Corporate Social Responsability

The health and nutrition of babies is at the heart of our values. All our efforts in research and development, clinical studies, investments, launching new products are first and foremost thought for the benefit of babies.

Our values

Our priority has always been to provide safe and healthy products to families who trust us. Over the years, this approach has led us to work on issues that go beyond Quality, but which are part of an increasingly global context. A raw material is no longer chosen solely on technical criteria. Its origin and its manufacturing process are also key.

In parallel, each consumer brings a growing interest to environmental issues or to the role of the company and its impact on society. The company is no longer just the supplier of a good or a service. It also has, through its activities and decisions, an impact on its environment.

Our CSR approach is born from the convergence of these two fundamental trends. We therefore undertook the realization of an inventory of the CSR initiatives setting in our company and had an independent body evaluate the quality and seriousness of our actions compared to an external reference (ISO 26000 standard among others). At the end of this audit, our company was awarded a silver medal rewarding our efforts. In addition, this point of reference enabled us to define the actions for the next steps, the CSR approach being the logical part towards a continuous improvement.

Our missions

In the event that breastfeeding is not desired or not possible, all our efforts are aimed at:

Providing babies with safe, healthy, high quality products that comply with the various regulations around the world.
Feeding them, but also, through their diet, help them overcome the worries of everyday life, more or less important (problems of regurgitations, transit, intolerances, allergies, etc.).
In fact, improving their feeding conditions and their living conditions, and those of their parents!
Providing health professionals and parents with clear information on our products and their conditions of use, and advice via pediatricians and pharmacists, our products being mainly distributed in pharmacies.

photo of a little girl playing with laboratory equipment

Our CSR approach

photo of a construction truck placing CSR cube games

Seven core issues are addressed in the ISO 26000 standard and allow companies to define the scope of their responsibility, the relevant areas of action and set their priorities.

These central questions are:

the governance
human rights
relations and working conditions
the environment
the loyalty of practices
consumer issues
communities and local development

Our impact on the environment and how we minimize it

Our CSR policy integrates our commitments to responsible purchasing.

Depending on their nature, purchases are made by the department that is responsible for them. For example: analysis purchases are made by the quality department, transport service purchases are made by the logistics department, purchases of office equipment are made by the administrative department, etc.

Each service therefore applies the commitments of our CSR policy to its own purchases.

photo of a little girl holding a plant in grass

Our commitments' applications

Donation

Novalac supports numerous foundations, with more than 75000 infant formulas in donation in 2019 to the following associations: the European Food Banking Network, Association Mamadou Sakho (Sénégal), Association Agir pour l’enfant (Haïti), Association pour le développement des Iles Comores.

Building on a successful collaboration, Novalac has established a formal partnership with the French Food Banking Network to help low-income families who struggle to afford infant nutrition for their babies.

Novalac is always committing in medical research with the 4th Edition of the Novalac International Pediatric Research Award.

Novalac also highlights the arts, with the sponsorship of reknown museums as Le Louvre and Le Musée d’Orsay.

Purchases of CSPO labeled palm oil

Non-profit organizations such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) have developed and implemented Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) production standards.

These standards include criteria for the protection of primary forests, respect for the rights of local populations, farmers, etc. The purchase of CSPO palm oil reflects the support of this initiative.

In 2016, 24% of the palm oil used for Novalac formulas is RSPO certified, this is 85% for 2019. Our aim is to reach 100% of all Novalac formulas containing RSPO palm oil in the years to come.

Purchases of FSC cardboard packaging

The objective of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification is to avoid trade in timber harvested in violation of the rights of indigenous peoples, from forests where conservation is threatened by logging activities, or from forests on which genetically modified trees are planted.

For our formulas packaged in cardboard cases, we opted from 2016 for a new case model using:

• cardboard made from FSC certified wood
• a design facilitating use for the consumer

The FSC logo affixed to our packaging reflects the fact that the wood used to make this packaging comes from sustainably managed forests.

Green IT

The Green IT, called in France "eco-technical information and communication", has been defined as: "Information and communication techniques whose design or use can reduce the negative effects of human activities on the environment."

Our main supplier of hardware is committed to an environmental approach and supported the US Environmental Protection Agency in launching its Energy Star label. Since 2012, all our computer stations purchased have been awarded the Energy Star label.

Reduced thickness of packaging

In 2010, the thickness of our metal boxes was reduced allowing a reduction of 4% of the total weight of the box while preserving the need to have robust boxes, arriving in good condition to the consumer. In this way less raw materials are consumed and less energy is used in the transportation of our products.

Eco-management of packaging

Almost all of our packaging consists of 100% recyclable materials: grouping cardboard, metal boxes, cardboard cases, scoops and plastic caps.

In addition, in all the markets in which we operate, Novalac and its partners contribute financially to the collection and recycling systems for packaging materials in each country.

Finally, we also educate users of our products on sorting rules. In France for example, this means applying the “triman” logo on our boxes since the beginning of 2015.

CITEO: FR212169_01QIYT

Setting up videoconferencing to limit travel in the professional area

Set up since 2011 on our various work sites, the videoconferencing system is a very practical tool that is frequently used for work meetings between employees or with our partners, thus reducing pollutant emissions related to travel.