2012 annual report Health Safety and the...

Our balanceForbo Flooring B.V.

creating better environments

Health Safety and the Environment

2012 annual report

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This is the 2012 annual HSE report of Forbo Flooring B.V. We evaluate the company’s performance of the past year with regard to its health, safety and environmental (HSE) policy, and present our HSE objectives for 2013. This report succeeds the 2011 annual HSE report which was published in June 2012.

Each year, as part of our HSE policy, we publish an HSE report to inform our internal and external stakeholders. As such, this report forms an important part of our communication plan, the ISO 14001 environmental management system and the OHSAS 18001 occupational health and safety system.

Our balance

Background images

Photo cover & photo page 8

Project: Waikato HospitalLocation: Hamilton, New Zealand

Floor covering installed: 1700 m2 of Marmoleum Real

Photo page 4:

Project: Modez Mode & Design HotelLocation: Arnhem, the Netherlands

Floor covering installed: 450 m2 of Unexpected Nature

of linoleum, Cork linoleum and Bulletin Board

Photo page 14:

Project: Maria-Lenssen-BerufskollegLocation: Mönchengladbach, Germany

Floor covering installed: 2200 m2 of Marmoleum Vivace,

Walton Cirrus and Walton Uni

Photo page 20:

Project: Dutch railways intercity trainsLocation: the Netherlands

Floor covering installed: 25000 m2 of Marmoleum Striato

Photo page 24:

Project: Artevelde HogeschoolLocation: Ghent, Belgium

Floor covering installed: 1200 m2 of Marmoleum Decibel and

500 m2 of Bulletin Board for the wall

Photo page 28:

Project: Waterford Regional HospitalLocation: Waterford, Ireland

Floor covering installed: 1800 m2 of Marmoleum Vivace,

Marmoleum Real and Marmoleum Dutch Design.

Aquajet technology used.

HSE annual report 2012 3

Contents5 Preface 6 Our company 6 Bestbrand•Greenfloors•Newcross-dockwarehouse

7 Inspiringworkingenvironment•ForboinHetKlokhuis

9 HSEpolicystatement

10 HSE objectives 10Evaluationof2012objectivesandnewobjectivesfor2013

12 Our products 12TheNextGenerationofMarmoleum•Lifecycleanalysis•Sustainableproducts 15Locationsandproducts

16 Our People 16Safety

18Healthandsustainabledeployability

21Development-orientedstaffpolicy

23Staffinglevels•WorksCouncil

25Suggestionsandrelaxation

26 Our Planet Earth 26Efficientinenergy

27 Air

29Residualwaste

30Environmentalincidents

Joost Dirkx director Human Resources

‘Keepingthebalance bymakingwell-considered choices’

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Thisannualreportfocusesonthesustainablebusinesspracticeof

ForboFlooring.Ourlinoleumfloorcoveringsarethemostsustaina-

blefloorcoveringsintheworld.Sustainableinthesenseof

ecologicallysound,butalsointhesenseofexcellentperformances

thateasilystandthetestoftime.Intermsofdurability,ourlinoleum

isbyfarthebestchoice.

This2012sustainabilityreportservestolookbackonthepastyear

andtolookforwardto2013.Thechoiceswemakeandtheactivities

weundertakehelpustocontinuouslykeepabalanceintermsofour

obligationstowardsourcustomers,employees,localresidents,

shareholdersandotherstakeholders.Short-termresultswillalso

havetocontributetolong-terminvestmentsandeffects.

ForForbo,2012wasayearinwhichwewerefacedwiththeharsh

realityoftheeconomiccrisis.Nevertheless,Idonotthinkweshould

beunhappyaboutthewayinwhichweconcludedtheyear.Afterall,

financialperformancescannotbeseparatedfromperformancesin

thefieldsofsafety,quality,sustainabilityandcustomersatisfaction.

Sometimes,onecarriesjustthatlittlebitmoreweightandwehave

totakecompensatingmeasurestorestorethebalance.However,

allouremployeesworkhardtokeepourcustomerssatisfiedandto

continuouslyimproveourperformances.Weparticularlyfocuson

safety.Thankstotheunabatedattentionwepaidtoworkingsafely

lastyearandtheimprovementofsafetyawareness,2012hasseen

alotfewerincidents.

Intermsofthestaffplanning,2012wasquiteachallenge.Dueto

fallingmarketdemand,weneededless(new)personnel.Becauseof

theimportanceofproductdevelopmentinthesechallengingtimes,

wedidinvestinexpandingourresearchanddevelopmentcapacity,

despitetheeconomichardship.

Withthe‘ForboinBalans’project,weaimforsustainableemployability

ofourstaff.Theobjectoftheprojectisajointfocusonemployability,

healthandahealthylifestyle,asafeandinspiringworkingenviron-

mentandatasksetgearedtotheworkloadcapacityofstaff.Many

employeesliterallystoodonthescales,withthebalancegoingthe

wrongwayattimes.Bytakingjointresponsibility,thebalanceis

restored.Theemployerfacilitatesandencouragesahealthylifestyle

andassuchhopesemployeeswillconsciouslyoptforabalancedand

healthierlifestyle.In2012,alotofstepsweretakenintermsof

sustainableemployabilityandthiswillbefollowedupin2013and

subsequentyears.

Youmayhavealreadynoticed,but‘balance’isthethemeofthisannual

report.Attimes,doingbusinessin2012feltliketryingtofindour

balanceonatightropeinaheadwind.However,asamajoremployer

intheDutchZaanstreekregion,wehaveanobligationtowardsour

customers,membersofstaffandlocalresidentstoacceptoursocial

responsibility,alsointimesofeconomichardship.Thisannualreport

servestoaccountforourperformancesof2012.Andmayitbean

inspirationtofurtherimprovethesustainabilitybalancein2013.

