BRC Food Certificate

Virgin Nuts is BRC Food AA-level certified since 2009.

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Corporate Social Responsibility

Virgin Nuts philosophy: living and working together for the common good

At Virgin Nuts, we look at the impact our business activities have on customers, employees, communities and the environment as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Strategy.
Virgin Nuts philosophy - 'living and working together for the common good' - defines the principles of CSR and has been embedded at the centre of the business since 2010. We aim to be worthy of worldwide admiration by achieving corporate growth while contributing to the prosperity and happiness of humankind.

Conservation of the environment

Our environmental strategy focuses on three core objectives: elimination of hazardous substances; resource conservation; and energy conservation. We continually assess how we can reduce the amount of packaging, hazardous and non-renewable materials used in our products. Virgin Nuts also aims to reduce the environmental burden in all stages of a product's lifecycle, from production, to use and onto disposal via recycling.

Recycling and waste reduction

At the start of Virgin Nuts waste was not separated. All waste was collected and was picked up by the disposal company for incineration. Due to the global warming problems, Virgin Nuts started with waste separation in 2010. Cardboard and plastic was separated from the total waste and collected for recycling. At the beginning of 2011, Virgin also started to separate the food grade waste after filtering in the production process. This separated food grade waste is now used for the extraction of biogas. Due to these adjustments in the waste treatment process we have given 11,746 pounds of valuable materials (or more than 95%) a second life as recycled raw material for new products. We also save the emission of 4,181 kg of CO2. This CO2 reduction is equivalent for driving 19,815 km, 734 hours showering or 9,169 days of a 40 watt light bulb.

Corporate Governance and Compliance

Virgin Nuts ensures compliance with laws and regulatory requirements such as data protection, company law, customers and corporate governance.
Virgin Nuts Code of Conduct incorporates our guiding Three Self's principles: Self Awareness, Self-Management, and Self-Motivation. We also encourage our employees to draw attention to any non-compliance of this Code of Conduct without recrimination, to ensure we maintain ethical standards at all times.

Workplace

Virgin Nuts understands that a happy workforce is a productive workforce. Therefore, we ensure that this is promoted wherever possible. We operate to strict social standards on labour conditions in our factory and we've never had legal resource on any human rights issues.
We ensure we understand local social policies and etiquette and use these to help share best practices. Virgin Nuts works to foster a corporate culture that encourages an enterprising spirit by acknowledging the human values of ambition, responsibility and mission, and by guaranteeing fair and impartial evaluation based on merit.

Sport clubs

Virgin Nuts recognises the valuable role that sport clubs play within society. In one way or another, everyone is involved in sports or some sort, whether they're playing or watching or just knowing someone who does either. Sports bring people together. For this reason we support a sport club in the Netherlands by sponsoring and collecting paper for subsidized income.

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Anti-bribery - Anti-corruption Policy

It is our policy to conduct all of our business in an honest and ethical manner

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to establish controls to ensure compliance with all applicable anti-bribery and corruption regulations, and to ensure that Virgin Nuts' business is conducted in a socially responsible manner.

Policy statement

Bribery is the offering, promising, giving, accepting or soliciting of an advantage as an inducement for action which is illegal or a breach of trust. A bribe is an inducement or reward offered, promised or provided in order to gain any commercial, contractual, regulatory or personal advantage. It is our policy to conduct all of our business in an honest and ethical manner. We take a zero tolerance approach to bribery and corruption. We are committed to acting professionally, fairly and with integrity in all our business dealings and relationships wherever we operate and implementing and enforcing effective systems to counter bribery. We will uphold all laws relevant to countering bribery and corruption in all the jurisdictions in which we operate and we take our legal responsibilities very seriously.

Scope

Who is covered by the policy?

In this policy, third party means any individual or organisation you come into contact with during the course of your work for us, and includes actual and potential clients, customers, suppliers, distributors, business contacts, agents, advisers, and government and public bodies, including their advisors, representatives and officials, politicians and political parties. This policy applies to all individuals working at all levels and grades, including trainees, volunteers, interns, agents, sponsors, or any other person associated with us.
This policy covers:

Bribes

Employees must not engage in any form of bribery, either directly or through any third party (such as an agent or distributor). Specifically, employees must not bribe a foreign public official anywhere in the world.

Gifts and hospitality

Employees must not offer or give any gift or hospitality:

Employees may not accept any gift or hospitality from our business partners if:

If it is not appropriate to decline the offer of a gift, the gift may be accepted, provided it is then declared to the Director and donated to charity. We appreciate that the practice of giving business gifts varies between countries and regions and what may be normal and acceptable in one region may not be in another. The test to be applied is whether in all the circumstances the gift or hospitality is reasonable and justifiable. The intention behind the gift should always be considered.

