The Snell Advantage
As New Zealand businesses come under increasing scrutinty based on who they choose to partner with and their progress towards their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) obligations, Snell is committed to partnering with businesses whose values align with our own.
Our ability to serve some of New Zealand's largest manufacturing, agricultural and food processing companies is under pinned by:
- Our position as one of the first warehousing companies in New Zealand to hold FSSC 22000, an internationally recognised and stringent food safety certification
- A depth of ESG expertise due to our partnerships with industry leaders, such as Tadpole, who have guided our own sustainability journey and therefore shaped our approach to supporting our customers
- A proactive approach to supplier management informed by a commitment to only partnering with businesses whose values align with our own
- A commitment to supply chain transparency as recognised by our Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification.
The Value of our FSSC 22000 Certification
To ensure food safety throughout the supply chain, FSSC 22000 is based on ISO 22000 but incorporates additional technical standards and sector-specific requirements.
FSSC 22000 is the foundation which underpins our approach to partnering with our customers. As many New Zealand businesses compete on the world stage, it is more important than ever that New Zealand businesses meet the standards required by the markets and companies they're seeking to partner with.
As one of the first warehousing companies in New Zealand to achieve FSSC 22000, this certification protects our customers' businesses from product recalls, brand and reputational damage, and supply chain disruption steaming from non-compliant product.
Regulatory Compliance
For businesses depending on access to local and international markets to serve their customers, Snell's FSSC 22000 certification provides assurance that the highest standards have been upheld to keep your products safe at every stage of the supply chain.
Risk Mitigation
As consumers demand supply chain transparency, New Zealand businesses are taking steps to mitigate risk at every stage of their supply chain. This shift reflects the reality that businesses may be judged by who they choose to partner with.
Ease of Dealing, Peace of Mind
Irrespective of your business' industry and markets, Snell's FSSC 22000 certification is underpinned by an ease of dealing promise. This certification ensures our customers can have confidence in our approach which provides peace of mind so you can focus on what you do best.
ESG - Our Approach to Protecting your Business
Access to global markets and capital is increasingly dependent on sustainability performance. Regardless of your personal or business views on sustainability, a company's ability to operate will be impacted by Environmental, Social and Governance compliance, either directly or indirectly.
ESG is a framwork used by socially concious investors to evaluate a company's ethical behaviour. It emphasises achieving a balance across these three pillars, recognising that actions in one area can impact another.
As businesses work to meet their ESG objectives and commitments, many find it difficult to know where to begin. Once businesses get started, the advice regarding ESG is ever-changing. As a result, it's easy to feel like you're not making any meaningful progress.
At Snell, we prefer to guide our customers through the challenges of ESG where the products we supply can have an impact. Often, our customers are surprised that our approach can aid them, in meeting their social responsibilities, in addition to the environmental pillar which usually serves as a starting point when engaging Snell.
As both consumers and businesses become increasingly conscious of the products they are purchasing, it's clear that minimising environmental impact while operating ethically from social compliance and governance standpoints are core to a business' ability to attract and retain customers. We see time and again that businesses must prove they are meeting their ESG obligations to get a seat at the table.
Environmental
We assist our customers in meeting their obligations under the Environmental pillar of ESG through vendor consolidation to minimise truck movements and, consequently, their Scope 3 emissions. Other potential approaches we engage include offering product alternatives when available and fit for purpose, supporting the downgauging of plastic materials and the reduction of packaging, wherever possible.
Social
We support our customers in meeting their social responsibility obligations by only partnering with businesses whose values match our own. We also ensure supply chain transparency by holding stringent and internationally recognised certifications, such as FSSC 22000 and FSC. Our approach is underpinned by an awareness that our customers can be judged by who they choose to partner with at any point in the supply chain.
Governance
Many businesses are often surprised that there is a connection between packaging and safety products and meeting their obligations under the Governance pillar of ESG. At Snell, our approach to supporting our customers is rooted in the mitigation of risk by association. By upholding our own stringent standards, we protect our customers' businesses.
Compliance Through Proactive Supplier Management
Snell has developed a Supplier Code of Conduct which ensures our global supply network complies with our expectations around minimising climate impact, engaging in ethical business while driving diversity and inclusion within their businesses. Due to the importance of alignment with ESG practices for Snell and our customers, we are pleased to have received such a commitment from our suppliers.
Upholding Ethical Business Practices
Snell has clear expectations of our suppliers in relation to how they do business. This is communicated in our Supplier Code of Conduct and supported by our own internal policies which cover topics such as modern slavery, human rights, as well as anti-bribery and corruption.
Over 95% Acceptance Across our Supplier Base
We are pleased to have received acceptance of our Supplier Code of Conduct by more than 95% of our suppliers. The 5% who have not signed our code are global suppliers with their own code which is the equivalent or more stringent than our own.
Annual In-Person Visits by our Senior Team
To uphold the standards we expect from our suppliers, our Chief Executive and Group Procurement Manager visit our international suppliers in-person. This ensures compliance beyond simply relying on external audits and certifications.
Responsible Sourcing of Forestry Products with FSC
As FSSC 22000 is our foundational certification which informs how we do business, we are pleased to support this by also holding the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification.
FSC is crucial to risk mitigation and supply chain integrity as it verifies that certified material has been identified and separated from non-certified and uncontrolled material at every stage, from forest to market.
Environmental Responsibility
To support our commitment to New Zealand businesses focused on meeting their ESG obligations, Snell's achievement of FSC provides our customers with assurance regarding the origins and chain of custody of their products from forest to market.
Responsible Sourcing
By partnering with a business who holds FSC, you can be certain that your products are sourced ethnical from businesses who uphold Snell's own stringent standards relating to Environmental, Social and Governance.
Forest to Market Assurance
Our customers can have certainty regarding the quality and origins of the paper and wood products they procure from us. This commitment is why we are trusted by many of New Zealand's largest companies.
Our Latest Insights - Two New Whitepapers
As part of our commitment to aiding our customers in meeting their ESG obligations, we have created two whitepapers on topics of relevance to New Zealand businesses:
- The Rise of ESG & Its Impact on Business Decisions - This whitepaper covers topics such as how environmental responsiblility is a non-negotiable, the potential for businesses to be judged by who they choose to partner with and the rise of Governance.
- The Truth About Packaging - This whitepaper discusses New Zealand's infrastructure, common packaging materials and terminology.