Onbehalfofthemanagementteam,

Joost DirkxDirectorHumanResources

Ourbalance

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OUR COMPANY

A new vision, mission and strategy. In today’s difficult times, we constantly have to make choices that bring balance in terms of our performances and obligations towards our customers, employees, local residents, shareholders and other parties involved. Where are we heading, how do we respond to social trends and economic developments?

Best brandManagementoftheForboFlooringdivisiondevelopedanewvision,

missionandstrategyin2012.Thestartingpointisthecurrent

positionandwhatForboaimstoachieveinthenextfiveyears.We

operateonadifficultmarketthatwillnotrecoverjustlikethat.Still,

themaingoalofForboistorealiseastrong,sustainablegrowthofat

least5%peryear.Inordertoachievethis,ournewstrategyis

subdividedintoanumberofkeyaspectswhichForbowillfocuson

inthenextfewyears.Oneofthemistobecomeinnovativeleaderin

thefieldofflat,compactflooring.Anothergoalistoensureour

customerserviceandsalesandmarketingprocessesbecome‘the

standard’inthefloorcoveringindustry.ForboFlooringisknownasa

flooringcompanywithhigh-qualityproducts,highlyskilled

employeesandanexcellentlevelofservice.Forboaimstoreinforce

thislevel,sothattheForbobrandisultimatelyknownasthebestfloor

coveringbrand.Theoverallvisionthereforeis:ExcellenceinFlooring.

Green floorsSustainabilityhasbeenoneofthekeyaspectsinForbo’spolicyfor

yearsnow.Initsnewstrategytoo,sustainabilityisanimportant

subject.Oneofthegoalsistorealiseenvironmentallyaware

leadershipbyplacingsustainabilityinthecoreofourorganisation

andbusiness.TheForbosloganstillis:CreatingBetterEnvironments.

Theenvironmentremainsaveryimportantthemeinourindustry.

Theconstructionindustryisoneofthebiggestsourcesofincreased

CO2concentrationsintheatmosphereandForbodoesformpartof

thatindustry.Eventhoughthefloorinabuildingonlyhasasmall

partinthis,itisstillvitaltolookforgreenalternatives.Linoleumis

Forbo’sgreenestfloor,butwealsocontinuetodevelopmore

environmentallyfriendlyversionsofourotherfloorcoverings.

New cross-dock warehouseForyearsnow,Assendelfthasbeenthesitewherefloorcovering

productsfromvariousForbobranchesareunitedfortransportto

ourcustomers.Theadvantagesofthisarethatcustomersonlyhave

onedeliveryperdayandweneedfewertrucks-whichresultsin

fewercostsanditislessharmfultotheenvironment.Theprocessof

combiningproductsinasingletruckiscalledcross-docking.

Cross-dockingactivitieshaveexpandedenormouslyduringthepast

fewyears.Theexistingwarehouseisnolongerbigenough,whichis

whyin2012,theBoardofDirectorsinSwitzerlandapprovedan

ExcellenceinFlooring

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Forbo Flooring Systems, the division we form part of, has twelve production locations and sales offices in more than thirty countries. These production locations manufacture floor coverings for both the project and private markets. Forbo Flooring’s product range comprises linoleum, vinyl, carpet tiles, needle felt, Flotex flocked floors and entrance floor covering. In addition to the floor product itself, installation and maintenance service products are of course an important addition. Our site in Assendelft is where we design, develop and manufacture an extensive international linoleum range. The Forbo Flooring Systems division forms part of the Swiss Forbo Group, which is listed on the Zurich stock exchange and has its registered office in Baar.

investmentproposaltobuildanewcross-dockwarehouse.The

ProvinceofNoord-HollandhasgrantedplanningpermissionandDe

GeusconstructorsofBroekopLangedijkhavestartedtheconstruc-

tionprocess.Ifallgoestoplan,thewarehousewillbeoperationalin

theautumnof2013.

Inspiring working environment‘Workingwithrespectforeachother’and‘jobsatisfaction’are

importantconceptsinourcompany.Afterall,aninspiringworking

environmentkeepsstaffbalanced.Anenvironmentthatprovidesour

approximately650employeeswiththespaceandopportunityto

developthemselvestobecomethemostskilledandthemost

committedintheindustry.Wedoourbesttoachievethat.Forbo

FlooringB.V.hasdevelopedintooneofthelargestemployersinthe

DutchZaanstreekregion.Asweaspireinnovationandinspirationfor

allouremployees,wehavebeencarryingtheinternationalquality

markforstrategicstaffpolicy,InvestorinPeople,since2004.

FOrBO IN ‘HET KlOKHuIS’Het Klokhuis filmed at the Assendelft plant in February. Het Klokhuis is an educational television programme for children that explains various, often technical subjects in a way that is easy to understand. Twelve years ago, the programme already had an item about the production of linoleum. Apparently people are still very interested in Forbo’s linoleum, so they sent a film crew to record everything one more time. The script was written by the editors of Het Klokhuis and Forbo’s Dutch marketing department. The show shows everything: from the design and production of linoleum to the logistics process and installation. The film crew was highly impressed, which has led to some enjoyable images. The show was broadcasted on one of the Dutch TV channels on 10 October. The video will be repeated on Het Klokhuis several times in the next three years.

Visit www.hetklokhuis.nl/tv-uitzendingen/ to watch the video about the production of linoleum.

ExcellenceinFlooring

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Jelle van der Zwaan Operations director Linoleum and Site manager

‘In terms of linoleum, the market is very challenging at the moment’, says Jelle van der Zwaan, Operati-ons director linoleum. ‘Our customers come from sectors that are financed with public money, such as schools and hospitals. They have to look after the pennies. We are not unaffected by the crisis either. At the same time we want to build on the future. Creating beautiful new products, investing in more sustainability, further develop our cross-docking activities, which means fewer transport movements and fewer CO2 emissions. We need innovation on all fronts. Where lies the balance between our ambiti-ons and falling turnovers? By seizing opportunities, despite the fact that volumes are under pressure.’

