Good practice:

A case of incorporating Corporate Social Responsibility in electrical equipment: Emm. Kouvidis S.A.

Emm. Kouvidis S.A, which is active in the electrical equipment industry, presents a holistic approach to how it addresses CSR. The company, aiming to contribute to environmental protection, has adopted a series of principals such as energy saving from the production process, the application of a collective waste management system resulting from product packaging and, finally, the development of environmentally friendly products. The product packaging is produced by 100% recycling paper. In addition, the company and its suppliers comply with the REACH 1907/2006 regulation of the EU for the correct use of chemical products. Kouvidis is closely tied to the society in which it does business and recognizes the responsible role it must play, so it applies CSR actions in the society axis. Such actions are the establishment of its own blood bank, the continuous financial support of NGOs and the priority of hiring from the local society. Human resources are of paramount importance to Kouvidis industry, which believes the employees are building the company's future. Thus, it provides training seminars for all employees as well as health care and group insurance programs. The company is certified with ISO 14001 and ISO 9001: 2008 quality management system and aims to produce high quality, safe products that meet the expectations of its consumers and modern market trends following the principles of total quality. The main beneficiaries are: employees, society and environment.

To implement the aforementioned actions, the company uses its own financial and human resources which is part of the quality management systems implemented by the company. It also seeks compliance by its suppliers with certain criteria such as the REACH Regulation 1907/2006 of the European Union.

• Zero use of primary raw materials
• Reduction in the weight of carton materials by 5 tons per year,
• 80% reduction in ink usage
• National recognition of business excellence in 2008 by the Ministry of Development
• Best Workplaces award in Greece 2017
• "Committed to excellence in Europe” award from EFQM

The biggest difficulty is to incorporate corporate social responsibility practices into the core of the company's operations. However, this has been achieved by adopting and implementing management systems across the company's range of operations. Another difficulty may be the high cost required.

The approach of the Kouvidis Industry towards CSR is holistic. Also, the effort to implement responsible entrepreneurship is ongoing and its results are measurable and accessible. Thus, those who are interested in updating and adopting relevant practices, have the possibility to gain access to them. There is the possibility of transferring and spreading the company's CSR practices on condition that each company adapts itself to the values of CSR and designs a model that fits its philosophy, its management model and the sector in which it operates.