| | | In 2000, the worldwide EXPO project "The future of work in the field between humankind, nature, technology and the market" was exhibited at Wilkhahn. The Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund, (DGB - German Trade Union Federation), the AOK (Health Insurance Company for Lower Saxony, Germany), the Institut für Arbeits- und Sozialhygiene, (IAS - Institute for Occupational and Social Hygiene) and the Deutsche Arbeitsschutzausstellung, (DASA -German Safety at Work Exhibition) demonstrated the diverse networking between innovation processes, ecology, social orientation and economic success, taking Wilkhahn as an example. At the same time, one of the first sustainability reports in the world was drawn up and published under "Wilkhahn Added Values" within the scope of a pilot project on sustainability reporting in small and medium-sized companies sponsored by the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (German Foundation for the Environment) in collaboration with the Institut für Markt, Umwelt, Gesellschaft (imug - Institute for the Market, Environment and Society. This was followed in 2001 by the certification of the environmental management system in compliance with EMAS II and the international Environmental Management System ISO 14001, accompanied by publication of the corresponding environmental statement which was updated in subsequent years. In the meantime, public awareness of a holistic approach to corporate responsibility has progressed. Initiatives such as "ethics in business", the guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) or the endeavours of the International Standard Organization (ISO) to establish a new type of corporate social responsibility (CSR) underline the growing importance of reporting which includes ecological and social aspects, in addition to economic elements. | | Management systems have also witnessed integration of various areas. The idea of Total Quality Management (TQM) intentionally promotes the integration of quality management, health management and environmental management. The crisis in the office furniture industry since 2002, which Wilkhahn has not been able to avoid either, resulted in critical reflection and reconstruction of virtually all business processes. In the wake of this development, the areas of Environment, Quality and Industrial Safety, which had previously been organized individually, were merged into an integrated management system. Making these processes simpler and more transparent is not only a question of reducing costs: employees are immediately able to recognize interconnections and possible synergies if training and audits not only deal with matters regarding the environment, but also with industrial safety and quality. The Environmental Statement 2005 has therefore been expanded to include information on quality management, industrial safety and preventive health protection. They in no way claim to be complete, but they do mark an initial step towards a holistic approach to corporate responsibility - both internally and externally. | | Corporate policy and guidelines "Our goal is to be an active and useful member of human society and, at the same time, to promote the image of the company and to secure its own long term existence. Wilkhahn is therefore especially committed to regarding economics, ecology and social aspects as equal corporate goals and objectives, and to contributing to sustainable development. The integration of environmental management, quality management, industrial safety and preventive health protection serve the sustainability of our products and production methods, the health of our employees and customers, and last but not least, they serve to safeguard our profits and workplaces. We want all employees to feel responsible for our processes and to share in the continuous improvement of our products, production methods and services, quality and our environmental performance. To this end, we motivate our employees and provide further training and enhancement of their skills by means of regular training programmes, information and involvement in project work." | | |