In our last blog post we already reported on our GWÖ certification last year. You haven't read our first GWÖ post yet? Click here to read the article.
We have successfully completed the certification process, but that is not the end of the matter for us - now the really exciting part of the internal implementation begins! In this blog post, we would like to explain to you what we have learned from the certification process and how we are now implementing it 🙂
GWÖ certification matrix
The GWÖ uses a matrix for certification. This consists of the five contact groups of a company and the four fundamental values of the GWÖ. Each of the 20 resulting matrix fields was discussed in our peer group and given a score. The points are awarded on a scale of 0-10 and are divided into rating levels.
0 points is the "baseline" and represents the minimum for a common good-oriented economy. This baseline usually corresponds to the legal minimum or the industry standard.
1 point corresponds to the assessment level “First Steps” and means that the company has dealt with the issue internally and made minor initial changes.
2-3 points correspond to the assessment level “Advanced” and mean that the company is implementing individual measures internally and has also developed an awareness of the issue along the value chain.
4-6 points correspond to the rating level “Experienced” and mean that the company has developed comprehensive guidelines and consistently implements them internally and along the entire value chain.
7-10 points correspond to the rating level “exemplary” and mean that the company has developed innovative processes, is doing pioneering work on the topic and is thus acting as a role model for other companies.
CARRY Bottles is sustainable!
We have completed our GWÖ certification with 488 out of 1000 theoretically achievable points. This means that we are already one of the experienced companies in the areas of sustainability and the common good, addressing common good-oriented issues not only internally but also externally along the value chain!
The certification process revealed that our strengths lie in dealing with our suppliers and employees. We identified our financial partners as our weakest area. To make the topics a little more tangible for you, we have described three examples in more detail.
Sustainability and transparency in the supply chain
Matrix fields A3 & A4
Our greatest strength is the issue of sustainability and transparency in our supply chain, where we have achieved the rating level “Exemplary”.
We are aware that, as a relatively small company, we have little influence on the basic practices in our industry. Nevertheless, we try to make our supply chain transparent wherever possible and to involve and network everyone involved. It is particularly important to us that we are in contact not only with our direct suppliers, but also with their suppliers. This has proven to be helpful when there are structural changes, delivery difficulties or staff shortages.
An example of this two-way exchange along our supply chain is the search for an alternative lid material. At the time, we sat down with our injection molding company to discuss the technical requirements for the lid material and to look for possible suppliers for the material. During our own research, we came across a number of companies with innovative materials. After an exchange with our injection molding company, we made contact with a company and thus enabled the exchange of needs and requirements of all parties 🙂
Basically, we consider a variety of criteria when choosing our suppliers, as their work has a significant impact on the quality of our products. Our products should combine the aspects of sustainability, regionality, functionality and design equally and we select our suppliers so that they meet all of our requirements.
One example of this is the glass. The glassworks where our CARRY Bottles are made is only around 40 km from our production, which has a very positive impact on our collaboration and our understanding of the production of glass. Together with our glassworks, we have opted for white glass with the highest possible proportion of recycled glass (approx. 60%) while maintaining a more or less consistent appearance and transparency. The recycled glass content reduces the amount of energy required in the glass melt and the material consumption. Since the glass body is the heaviest part of our product and therefore potentially causes the highest emissions during transport, our regional production is also very good for the footprint of our CARRY Bottle!
Internal co-decision-making and transparency
Matrix field C4
We have also achieved the “Exemplary” rating in terms of transparency towards and involvement of our employees.
The decisive factors in this area are the hierarchy structure in the team, whether there is a feedback culture and whether the opinions of the team are heard and taken into account in decisions. At CARRY we live a culture of co-determination and everyone works together on an equal footing. Our experiences with transparency and co-determination so far have been very positive and we have noticed that this increases the acceptance of decisions among employees and thus also the motivation in the team.
One example of this is that we as employees have a say in the selection of managers. At first, our managers were selected in the traditional way by the management, but this led to difficulties within the team. We learned from this and in 2021 we selected our new managing director Stefanie for the first time with strong employee involvement. As a team, we worked out the requirements for the applicants in a workshop, after which the job advertisement was designed accordingly. The interview and selection process was also democratic, with the involvement of all employees. Around 6 months after the appointment, we evaluated our managing director again through a survey and asked the employees how satisfied they were with her.
We still retain the core elements of this recruiting process today for the selection of new colleagues.
Even though we are already very well positioned when it comes to internal decision-making and transparency, the certification process has revealed clear potential for improvement: building a feedback culture. We started this at the end of 2022 by developing concrete feedback rules in a strategy workshop. We have also introduced a monthly buddy talk in which we give each other feedback in pairs. Through the buddy talk, we have found a real enrichment for our collaboration as a team 🙂
Meaning and social impact of the products
Matrix field E1
For us, one of the areas with the greatest potential for improvement is the purpose and social impact of products. At first glance, we would probably have placed ourselves somewhat better on this topic, but during the certification process we learned a lot and took a lot of inspiration with us for the coming months. This area is about actively offering society added value and getting involved in socio-political issues.
Our CARRY Bottles meet the basic need for water and promote health, well-being and concentration. They are a safe and pollutant-free product that is a great alternative to plastic bottles. The beautiful and colorful designs also promote inner well-being and support identification with and representation of one's own values.
Even though the CARRY Bottles directly meet some basic needs, they can also be considered a luxury product because they are more expensive than some other water bottles. If you compare the durability of the drinking bottles and the sustainable and health-friendly production with the high price, the CARRY Bottles still have a very good price-performance ratio. From this perspective, we have worked out the potential for improvement that we want to make our bottles more accessible to people with lower incomes. In the near future, we will be looking at how we can better reach these target groups and increase our social relevance 🙂
Through the certification process, we have initiated a learning and growth process that goes far beyond certification. We have now converted the improvement potential identified in the process into concrete action points, which we have assigned to our individual team members. In the coming weeks and months, we will be working on implementing these action points. This will certainly not always be easy, but we are looking forward to the new challenge!
Would you like to find out more about our work? Then follow us on our social media channels 🙂