Unlockthepotential ofLinoleum

‘Sothecruxissustainablegrowthversushealthybusinessoperations.Inordertofacethatchallengeweneedtoreallyfocusonourobjectives.Wehavetosetpriorities.Thatsoundsbasic,butifwesellless,Opera-tionscancompensatethatbyreducinglosses:lessrawmaterialwaste,fewerrejectedproducts,lessstandstill.Thatiswhyit’ssoimportanttoworkonimprovements.Butwhatdoesallthismeantotheemployees?Ourstrategyaimstohaveeveryoneinthecompanyactuallycontributetothosegoals.Ontheprincipleof‘UnlockthepotentialofLinoleum’,weaskallouremployeestomakeacontributionfromwithintheirsphereofinfluence.TheOperationsdepartmenthas

formulatedtenstrategicobjectives,focusingongrowth,improvementanddevelopment.Everyemployeecontributestoanumberofinitiatives,bigorsmall, thatdoesn’tmatter.Everythingissubjecttoagreementandtheresultsareevaluatedduringperformanceinterviews.Thisway,allobjectivesareimplementedthroughouttheorganisationtransparentlyandspecifi-cally.Theresponsehasbeenverypositive.Weemployveryloyalpeoplewhohavealotofknowledgeandexperience.Theyseeopportunitiestorealisetheirownideas,givingthemmorecontroltoo.Thatgeneratespositiveenergy.Andwhenthatleadstovisibleresults,it’sveryinspiring.’

Seizing opportunities in challenging times


HSEpolicystatementForboFlooringB.V.makeseveryefforttoensurethattheworkis

carriedoutinsuchawaythatanydamagetothehealthand

well-beingofemployeesandthirdpartiesisprevented.Wefeelitis

necessaryforouremployeestoexperiencetheirworkingenviron-

mentassafeandhealthy.Theemphasisisonthecontinued

embeddingofsafetyawarenessandassumingpersonalresponsibi-

lityintheaimforasafeandhealthyworkingmethodandlifestyle.

Wewishtostructurallyreducethenumberofinjuriesbyatleast10%

peryear.

ForboFlooringB.V.stimulatesdialogueamongitsemployees,

customersandotherinterestedparties,theWorksCouncilandthe

authorities.Activeandeffectivecommunicationwiththeseparties

helpsustocriticallyreviewourHSEperformanceandtomake

improvements.

WithregardtoenforcingandimprovingaspectsinthefieldofHSE,

ForboFlooringB.V.stipulatesitspolicyandobjectivesonanannual

basisinaccordancewiththeISO14001andOHSAS18001systems.

TheresultisdisclosedtoallemployeesofForboFlooringB.V.andto

thepublicbymeansoftheHSEannualreport.Ourobjectiveisto

publishtheannualHSEreportsasasustainabilityreportinaccor-

dancewiththeinternationalGlobalReportingInitiativeguidelines

withinthenextfouryears.

Jelle van der ZwaanSitemanagerofForboFlooringB.V.

ForboFlooringB.V.develops,manufacturesandsellslinoleum

products.Wealsosellvinylfloorcoverings,Flotex,needlefelt,carpet

tiles,entrancefloorcoverings,installationequipment,maintenance

productsandserviceproducts.

ForboFlooringB.V.assumesitsentrepreneurialresponsibility

regardingemployeehealth&safetyandtheenvironment(HSE).

SinceHSEmanagementisconsideredanessentialpartofourpolicy,

ithasbeenmadeanintegralpartofallouractivities.Allaspectswith

regardtoproductsandproductionprocessesaresubjectto

continuousimprovementandarealwayscarriedoutinaccordance

withtherelevantrulesandlegislationwithoutcompromisingour

ambitions.

ForboFlooringB.V.seessustainabledevelopmentasthecoreofits

operationsandasthebasisforthenewstrategyfortheperioduntil

2017.Theemployerandemployeesshareresponsibilityinthat

respect.Thisprincipleissafeguardedbyinvestinginthedevelop-

ment,involvement,motivationandhealthoftheemployeesandby

gettingeveryoneinvolvedinourpursuitforExcellence.

TheobjectiveoftheFlooringdivisionistoreducetheenvironmental

impactofitsproductionprocessesandproductsintheentire

lifecycleby25%betweennowand2016.ForboFlooringB.V.wants

tomakeasubstantialcontributiontothis.Weaimtocontinuously

improveourproductionmethodsandtomakethemmore

sustainableinordertoofferallourstakeholdersbetterperspectives.

Inthecourseofthat:

-wemakeoptimumandefficientuseofallrelevantnaturalraw

materials,additivesandwater

-wemakeminimumandefficientuseofenergy,whilepursuingthe

bestpossibleuseofrenewableenergy

-wereduceresidualwasteandcuttingsduringinstallationofour

product,andreuseandrecyclethemtothegreatestpossibleextent

-weapplysustainableprinciplestothedesignandconstructionof

newproductanddevelopmentprogrammes.

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Solidperformances,powerfulambitions

Health & Well-being

Sickness absenceAmaximumcorporatesick-leaveaverageof3.75%.Thefocuswithregardtosicknessabsencewillbemoreonprevention.

Health and lifestyle In2013,thefocuswillbeonsustainabledeployability,healthandvitality.Wewillencourageemployeestoacceptpersonalresponsibi-lityfortheirhealthandvitalityandwecanhelpthemwithcoachingprogrammesinthatrespect.Wearealsoaimingtorealiseasmoke-freesiteby2015,thefirstmeasuresforwhicharetobetakenin2013.

Preventive Health Survey (PHS)The2013PHSwillbeconductedattheLogistics,MaintenanceandR&Ddepartments.Theresultsofthe2012PHSwerereasontocontinuetheorganisation’shealthpolicy,evenduringeconomichardship.