Facilitation payments and kickbacks

Facilitation payments are a form of bribery made for the purpose of expediting or facilitating the performance of a public official for a routine governmental action, and not to obtain or retain business or any improper business advantage. Facilitation payments tend to be demanded by low level officials to obtain a level of service which one would normally be entitled to. Our strict policy is that facilitation payments must not be paid. We recognise, however, that our employees may be faced with situations where there is a risk to the personal security of an employee or his/her family and where a facilitation payment is unavoidable, in which case the following steps must be taken:

In order to achieve our aim of not making any facilitation payments, each business of Virgin Nuts will keep a record of all payments made, which must be reported to the Director, in order to evaluate the business risk and to develop a strategy to minimise such payments in the future.

Political contributions

We do not make donations, whether in cash or kind, in support of any political parties or candidates, as this can be perceived as an attempt to gain an improper business advantage.

Charitable contributions

Charitable support and donations are acceptable (and indeed are encouraged), whether of inkind services, knowledge, time, or direct financial contributions. However, employees must be careful to ensure that charitable contributions are not used as a scheme to conceal bribery. We only make charitable donations that are legal and ethical under local laws and practices. No donation must be offered or made without the prior approval of the Director. All charitable contributions should be publicly disclosed.

Your responsibilities

You must ensure that you read, understand and comply with this policy. The prevention, detection and reporting of bribery and other forms of corruption are the responsibility of all those working for us or under our control. All employees are required to avoid any activity that might lead to, or suggest, a breach of this policy. You must notify the Director as soon as possible if you believe or suspect that a conflict with or breach of this policy has occurred, or may occur in the future. Any employee who breaches this policy will face disciplinary action, which could result in dismissal for gross misconduct. We reserve our right to terminate our contractual relationship with other workers if they breach this policy.

Record-keeping

We must keep financial records and have appropriate internal controls in place which will evidence the business reason for making payments to third parties. You must declare and keep a written record of all hospitality or gifts accepted or offered, which will be subject to managerial review. You must ensure all expenses claims relating to hospitality, gifts or expenses incurred to third parties are submitted in accordance with our expenses policy and specifically record the reason for the expenditure. All accounts, invoices, memoranda and other documents and records relating to dealings with third parties, such as clients, suppliers and business contacts, should be prepared and maintained with strict accuracy and completeness. No accounts must be kept "off-book" to facilitate or conceal improper payments.

How to raise a concern

You are encouraged to raise concerns about any issue or suspicion of malpractice at the earliest possible stage. If you are unsure whether a particular act constitutes bribery or corruption, or if you have any other queries or concerns, these should be raised with the Director.

What to do if you are a victim of bribery or corruption

It is important that you tell the Director as soon as possible if you are offered a bribe by a third party, are asked to make one, suspect that this may happen in the future, or believe that you are a victim of another form of unlawful activity.

Protection

Employees who refuse to accept or offer a bribe, or those who raise concerns or report another's wrongdoing, are sometimes worried about possible repercussions. We aim to encourage openness and will support anyone who raises genuine concerns in good faith under this policy, even if they turn out to be mistaken. We are committed to ensuring no one suffers any detrimental treatment as a result of refusing to take part in bribery or corruption, or because of reporting in good faith their suspicion that an actual or potential bribery or other corruption offence has taken place, or may take place in the future. Detrimental treatment includes dismissal, disciplinary action, threats or other unfavourable treatment connected with raising a concern. If you believe that you have suffered any such treatment, you should inform the Director immediately.

Who is responsible for the policy?

The board of directors has overall responsibility for ensuring this policy complies with our legal and ethical obligations, and that all those under our control comply with it. The Director has primary and day-to-day responsibility for implementing this policy, and for monitoring its use and effectiveness and dealing with any queries on its interpretation. Management at all levels are responsible for ensuring those reporting to them are made aware of and understand this policy.

Monitoring and review

The Director will monitor the effectiveness and review the implementation of this policy, regularly considering its suitability, adequacy and effectiveness. Any improvements identified will be made as soon as possible. Internal control systems and procedures will be subject to regular audits to provide assurance that they are effective in countering bribery and corruption. All employees are responsible for the success of this policy and should ensure they use it to disclose any suspected danger or wrongdoing. Employees are invited to comment on this policy and suggest ways in which it might be improved. Comments, suggestions and queries should be addressed to the Director. This policy does not form part of any employee's contract of employment and it may be amended at any time.

