THE UKAL GROUP'S COMMITMENT

Our aim with this charter is to share information on our day-to-day commitments. However we are also focusing on the future; on the social, economic and environmental issues that concern us.  Ecology and the economy are not in contradiction with each other, they are intertwined, carrying each other along, raising each other's game...

We wish to sustain our operational and financial performance over the long term, whilst taking concrete action on sustainable development sustainable development, which we believe offers real opportunities in terms of innovation and value creation.

The world is changing and we have to, too. Doing so will allow us to retain our position as a leading player on the livestock farming market, but also to pursue our strategy of diversification.

UKAL'S FUTURE IS BEING WRITTEN TODAY

Since its creation, UKAL has been committed to serving both farmers and nature. This is our raison d’être and we believe it is essential to take account of farmers' well-being so that they can pursue the passion for their job that drives them and provides their livelihood, as well as being indispensable to the development of our economy.

In the last few years, the agri-food industry has seen some twists and turns due to changes in consumer mentality  A large proportion of them are becoming activist-consumers, principled consumers looking to purchase quality produce, often organic (though not always) and with a concern for animal welfare. And at the same time, the cost of living means that not everyone can look only at the quality of produce - there is also the matter of price.

At UKAL, it is not our role to solve that problem, but we are concerned to provide as much support as we can, on a day-to-day basis, to producers and distributors by offering equipment and materials that respect animal welfare and take account of the working conditions of livestock farmers. That is why we are rigorous in our selection of partner brands.

LET'S CONTINUE TO PRESERVE OUR PLANET

The signals our planet is sending us are becoming increasingly alarming.  Because no action is too small, we have been working for several years to take the measures necessary to limit our environmental impact.


Because we think it is possible to combine responsibility and business success. Our challenge: "to commit ourselves to respecting the environment whilst remaining economically viable". A balance is being achieved thanks to the efforts of everyone involved:  employees, customers, suppliers, shareholders and other stakeholders. 

What does that mean in concrete terms?

In order to put our commitment to this approach on a long-term footing, we have undertaken several projects:

• All our employees have undertaken to reduce their environmental impact by limiting the amount of waste they produce (less printing, introduction or selective sorting bins, replacement of disposable cups with personalised flasks and cups, etc.).

 

• We now use recycled cardboard cushioning when preparing and packing our orders. Our aim is to optimise the use of resources which are both environmentally-friendly and efficient in terms of logistics.

 

•  We are working closely with our 100% environmentally responsible printers to create eco-friendly materials (FSC paper, certified inks, etc.) when producing our paper materials such as catalogues and brochures. Our Imprim’vert certified printers work to a precise set of specifications to reduce their environmental impact. We take care to limit the number of hard copies of communication materials intended for our distributors and always offer them a digital version as an alternative.

 

• We have also finalised our project to develop paper-free documents, focusing particularly on electronic customer invoices.  This will considerably reduce our paper consumption.

 

• We are also working hard to reduce our energy consumption by using renewable energies (wood-fire heating, etc.) and by replacing old light bulbs with low-consumption LED bulbs.
   
  
  
  
  

PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS OUR PRIORITY

We are committed to developing ethical, respectful relationships  with all our employees, customers and suppliers.

 

Our customers

All our commitments are underpinned by a sense of respect. Our main aim is make the customer our  focus  by offering them the best possible value for money and excellent customer service. We are always attentive to their needs and expectations, as part of our constant concern for continuous improvement.

We consolidate UKAL's reputation by serving our customers well and we make it a point of honour to win our customers' loyalty.

Our suppliers 

We select our suppliers on the basis of a set of precise specifications and our aim is to work hand-in-hand with them on a long-term basis in a climate of mutual trust. We strive to build fair and mutually beneficial relationships.

Our employees

We also strive to guarantee our employees a good quality of working life and equal pay. UKAL undertakes to foster a climate of trust and dialogue between each employee. We are keen to develop a sense of pride in belonging to our company and to enhance its appeal as an employer.

To facilitate access to employment, we hire young graduates on work-study schemes or offer placements so that they can gain the skills and knowledge they need to get onto the first rungs of the career ladder.

At the same time, we are working on the introduction of new in-house tools to help our staff in their daily tasks and to enable them to refresh and develop their skills.

UKAL is also involved with associations and charity events that are close to our heart, such as the Pink October breast cancer awareness campaign, with the "La Haguenauvienne" race.




 

BUILDING THE FUTURE RIGHT NOW

Doing our bit. We are well aware that there is still a long way to go to become a company with a 100% CSR approach, but our actions are firmly geared towards the future and continuing improvement.

We will continue to work relentlessly on different solutions to improve our day-to-day performance and the everyday working lives of our employees and also those of all the stakeholders who make up UKAL.

In concrete terms, two flagship projects are in preparation and will be rolled out in the coming months:

• After getting off to a good start already this year, we have launched a biodiversity project with dry and wet zones to encourage new species in the area near our headquarters.
  
  

• The second ambitious project involves the elimination of plastic packaging (currently recyclable) in favour of an alternative packaging solution that is even more environmentally friendly.  We are constantly looking for ways to improve our production and logistics flows, whilst combining productivity and ecology.
  
  

Committed to our future.

This page was written on 2 November 2021 and will be updated regularly. It is intended to be an indication of our activities and not an exhaustive account of all of them.