ExposureWewillingeneralcontinueourstudiesintoandtheimprovementoftheworkingenvironment,withtheMACvalueservingaslimitvalue.

Wewillcontinueourstudyintoalternativemethodsforcleaningthegranulestoragewithoutusingtalc,thuspreventingexposuretoparticulatematter.

Health & Well-being

Sickness absenceWithacorporatesick-leaveaverageof4.23%wefailedtoachieveour3.75%objective.Theresultiscomparabletothatof2011.Comparedtothenationalaverage,itisagoodresult.

Health and lifestyle ‘ForboinBalans’wasasuccessin2011.Thiscampaignwasevaluatedin2012andnewactivitieswillbeundertakenin2013.Ataskforceofsmokersandnon-smokershasbeensetupinordertopursueasmoke-freesiteinthefuture.

Preventive Health Survey (PHS)The2012PHSwasconductedamongtheproductiondepartments.Onespecificpointforattentionwasshiftwork.Findingswillbeimplementedasimprovementmeasures.

ExposureExposuretofumesanddustintheMixingdepartmenthasbeendrasticallyreducedfollowingthecommissioningofanimprovedextractionsystemandplacingcoversoverpartsofthemixingline.Trialstopreventexposuretotalcdustatthegranulestoragehaveprovedsuccessful.Experimentswithothercleaningmethodsarebeingcarriedout,sothefloornolongerhastobecoveredintalc.

Evaluation 2012 Objective 2013

Safety

Minimising the number of injuriesWewanttoholdontothedecreasingtrendandaimtostructurallyreducethenumberofinjuriesuntil2017by10%peryearcomparedtothepreviousyear.

Thatisa100%scoreintermsofrealisingthemeasureswithintheagreeddeadline.

Increase safety awarenessWewillcontinuethesafetyawarenessprogramandencouragepeopletosubmitreports:thetargetremainsaminimumof10timesmorepreventivereportsthaninjuries.Wewillcontinuetofocusonleadershipandholdingeachothertoaccount.

In2013,wewillprepareaprogrammetofurtherstructureleadershipinthefieldofsafety.

Objective 2013Safety

Minimising the number of injuries/incidentsIn2012,werealisedareductionof32%intermsofinjuries/incidents!Thatismorethanourtargetof-20%andwehavealsomanagedtoholdontoadropsince2010.Outofthe32accidents,4ledtosicknessabsence.Thatis5lessthanin2011andsignificantlylessthanthepastfewyears.Anexcellentresult.

Weaimtorealise100%ofthemeasuresbasedoninjuryreportsandhazardidentifica-tion&riskassessmentactionitemswithinthesetterm.In2012,82%ofmeasureswasrealisedbeforethedeadline(62%in2011).

Increase safety awarenessThetargetfortheminimumnumberofreportsis10timesthenumberofinjuries. In2012therewere408reportsofhazardoussituations.Thetargetminimumnumberofreportswas320,sothatobjectivetoowasachieved.Thenumberofreportshasremainedvirtuallythesameasin2011(425).

In2012wecompletedthesafetyawarenesstrainingprogrammeforallemployees. Atotalof95%oftheintendedemployeestookpart.Inaddition,theOperationsdepartmenthasstartedatrainingprogrammeaboutsafetyleadership.

Evaluation 2012

OBJECTIVESSAFETY, HEALTH AND WELL-BEING, THE ENVIRONMENT


Evaluation 2012 Objective 2013

Evaluation objectives 2012 and new objectives 2013

Solidperformances,powerfulambitionsThe environment

Environmental awarenessIn2013wewillagainpayattentiontosustainability.Successfulideaswillbecontinuedandtheresultswillbecommunicated.TheSustainabilitye-learningmodulethatformspartoftheForboWaytoWinSustainabilityprogrammehasnotbeenrolledoutyetduetotechnicalissues.Weexpectittoberolledoutduringthefirstsixmonthsof2013.

New integrated environmental permitVariousstudieswereconductedwithintheframeworkoftheapplicationforanewenvironmentalpermit.Thishasprovidedabetterandrevisedoverviewoftheenvironmentalaspectsofthebusiness.

Saving energyEnergyconsumptionperm2oflinoleumissettorisecomparedto2012.Thiswas82.5%in2012.Thefigureroseto88%in2013,whereasthetargetwasamaximumof85%.Assuchwefailedtoachievetheobjective.Electricityconsumptionintheoffices,whichwewantedtofurtherimprove,hasbeenreducedby12%,agoodresult.

reducing residual wasteTheobjectiveforgranulateresidualwastewassetat0.012tons/tonofproduct.In2012,wedisposedofatotalof0.016tons/ton.Thetargetseemstobeachallengingone,asweagainfailedtomeetit.

In2012weaimedfor50customerstoactivelytakepartincollectingexternallinoleumcuttingresiduesforourrecyclingprogramme.Atotalof40customerstookpart,resultingin20fullcontainersbeingreturnedtoForbo.

Wehavecontinuedtoencouragethereductionofpaperin2012.Unfortuna-tely,weused4.5%morepaperthanwedidin2011.Onepositiveaspectisthatprintingpaperhasbecomemoresustainablesincetheendof2012:fromFSCpaperto100%recycledfibre.

The environment

Environmental awarenessIn2013wewillstartaprojecttofurtherincreaseenvironmentalawarenessamongallemployees.Wewillalsostartacampaigntofurtherexplainthesustainablequalitiesoflinoleumtoallourcustomersandemployees.

New integrated environmental permitAnupdatedoverviewofourenvironmentalaspectsprovidesuswithanewbasistocontinuetoimproveourenvironmentalperformances.

