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Why We Love our Customers ♥
The Brand Reputation Compliance Global Standard certification scheme,
This BRCGS scheme is designed to monitor every aspect of the operations of those companies’ supplying food and food contact materials to their members. The standard is 120 pages long, with over 250 compliance clauses, including Material Traceability, Hazard Analysis, Quality Management, Supplier Management, Process Management, and Staff Training in every activity.
The audit lasts over 12 hours. It is comprehensive and thorough. Different auditors are used and the revised standard for 2025, required external training courses for the QA Team, along with a revision of all existing operational procedures and retraining for staff at every level.
The auditors’ findings are our customers guarantee that the quality of the products they receive are manufactured, transported, processed, and delivered to consistent quality standards, which have been checked all the way to their factory.
2023 – 2025
Over 3 years, 36 hours of auditing, by 2 independent auditors and checking of some 750 compliance clauses the auditors recorded 1 minor non-compliance from the 2023 unannounced audit. These results not only reflect credit on Toni Leach, National Flexible’s Quality Manager, but as one auditor commented ‘Everyone I met, from top management and throughout the business, understood their role and were committed to the standard. There is a culture of quality.’
Why We Love our Customers 2025: - Their comments on our 2025 Audit
Our customers response to the announcement of the audit results was amazing. 34% took time to email us their congratulations and the following quotes are a small sample of what they said,
“Great teamwork, well done, a truly amazing result”
“Excellent result, many congratulations to everyone”
“That’s fantastic news, another AA grade with no non-conformities”
“Thank you for sharing – brilliant result – well done”
“Sounds like another fantastic team effort”
“Great news and great audit result. We would expect nothing less”
“When I visited the site, I witnessed the level of professionalism and collaboration. It’s clear to see why an auditor would be impressed”
There are, as indicated, many, many, more but on behalf of everyone in the business, I take this opportunity to say thank you to all the customers who sent us their good wishes. It really does make a difference to everyone to know their hard work is appreciated.
Other ESG Developments
SBTi: - We have now had our target of 1.5°C absolute reduction, using a market-based approach across Scopes 1 & 2 by 2034, which is now validated by SBTi.
Additional Solar Panels: - We have installed a further 112 panels on the roof of the new warehouse extension. Currently we are now operating at over 75% solar power thanks to a super summer.
Ecovadis: - We are now in our 4th year of compiling our environmental score within the Ecovadis sustainability platform. Each year we have been successful in improving our score with 58% in 2024, increasing to 60% in 2025.
The Gallup Q12 Employee Engagement Survey: - This worldwide scheme has studied over 3.3 million employees globally. To give some context to the overall employee satisfaction results obtained at National Flexible;
- The UK has an overall employee satisfaction score of 10%.
- Europe has an overall employee satisfaction score of 13%
- National Flexible had an Employee Satisfaction Score of 28% in 2023 and 37% in 2024.
Therefore, we have a world beating employee satisfaction score and nearly 4 times higher than the UK average.
Sustainability Seminar: - We are currently planning for our ‘Innovation in Sustainability’ seminar in October to consider with our customers the challenges being faced in our industry. These include EPR and PPWR, along with other challenges resulting from the legislation changes from now to 2030.
Guest Speakers
Professor Anthony Ryan OBE.
Tony Ryan is Professor of Chemical Science at Sheffield University; he was the Founding Director for Sheffield University Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures. His reputation for progressive solutions to plastics sustainability problems is well known.
Jonathan Fowle: - Flexible Packaging Consultant
With 35 years’ experience in flexible packaging, including Innovations Director of Amcor, Jonathan has established a wide-ranging advisory consultancy with major organisations, including the European Plastics Federation.
Summary
There are many new challenges and changes occurring in the UK Flexible Packaging industry. We are working with our suppliers and customers to ensure that we have the best materials and systems available to meet those challenges, both now and in the future.
As ever, I welcome your views on any of the items raised and would welcome you on LinkedIn for more regular updates.
#DontHatePlastic
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