Sustainable Procurement Policy

Sustainable Procurement Policy

It is the policy of Paragon to identify and manage the environmental, social, and economic impacts within our supply chain to allow us to ethically manufacture gloves in the UK.

Our customers can rely upon our UK manufacturing to improve their impact on the world by avoiding products manufactured outside the UK in unethical, polluting, or unsustainable ways.

To help us meet our goals of sustainable manufacturing, and to permit our customer to sustainable procure medical gloves, we take significant and important steps to ensure we are a world-leading company in the ethical, sustainable, and environmentally friendly manufacture of gloves.

Our Sustainability Goals

• To guarantee our customers a reliable, consistent & secure supply of medical gloves, ethically manufactured in the UK.

• To ensure that our factory is the most environmentally sustainable glove manufacturer in the world.

• To ensure our company creates a workplace for our staff, and the staff in our supply chains, that is safe, respectful, fulfilling and promotes the individuals’ physical, mental, and financial health.

Paragon is committed to:

• UK manufacturing in a green, environmental, and sustainable manner.

• Reducing the carbon footprint of medical devices which are currently transported around the world by sourcing raw materials locally and manufacturing our medical PPE close to the point of use.

• Protecting our rivers, lakes, and oceans by having a world-class wastewater treatment facility on site to treat all water leaving our UK manufacturing site.

• Reducing carbon emissions by investing in efficient oven technology in our factory to reduce waste heat and emissions to the atmosphere, while using heat exchange technology to recycle heat within the factory.

• Improving the natural environment by working with The Conservation Volunteers to plant native trees around our UK manufacturing sites and by sponsoring planting projects in our local community.

• Using environmentally friendly sources of energy such as solar panels to power the factory and purchasing mains electricity from renewable sources.

• Setting objectives and action plans in support of this policy and pursuing continuous improvement of our practices.

• Prioritising suppliers who have embedded sustainable and ethical practices within their organisation and who drive such practices within their own supply chain.

• Identifying areas of higher risk and influence within our supply chain and engaging with suppliers in those areas.

• Complying with the letter and spirit of all applicable legislation.

Through supplier selection and direct engagement, we will favour suppliers that actively;

• Reduce their environmental footprint through:

• Being located geographically close to our UK manufacturing site

• Conservation of resources, including the use of energy, water, and materials

• Waste minimisation, both within their operations and through reduction of packaging

• Reducing the impact of deliveries and maximising local sourcing

Deliver benefits to society through:

• Complying with International Labour Organization (ILO) principles in respect to human rights and conditions of employment

• Ensuring that slavery and human trafficking is not taking place in any of their supply chains and in any part of their business

• Investing in skills training for their staff

Drive economic growth through:

• Supporting job creation and facilitating opportunities for small-and-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and social businesses

• Considering the life-cycle cost of products

• Providing the Living Wage (at a minimum) to employees and contractors

This policy will be communicated throughout the organisation and is available for public review. It will be reviewed on a regular basis to evaluate continued relevance, monitor compliance, and drive continual improvement.