In an industry defined by shifting safety standards and rapid environmental innovation, staying ahead of the curve is a fundamental responsibility. For Ontex, participation in global industry associations is a deliberate strategy. This involvement is a key pillar of our product stewardship approach, supporting product quality and safety, fostering sustainability, and enabling proactive engagement with regulators across the product lifecycle. It also reflects our distinct role in the value chain as a private label manufacturer.
Active engagement across industry platforms
Bart Waterschoot, Group Sustainability and Product Stewardship Director, explains:
“We are active members of organizations such as EDANA, INDA, Group’Hygiène, BAHP, Ahpma UK and Confindustria. In several of these, we have colleagues representing Ontex at board level, while we also contribute to various steering committees, technical working groups, and regulatory taskforces.”
“We also regularly share our expertise in industry forums and conferences, contributing to the broader dialogue across the sector. By actively engaging with industry peers and regulators we anticipate developments and promote transparent and science-based approaches, whether it comes to quality, product safety, sustainability or compliance.”
Quality and product safety as a shared standard
Dominiek Tytgat, VP Procurement Direct Materials and board member at EDANA, illustrates this with a clear example: “Industry associations play an important role in how the industry approaches product quality and safety. Take supplier audits. By using common audit protocols developed by groups like EDANA, a single approval is recognized by all member companies. Since nearly 40 to 50% of our audits follow this shared approach, we eliminate redundant checks. This saves our suppliers significant time and allows us to focus our resources on higher-risk areas.
Bart Waterschoot adds: “The same applies to testing. When the industry agrees on common methods, we ensure that every product is evaluated by the same standards. This removes the confusion of conflicting rules and allows product safety and performance to be compared clearly and transparently across the entire sector.”
“This shared approach is a core element of product stewardship, ensuring that both product performance (quality) and consumer protection (safety) are consistently managed and clearly communicated across markets.”
Understanding and shaping regulation
Compliance requirements and regulatory frameworks are a constant in our industry. Being active members of industry associations keeps us closely connected to what’s coming next. Just as importantly, it allows us to help shape how new rules are interpreted and applied in practice. Through our participation in working groups and scientific review boards, we gain early visibility into emerging developments, often two to three years before they are formally implemented.
We also maintain an ongoing dialogue with regulators worldwide to ensure regulations are informed by real‑world manufacturing and product realities. By focusing on concrete topics, such as safety testing protocols and extraction methods, we help shape regulations that are not only scientifically robust but also practical to implement.
“Industry associations allow us to bring practical alternatives to the table and assist regulators in understanding what works in reality,” says Bart Waterschoot. “This kind of engagement is valued. It builds a relationship of trust, where regulators view the sector as a knowledgeable partner and engage in open, constructive dialogue.
Advocacy for the full value chain
Dominiek Tytgat further explains: “Industry associations provide a unique platform that brings together the entire ecosystem: from raw material suppliers, machine manufacturers, to finished‑goods producers. This collective approach enables the sector to speak with a strong, unified voice grounded in technical and operational realities, while supporting meaningful dialogue across the full value chain.”
For Ontex, these forums offer a key opportunity to represent the specific needs of the private label industry. For example, by engaging in discussions on product requirements and labelling obligations, we help shape compliance frameworks that accommodate the flexibility and diversity inherent to retailer‑driven product portfolios.
Manufacturing for a wide network of global retailers provides us with a broad, practical perspective. Rather than advocating for a single brand, we bring the diverse requirements of various retail partners and their consumers to the table.
By aligning regulatory requirements with the realities of suppliers, manufacturers, retailers and consumers, Ontex helps turn industry dialogue into standards that work across the entire value chain.