Saving energyAnumberofspecificenergyprojectshavebeenscheduledfor2013:-switchingofftheincineratorsoftheEsterificationdepartmentduringweekends

-insulatinganumberoftanksfollowingapositivefeasibilitystudy-findingoutiftheextractionoutputfromthestovesoftheTrimmingdepartmentcanbereduced

-continuingthestudyintosavingenergyinthedryingrooms

reducing residual wasteThe2013objectiveforgranulateresidualwastewasagain0.012tons/tonofproduct.AsCalender1makesaconsiderablecontributiontoresidualgranulate,aseparateimprovementprogrammehasbeenformulated,withtheobjectiveofreducingthissubstanceby20%comparedto2012.

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Forbofloors,greenproductsThe Next Generation of MarmoleumIn2012weworkedhardonanewlinoleumcollection.Beforethe

collectionwasdesigned,wevisitedmorethantwohundred

architectsaroundtheworldinordertoevaluatetheprevious

collection.Thewishesofthearchitectshavebeentranslatedintoa

newcollection:TheNextGenerationofMarmoleum.Thecollection

offersnofewerthan76newcolours,andalotoftraditionalcolours

havebeenrevamped.Thearchitectsmadeitclearthattheyfeltthe

previoussamplebookwasnotexactlyuser-friendly.Inorderto

betterservecustomers,thenewcollectionhasbeensubdividedinto

fourgroups,eachwiththeirownidentity.Thishasresultedinfour

samplebooksthateachtelltheirownstory.Thecollectioncompri-

sesbookswithmarble,striped,plainandplayfulcolours.The

communicationpillarsforthiscollectionarethatMarmoleumisthe

mostsustainablefloorofitskind,hasthelowestmaintenancecosts

andoffersthebiggestchoiceintermsofdesign.Thenewcollection

enjoyeditsworldwidelaunchearly2013.

Marmoleumismadeof97%naturalrawmaterials.Theseare

materialsthatareeasilyrecyclablelikelinseedoil,pineresin,juteand

woodflour,orwhichareabundant,likelimestone.Marmoleum

carriestheCradle-to-CradleSilvercertificateandhasthelowestLife

CycleAssessmentscoreinthesegmentofflat,resilientfloors.

life Cycle Assessment (lCA)Weliketoknowthefootprint,theenvironmentalimpact,ofour

products.ALifeCycleAssessment(LCA)helpsusinthatrespect.An

LCAisameasurementthatmeasurestheenergyconsumption,the

circulationofmaterialsandtheenvironmentalimpactofthe

products.Themeasurementhelpsustoassesswhereorforwhich

productsimprovementscanbemade.Weaimtoimprovethe

environmentalperformanceofourproductsbycontinuously

findingwaysofreducingthepotentialharmfulimpactofour

productsontheenvironment.

Sustainable productsIn2012,ForboFlooringintroducedanumberofsustainable

products,thatareinlinewithourstrategytorelievetheenviron-

mentandtheyhonourthesloganCreatingBetterEnvironments.

Coral WelcomeTheCoralWelcomecollectionismanufacturedatForboFlooring

CoralinKrommenie.Itistheonlytextileentrancefloorcoveringin

Europemadeofrecycledmaterialthatisnonethelesssuitablefor

heavy-dutyprojectuse.Thepolyamideyarnofthefloorcoveringis

madeofEconyl®:recycledindustrialanddomesticwaste.The

supplierclaimsthatfishingnetsareamongtheproductstobe

recycled.Thetuffscreentowhichtheyarnissecuredismadeof

recycledPETbottles.Onlythebackisa‘new’product,butForbois

lookingintothepossibilitiesofmanufacturingabackmadeof

recycledmaterial.

OUR PRODUCTS

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Sarlon AbsoluSarlonAbsoluisanewrangeofacousticvinyl.Incontrastwithother

PVCfloors,theproductsinthiscollectionhavevegetablesofteners

insteadofpetrochemicalsofteners.ThenewsoftenerusedbyForbo

toproducethiscollectionoriginatesfromtheoiloftheRicinusplant.

Withagrowthcycleofonlyayear,thisnaturalmaterialcanbe

recycledfast.Onlygreenenergyandenvironmentallyfriendlyinkis

usedfortheproductionofSarlonAbsoluattheReimsplant.The

rangeisfullyrecyclableandreusable.

Protective finish: Topshield2Maintenancerequirementsinthehealthcareandeducational

sectorshavebecomeincreasinglystricterduringthepastfewyears.

Attimes,themaintenancecostsduringaproduct’slifemeantaPVC

floorwaslessexpensivethanalinoleumfloor.Forbohastherefore

beenworkingonthedevelopmentofanewfinishforlinoleum.In

2012,ourlinoleumwasgivenanewfinish:Topshield2.Itisatough,

water-basedacrylicsolutionthatisappliedintwolayers.Topshield2

isresistantagainststainsfrom,forinstance,chemicalsandalcoholic

disinfectants,butalsoagainstscratchesandmarksleftbyrubber

soles.Thefinishistougherandassuchmoredurable.Another

advantageisthatthetoplayeriseasytorepair.Assuch,linoleum

floorswithTopshield2equalorevenoutperformanyotherflatfloor.

Forboisproudofthefactthatthecleaningindustrynetwork

supportsTopshield2.

BAlANCE BETWEEN PrOduCTION ANd MINIMuM ENVIrONMENTAl IMPACTThe production of linoleum is a complex process that hardly differs from the process of a hundred years ago. A mixture of linseed oil, resin, wood flour, limestone and pigments produces coloured granulate. A calendering process turns this into sheets two metres in width. The linoleum then dries for a period of fourteen days, after which it is cut into rolls.

As mentioned before, we try to minimise the environmental impact caused by our production process. We are always looking for a balance between production and environment. That is why a local waste processor has been collecting cuttings from our customers since 2011, returning them to our plant in Assendelft. Here, the returned material is recycled and reused for new rolls of linoleum. Using residual waste has proved to be a resounding success which we are proud of. We will therefore continue that process in the next few years, also on an international basis.

