Supply Chain

Consumers want more than a product that performs as promised. They also want to know where it comes from and to be confident that it has been made without violation of human rights. In these respects, we are committed to transparency and collaboration.

We already have high demands on our supply chain regarding sourcing and human rights. We engage them to set their own targets and pursue activities that will make a difference across a number of areas including types of material, energy use, waste, and packaging.

Our overall ambition is to have a positive impact on our supply chain and, in doing so, contribute to regenerating natural resources. We focus on three main areas: forestry, human rights & animal rights.

1Ensure sustainable origin of our renewable materials via due diligence and certifications

We will purchase all material from agriculture and forestry from certified suppliers. This means:

    • 100% FSC- or PEFC-certified or controlled wood-based material
    • 100% organic, BCI or recycled cotton

For Ontex, forests are the source of many components of our hygiene products and packaging. Ontex has been FSC-certified since 2010 (FSC® C081844) and PEFC-certified since 2012 (PEFC/07-32-261), and in 2021 about 46% of our product sales came from products with FSC-mix or PEFC certification.

For our company, such certifications as FSC and PEFC provide assurance that our wood-based raw materials and packaging are responsibly sourced. The goal of achieving 100% certified wood-based raw materials is part of our Ontex Sustainability Strategy 2030.

We aim to eliminate animal testing as a method of determining product safety. We commit not to test our products on animals, and we do not ask others to test for us. Where a regulatory body demands animal testing of ingredients used in our products for its safety or regulatory assessment, we seek alternative testing methods.

2Improving the sustainability performance of our supply chain and human rights

We aim for continuous improvement of the environmental & social performance of our supply chain.

Through trusted third-party audits and certifications we establish a solid supply chain due diligence.

We respect human rights in our value chain and continue to ensure the implementation of international labor standards.

All suppliers sign our Supplier Code of Conduct as a condition of engagement and all raw material & packaging suppliers (to Group and local entities) located in risk countries as defined by the World Bank by amfori BSCI will be subject to an independent third party audit against acceptable social audit standards by 2025.

3We aim to create transparency of our raw material composition to ensure product safety