How Vitalex acts toward its people, partners, community and planet
1. Our approach
Corporate social responsibility is built into how Vitalex operates rather than bolted onto it. As a supplier to healthcare, dental and veterinary providers, we have a duty to act ethically, to support the wellbeing of our people, to trade fairly with our partners, and to reduce our impact on the environment. This policy sets out our commitments across four areas.
2. Our people
- ▪ providing a safe, healthy and inclusive place to work, including for colleagues working on customer premises;
- ▪ treating everyone with dignity and respect, free from discrimination, harassment and bullying, as set out in our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy;
- ▪ supporting fair pay, development and wellbeing; and
- ▪ encouraging openness, including through our Whistleblowing Policy, and protecting anyone who speaks up.
3. Our marketplace
- ▪ dealing honestly and fairly with customers, suppliers and competitors;
- ▪ sourcing responsibly and expecting ethical standards throughout our supply chain, as set out in our Ethical Trading Policy and Modern Slavery Statement, and given contractual force through our Terms and Conditions of Purchase;
- ▪ maintaining rigorous product quality and regulatory compliance, as set out in our Quality Policy;
- ▪ operating a zero-tolerance approach to bribery and corruption; and
- ▪ describing our products and services accurately, and not claiming a capability, certification or approval that we do not hold.
4. Our community
We are a North East business supplying a health sector under real financial and environmental pressure. We aim to be a useful member of that community rather than a passive one.
In practice this means sharing what we know about sustainable procurement and pack right-sizing with the clinical and procurement teams we work with, without charge and without requiring a purchase. Where we can support a relevant local or sector initiative we will, and we would rather commit to a small number of things we actually do than publish a longer list of intentions.
5. Our environment
We work to reduce the environmental impact of surgical consumables through waste reduction by design first, and responsible recovery second. Our approach is set out in full in our Environmental and Sustainability Policy and our Carbon Reduction Plan.
6. Governance and review
The Board is responsible for this policy and for embedding responsible practice across the business. We review it at least annually, and we welcome feedback from customers, suppliers and anyone else who deals with us. Comments can be sent to customerservices@vitalexltd.co.uk.