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Forbofloors,greenproducts

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Peak production and quieter times balanced

Fok Klompmaker Forces team leader

The Next Generation of Marmoleum, Forbo’s new linoleum collection, offers a wide range of colours and designs. In order to offer retailers, architects and other customers a good overview of the versatility and unique designs, we make sample charts and four different sample books, among other things. The Forces department prepares the Marmoleum to compose these items.

TheNext GenerationForces

‘Theproductionofsamplesstartsinthebleachingcabinet’,saysFokKlompmaker,theForcesteamleader.‘TheproductionofMarmoleumgeneratesayellowlayeronthematerial,whichdisappearswhenitisbleachedindaylight.Itbringsupthereal,sparklingcolour.In2012,webleached2,400rollsforsamplematerial.Thisisthenturnedintosheetsthathavetoevenoutintheheatroom.Oncethey’vecooleddownagain,theyarecuttosizeandstackedonapalletbyarobot.Designnumbersusedtobeprintedontothesamplesininkandathinningagent.Wenowusealabellingmachine:betterfortheenvironmentandfortheemployees.’

Sheetsformorethan350,000samplebooks,107,000loosesamples,34,000largerloosesamples,42,000samplecharts…it’senormous.Thesemi-finishedproductsforthenewswatchesneedtobereadybeforethestartoftheyear.Fok:‘Peaksareunavoidable.Weuseagencyworkers,buttheworkloadcontinuestobehigh.Nomatterwhathappens,wehavetogetitalldoneintime.Andthatmeansovertime.It’snotsomethingweenjoy,butatleastweknowit’sgoingtohappen.Afterthat,wecanrelaxabitandthere’stimetoalternatebetweenbleaching,cutting,collecting,assemblinganddrilling.Thatvarietyisnice,thingsdon’tgetboringandeveryonecanlearnhowtooperateallthedifferentmachines.Thisway,wekeepabalancebetweenahighworkloadandquietertimes.’


Assendelft, the NetherlandsThecompletelinoleumcollection,withtheexceptionof

linoleumtiles,isproducedinAssendelft.RangessuchasVivace,

Walton,TouchandStriatoarepopularamongbotharchitects

andconsumers.

Kirkcaldy, ScotlandInadditiontolinoleumonrolls,tiledlinoleumisanextremely

importantproductforForboFlooring.Theentirelinoleumtile

rangeismanufacturedinKirkcaldy,Scotland.

Krommenie, the NetherlandsCoralentrancefloorcoveringistuftedintheplantinKromme-

nie.CollectionssuchasClassic,Duo,GripandWelcomeeach

offertheirowncharacteristicsolutiontodifferentproblems

wheredirtandmoistureabsorptioninclean-walkzonesare

concerned.

Telford, EnglandThissmallplantinEnglandalsomanufacturesentranceflooring

systems,butinaluminiumprofiles.Theprofilesarefittedwith

brushes,rubberortextileandarethefirstlineofdefencein

stoppingthedirtbeforeevenenteringthebuilding.

Coevorden, the NetherlandsThisplantmanufacturesforboththeconsumerandprojects

markets.OurNovilonrangeisverywell-knownamong

consumers.TheAlluravinylstrips,EternalvinylrollsandFlex

vinyltilesaremoregearedtowardstheprofessionalmarket.

reims, FranceNeedlefeltandvinylarethespearheadsinReims.Inthecaseof

vinyl,theemphasisisonspecificproperties,suchasacoustic

vinyl,butalsoonlocalFrenchranges,asthefocusinFranceis

verymuchonvinyl.

ripley, EnglandThespeciallyflockedfloorsareproducedunderthenameofFlotex

inRipley,England.TheFlotexClassicandtheFlotexHDbaseare

manufacturedhere.InadditiontoFlotexonrolls,thisplantalso

manufacturesFlotextiles.

Château renault, FranceAfterthewhiteFlotexfloorhasbeenmanufacturedinRipley,

England,itistransportedtoFrancefordigitalprinting.Twoenor-

mousdigitalprintersprintthestandardFlotexHDdesignsaswellas

anyotherrandomdesigninaccordancewiththecustomer’s

preference.

Giubiasco, SwitzerlandAhighlyspecificproductismanufacturedinSwitzerlandwhichis

appliedpurelyonthebasisofitsfunctionalproperties.Colorexis

appliedine.g.operatingtheatresorantistaticrooms.

Bamber Bridge, EnglandCarpettilesfortheofficemarket,forexample,isaproducttheForbo

Flooringcollectioncannotdowithout.InadditiontoaTessera

collectionfortheinternationalmarket,alargepartoftheproduction

inBamberBridgeisintendedforthedomesticEnglishmarket.

Cortonwood, EnglandLuxuriouscarpettiles,apersonalisedcolourdesignoraspecific

colourcombinationforthecustomerandfullywoollencarpetsare

allproducedbytheWestbondplant.Thesecarpettilesaremanufac-

turedinaccordancewithaspecialmanufacturingtechnologythat

wasdevelopedin-houseandsubsequentlyappliedinluxurious

high-prestigeprojects.

Kaluga, russiaThismodernplantproducesprojectvinylcollectionsforthelocal

Russianmarket.Theplantwasentirelyrefurbishedin2009and

broughtintolinewiththerequiredRussianandEuropeanstandards,

plustheForboFlooringqualityrequirements.

Our products are manufactured in Europe. Each day, thousands of employees make their way to twelve plants distributed across the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland and Russia in order to manufacture our products.

Locationsandproducts

15

16

Ambitionandsafety balancedA clear focus and specific goals for every employee should safeguard the balance between decisiveness and tho-roughness, between speed and safety. Getting employees involved in our strategic objectives serves to increase interest and motivation. After all, interested and commit-ted employees remain healthier and deployable for longer and perform better. Forbo asks its employees to actively serve as an inspiring motor of our dynamic organisation.

