continue to improve in many areas of our business. We’d like to help even more people live more consciously by offering tips and healthy recipes. But we also want to continue to innovate our product ranges.
For example, by further improving their durability, supplying even more replacement parts, and looking at the potential for making our entire collection recyclable. Manufacturing our products locally is something that’s very important to us, and we continue to explore opportunities for doing so.
We anticipate increasing growth in the demand for our products in the years to come. To meet this demand, we will need more people who can help us steer this growth in the right direction. It requires investment in the development of our current staff as well as the recruitment of new colleagues. And we have to do all of this in a way that suits Mepal and our culture.
We want to continue to improve in many areas of our business. We’d like to help even more people live more consciously by offering tips and healthy recipes. But we also want to continue to innovate our product ranges.
For example, by further improving their durability, supplying even more replacement parts, and looking at the potential for making our entire collection recyclable. Manufacturing our products locally is something that’s very important to us, and we continue to explore opportunities for doing so.
We anticipate increasing growth in the demand for our products in the years to come. To meet this demand, we will need more people who can help us steer this growth in the right direction. It requires investment in the development of our current staff as well as the recruitment of new colleagues. And we have to do all of this in a way that suits Mepal and our culture.
Environmental
Mepal makes high-quality products that are reusable and durable.
WASTING LESS
Our products offer a sustainable alternative to single-use packaging.
We also inspire people to reduce food waste by providing solutions for storing leftovers. This helps us all to reduce waste.
80% Sustainable building
MADE IN HOLLAND
80% of our manufacturing takes place in the Netherlands.
Manufacturing locally allows us to avoid the need to ship from and to places like Asia, saving 2,500 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.
LONG LIFESPAN
Mepal’s products are timeless. They can also take or knock or two, making them very durable.
And if a component is lost or worn out, it’s easy to order a replacement.
90% Recyclable products
Thanks to smart design choices, our products are easy to take apart. The individual components can be recycled into new raw materials.
Social
Manufactured locally and ethically. We are proud to be a socially responsible employer, providing job opportunities for all. The majority of our products are assembled in local sheltered workshops, which employ more than 400 people.
As a member of amfori BSCI, we ensure that people have a safe working environment, free from slave and child labour, throughout the entire supply chain.
Governance
Whether it concerns packaging, use of materials, or investments in sustainability, every step we take is taken consciously with regard for people and the environment.
100% Waste recycling
All our manufacturing waste is collected and reused.
NAOBERSCHAP, RESPECT & JOB SATISFACTION
Job satisfaction is of great importance to us. That means guaranteeing fair pay and equality but also creating a pleasant workplace where everyone can be themselves and where we look out for each other.
Naoberschap is what we call it in the Achterhoek.
FOOD SAFETY AND MATERIALS
All our products are tested externally to ensure they meet the strictest food safety standards and are made from 100% foodgrade materials.
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Summary
By generating energy with solar panels and using a heat pump system.
MEPAL B.V.
PO Box 227 7240 AE Lochem The Netherlands
Aalsvoort 101 7241 MB Lochem
T +31 (0)573 820 840
info@mepal.com
www.mepal.com
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NL 2022