Virgin Nuts B.V.
May 1, 2015

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Global Human Rights Policy

Virgin Nuts is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer

Virgin Nuts’ mission includes the commitment to treat its employees with respect and dignity, and to be a force for positive action in the community in which we do business. Therefore, Virgin Nuts is committed to support and uphold the provision of basic human rights and to eliminate discriminatory practices. Virgin Nuts respects the inherent dignity of all persons, and seeks to enable all employees to do their best work by embracing and valuing the unique combination of talents, experiences and perspectives of each employee.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Virgin Nuts is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. All employees and applicants will be treated fairly, without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, gender identity and expression, genetic information, or any other basis protected by local, state, or federal law. This statement applies with regard to all aspects of one’s employment, including hiring, transfer, promotion, compensation, eligibility for benefits, and termination.

Purpose and scope

Virgin Nuts’ Global Human Rights Policy emphasizes Virgin Nuts’ commitment to basic human rights as a core component of the way Virgin Nuts does business and how Virgin Nuts engages its employees. The Policy supports the guidance of employees toward the fundamental principles and requirements for upholding basic human rights in the workplace. The Policy supports employees in creating and maintaining a work culture that protects the unique rights of children to pursue basic education as a priority over work, prohibits forced labour, supports the rights of employees to engage in free association, and supports the provision of equal human rights to all persons.
Virgin Nuts’ goal is to maintain an environment that fosters open and direct communication between managers and employees as the most effective way to work together and resolve differences, and respects its employees’ rights to participate in a collective bargaining process should they so choose.
The Global Human Rights Policy applies to all employees from Virgin Nuts. Virgin Nuts expects all suppliers to conduct business in ways that uphold the principles of this Policy.

Requirements

Virgin Nuts is committed to maintaining a work environment that respects and supports the provision of basic human rights to all of its employees around the world, regardless of the country in which they work, to the full extent permitted by law. To this end:

Virgin Nuts will not tolerate any behaviour or actions prohibited by the requirements herein. Virgin Nuts does not consider such behaviours or actions within the core values of the company, nor is such conduct authorized by Virgin Nuts employees, including managers.

Complaint

Employees should immediately report any conduct engaged in or endured by a Virgin Nuts Employee, or any individual conducting business on Virgin Nuts’ behalf, that is a potential violation of the Global Human Rights Policy or may compromise the company’s values around the provision of basic human rights.

Child labour restrictions

Virgin Nuts prohibits all forms of child labour as defined in this Policy. When employing employees under the age of 18, managers must comply with all Virgin Nuts-established or legally required limitations on minimum hiring age, hours and tasks performed by these employees to ensure any work performed does not hamper the child’s education, health, safety, and mental or physical development.

Equality and non-discriminatory practices

Virgin Nuts embraces and values the unique combination of talents, experiences and perspectives of each Employee. It is expected that all employees are offered equal opportunities to develop knowledge, skills and competencies relevant to the company’s mission through inclusion, equality and accessibility.
Virgin Nuts employees are required to uphold the elimination of discriminatory practices in the workplace as outlined in its Equal Employment Opportunity statement.

Prohibition of forced or compulsory labour

Virgin Nuts will not make use of any form of forced or compulsory labour at any time for any purpose. Wages will be paid regularly and according to all Virgin Nuts requirements and applicable laws.

Right to free association

It is every employee’s responsibility to uphold employees’ basic rights to engage in free association.

Participation in collective bargaining

Managers and employees are expected to engage in active and direct dialog to solve joint problems and deal with mutual challenges. Virgin Nuts also respects its employees’ rights to participate in a collective bargaining process should they so choose.

Employee responsibilities

All employees are responsible for supporting human rights in the work environment. It is every Employee’s responsibility to:

Working hours

Working hours comply with national laws. Working hours, excluding overtime, are defined by contract, and will not exceed the maximum working hours as defined by national law. All overtime is voluntary and will not exceed the maximum as defined by national law. Overtime is used responsibly, taking into account all the following: the extent, frequency and hours worked by individual workers and the workforce as a whole. It is not used to replace regular employment.

Wages

Both regular and temporary personnel are paid equally. Therefore, temporary personnel will never be employed to reduce costs on personnel.

Employment agreement (contract)

All employees, both regular and temporary, have an employment agreement (contract).

Disciplinary and grievance policy

Virgin Nuts has a formal Disciplinary procedure, as well as a Grievance procedure.

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