SAFETy‘I work safely because I want to’ SafetyawarenessisheldinhighregardatForbo,becausepeople

beingunawareofdangerplaysamajorroleinunsafesituationsand

incidents.Thelarge-scalesafetyawarenessprogramme,whichhas

beenurgingemployeestochangethecorporateculturesince2009,

coststimeandenergy.Howdoesthisrelatetodailyactivities?The

newcorporatecultureshouldleadtoahealthybalancebetweenthe

ambitiontogrowontheonehandandprecisionandpermanent

improvementontheother.Thechallengeistotakespecificstepsin

ordertofurtherembedsafetyawarenessintheorganisation.With

ournew2013-2017strategy,wewanttoreducethenumberof

injuriesbyatleast10%eachyear.Theultimategoalistoachievea

maturesafetyculture:‘IworksafelybecauseIwantto’.

OUR PEOPLE

New record without lost-time injuries Theyear2012wasconcludedwithatotalof32injuries.With32%,the

objectiveofa20%reductionfor2012wasamplyachieved.The

numberoflost-timeinjurieswasreducedbymorethanhalf:fourin

2012comparedtoninein2011.Wealsorecordedanewrecordin

2012forthenumberofdayswithoutlost-timeinjuries:182days.The

oldrecordstoodat150daysin2006.Intwoyears’time,allthe

attentionwehavepaidtosafetyandsafetyawarenesshasledto

considerablyfewerinjuriesin2012.

Thefourlost-timeinjuriesledto58lost-timedays(2011:69lost-time

days).Theinjuriesdidnotresultinpermanentinjury.44%ofinjuries

fallinthelightestcategory:injurywassustained,butthiswassominor

thatnofirstaidtreatmentwasneeded.Buteventhesetypesof

injuriesarefollowedup.Afterall,theytellusacertainactivitywasnot

completedinfullcontrol.Falls,trips,sprains,bumpsandcutsarethe

mostcommonincidents.Thenumberofentrapments(oneofthe

highestriskcategories)felltothreeduringthepastyear(2011:eleven).

Thisistheresultofalotofimprovementsimplementedinthefieldof

machinesafety.

16


Continuous focusIn2012,thenumberofreportsofunsafesituations(unsafeactions,

unsafesituationsandnear-injuries)remainedvirtuallyunchanged:

408comparedto425in2011.Weamplyachievedourobjectiveof

atleasttenreportsforeachlost-timeinjury(408reports,whereasit

shouldhavebeen320).Allreportsleadtoimprovementmeasures.

Ourobjectiveistocompleteimprovementswithinthesetterm.So

farwehavenotquitesucceeded,butduringthepastyear,82%of

improvementshadbeenimplementedwithinthesetterm.Atotal

of830improvementswerecompleted.

In2012wepaidampleattentiontothefollow-upofthemachine

riskassessmentfortheCalander4andCalander1departments.In

thesameyear,weintroducedanewmachineriskassessmentforthe

DryingRooms.Thiswasthefirsttimeforustochangethegeneric

partoftheriskassessmentforCalander1andtheDryingRooms.We

havebeenabletocollectgenericinputfortheriskassessmentfrom

alllayersofthedepartmentsthroughinterviewswithemployees

whiletheywereworking,combinedwithexternalexpertise.And

duringthoseinterviews,weonceagainraisedsafetyawareness

levelsamongthoseemployees.Thiswaswell-receivedandthis

approachwillbecontinuedatotherdepartmentsin2013.

Incident at the Oxidation departmentUnfortunately,weexperiencedanexplosioninthefluegassystem

oftheOxidationdepartment.Abuild-upofcondensateandhigh

temperaturesinthefluegassystemledtoanincipientfire.This

resultedinsystembreakdownsandanumberofresetsofthe

system’saerationventilators.Whentheaerationventilationswere

switchedonagain,theoxygensupplycausedfumestodilute.This

createdanexplosivemixturethatledtoanexplosionthataffected

theentiresystem.Fortunately,noonewasinjured,butthedepart-

mentcouldnotoperateforthreeweeks.Theenvironmentaldamage

wasreducedtoblacksmokecomingfromthechimneyforabout

twominutes(combustionproductsNOx,CO,CO

2,sootanddust).

Thatsameevening,theentiresystemunderwentacontrolled

switch-off,plusacontrolledcoolingandsafeguardingprocess.

OdourscouldbedetectedintheimmediatevicinityoftheOxida-

tiondepartment,butnocomplaintswerereceivedfromlocal

residents.TheentirefluegassystemoftheOxidationdepartment

hasbeencleaned.Condensateandotherresidualsubstancesfrom

thesystemwereremovedfromthesiteaswaste.Anactivestudy

intothesafetyofthesystemandtheincidentledtoalargenumber

ofimprovementmeasures.Themonitoringprocesshasimproved,

forinstance.Furthermore,theaerationventilatorsandtheboilercan

nolongerbeswitchedonjustlikethat,ithastobedoneinstages.

Theevacuationprotocolhasbeentightenedandtheprocessin

emergencysituationscannowbecontrolledfromadistance.

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Injuries and reports of unsafe situations

ReportsInjuries

050

100150200250300350400450

Other injuriesLost-time injuries

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Lost-time and other injuries

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

1 Falls/sprains 10 32%

2 Bumps 8 25%

3 Cutting 7 22%

4 Burning 3 9%

5 Entrapment 3 9%

6 Electrocution 1 3%

Total 32 100%

Type of injury 2012 (in %)

1

2

3

4

56

1 Losttimeinjurieswith-outfurthertreatment

14 44%

2 InjurieswithFirstAid 9 28%

3 InjuriesrequiringFirstAidinahospital

5 16%

4 Injuriesrequiringalternativeactivities

0 0%

5 Lost-timeinjuries 4 12%

Total 32 100%

Severeness of injury 2012 (in %)

1

2

3

45

Ambitionandsafety balanced

18

Time out for safety Bytakingspecificstepswewishtofurtherembedsafetyawareness

intheorganisation.Safety-relatedinterviewsbetweenmanagers

andemployeesisonesuchstep.In2012,100%ofthescheduled

safetyobservationroundswerecarriedout.Weevenconducted

anotherseven.Theobjectiveofthesafetyobservationroundsisto

raisethelevelofsafetyawarenessandtoremoveanydoubtsin

respectofsafety.Thisalsoshowstheinvolvementofmanagement

whenitcomestothesafetyofemployees.Visitingotherdepart-

mentstotalkaboutsafetyleadstointerestingandvaluablecollateral

benefits,particularlythankstotheparticipationofteamleaders.Half

ofthesevisitshadtoberescheduled(54%comparedto35%in

2011).Wemustcontinuetokeeptimefreeforsafetyobservation

roundsandtokeepagoodbalancebetweensafetyandother

priorities.

