Principles of Corporate Social Responsibility, in a more factual way.
Okay, you may have seen our Principles of Social Responsibility (or Irresponsibility) and not found them amusing. While we take corporate social and environmental responsibility seriously, we also believe in being genuine and natural in our communications. Any corporate social responsibility text is usually full of so-called bullshit, and we are allergic to that.
We take our responsibility for the environment and the communities in which we operate seriously, and our commitment to doing the right thing is quite firm. But we also believe in transparency and authenticity, and we believe that a straightforward and genuine approach to corporate social responsibility, without the extra bullshit, is the best way to make a positive difference.
We are committed to doing the right thing and are not interested in corporate "greenwashing" (beyond our own satirical greenwashing campaign) or other misleading advertising. Our approach is based on transparency and authenticity, and we believe that a straightforward approach to CSR is the best way to positively impact the communities in which we operate.
Environmental responsibility
At Valco, we are committed to reducing our environmental footprint. We aim to ensure that every product we sell is repairable in the future, and we aim to minimise electronic waste today by repairing faulty headsets rather than replacing them with new ones and disposing of broken ones. We also participate in the Finnish and European battery recycling programme and use as little packaging material as possible, shipping our headphones in a convenient transport package. We also encourage our factory to use renewable energy sources and are aware of our procurement practices to ensure that materials and components are sourced in an environmentally responsible way.
Involvement in community activities
At Valco, we are committed to supporting the communities in which we operate. As a fun 'greenwashing' joke, we plant a tree for every headset sold, but this is in itself a genuine effort to support the environment. In the future, we at Valco are going to manufacture more products in Finland and have better control over the entire supply chain, and our goal is to be a carbon neutral company. Unofficially, we probably already are, because our own electricity use is also very much based on renewables (as far as it is consumed).
Transparency and accountability
At Valco, we are committed to being transparent and accountable in our operations. We regularly publish information about our company and our practices in our customer newsletter and are open about our efforts to promote sustainability, ethical business practices and transparency.
Stakeholder engagement
At Valco, we are committed to engaging with our stakeholders, including customers and employees, understanding their concerns and gathering feedback on our CSR activities. We are committed to being genuine and personal in our communications and are not afraid to take serious issues lightly. Our factories have been audited for CSR by third-party consultants, including Amfori BSCI certification. In addition to our own employees, we also take social responsibility for our suppliers and business partners.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Valco is a company committed to corporate social responsibility. By repairing all defective headsets instead of replacing them, by reducing waste through minimal packaging and by participating in battery recycling programmes, we are setting a positive example to others in our industry. Our commitment to sustainability, ethical business practices and transparency helps us to positively impact the communities in which we operate.