In2012wecompletedourgeneralsafetyawarenesstraining

programme(LastMinuteRiskAnalysis).Thisformedpartofthe

collectivelabouragreement.Atotalof517employeestookpart

(2012:194),whichis95%oftheintendedemployees.Thetraining

programmefocusedontakingamomenttothinkaboutsafety

beforestartingajob,amomentthatappliestoeveryone,everyw-

here.ThedepartmentalmanagersandteamleadersoftheOperati-

onsdepartmentfollowedatrainingprogrammeaboutleadership.

Bothtrainingcoursesreceivedapositiveresponse.

Fire brigade and first aidThefirebrigadewascalledoutfourteentimesin2012forfireor

overheatingandonceforanexplosion,theoneintheOxidation

department.In2011,thatfigurewasten.Withtheexceptionofthe

explosion,itconcernedoverheatingand(incipient)fireswhichwere

undercontrolfast.Twomembersofthecompanyfirebrigadeleftin

2012.Wenowhavethreenewmembers,bringingthetotalto

seventeen.Sixteenistheminimum,eighteenthepreferredtotal.In

2012,threeofthefourscheduledevacuationexerciseswereheld.

Thefourthonewillbeheldearly2013.Newmusterpointswere

usedduringtheevacuationexercisesandtheremoteoperationof

theOxidationdepartmentwasalsotested.

Therewereeighteeninjuriesin2012thatrequiredonsitefirstaid

treatment.Effectivefirstaidreducestheconsequencesofaninjury.

Currently,wehave95firstaidersand144employeeswhocan

operateanAED(AutomaticExternalDefibrillator).Ourpolicyalways

assumedtwofirstaiderspershift.In2013wewillstructurethefirst

aidassistanceacrossfourareas:WarehouseFinishedProducts,

Oxidation,MixingandTrim.Agooddistributionofasufficient

amountoffirstaiders,takingillnessandholidaysintoaccount,has

thereforebecomeevenmoreimportant.ThenumberofonsiteAEDs

hasbeenincreasedtoeight:twowereadded,oneattheOxidation

departmentandoneonthetenniscourt.Everymemberofthe

companyfirebrigadeholdsanAEDcertificate.WhentheFront

OfficecontactstheAmbulanceControlRoomwitharequestfor

resuscitation,theexternalambulancesandcompanyfirebrigadeare

notifiedatthesametimetoprovideimmediateassistanceand

support.

HEAlTH ANd SuSTAINABlE EMPlOyABIlITyA healthy policy Ifthere’sonesubjectwherebalanceistopical,it’shealth.Good

healthisimportanttoeveryone.Healthyemployeesformthebasis

ofthesuccessofourorganisationandareanincentiveforeffective

andpleasantcollaboration.

18


Buthowtokeepyouremployeeshealthyandmotivateduntilthey

leavethecompany?Forbomakessustainableinvestmentsinits

employees:intheirdevelopment,involvement,motivationand

health.

AgingGiventheagestructureatForboandtheanticipatedinfluxand

outflow,halfofouremployeeswillhavereachedtheageof50in

abouttenyears.Bythen,athirdofthemwillbeolderthan56.There

willbemorebottlenecksintheworkloadandemployability,and

sicknessabsencelevelswillrise.Thiswillleadtopersonalissues,

extracosts,organisationalproblemsandfrictionintermsof

teamwork.Wedoofcoursewanttopreventthisasmuchas

possible,whichiswhywedevelopedapolicyaimedatimproving

thehealthandvitalityofallemployees.

Smoking policy Inadditiontothemanycurrentactivities,weintroducedanumber

ofnewsubjectsin2012.OneofthemistheForboSmoke-Free

projectgroup,startedinNovemberin2012withtheaimofhaving

thecompanysmoke-freebyJanuary2015.Thetaskforcewillstarta

campaigntoconvinceemployeestostopsmokingandtooffer

support.

Collaboration with the Occupational Health ServiceAttheendof2012anewcontractwasconcludedwith365/

ArboNed,ouroccupationalhealthservice.Thecollaborationwith

365nowoffersmoreroomforapreventivepolicy.Thatmeansmore

attentionforhealthandhealthrisks.Inthenewformat,avitality&

healthexpertandjobcoachwillholdconsultationsatthecompany,

inadditiontothecompanydoctor.Whenrequired,employeesare

offeredassistancewhentherearehealthandemployabilityissues.

TheWorksCouncilunanimouslyvotedinfavourofthisnewcon-

tract.

Age-related staff policyInFebruary2012,thereportofconclusionsandrecommenda-

tionsfromthetaskforcewaspresentedtothemanagement

team.Theserecommendationsrelatetofourcategories,namely:

•collectivebargaining

•staffpolicy,termsofemploymentandleadership

•research,studyorexploration

•managementandtheorganisation.

Therecommendationsaregraduallyincorporatedinthe

organisation’sobjectives.Employerandtradeunionswilldiscuss

howtoachieveintegrationofanage-relatedstaffpolicyinour

benefitspackage.

Preventive Health Survey (PHS)In2012,thePHSfocusedonemployeesintheproduction

department.Atotalof223employeeswereinvited,ofwhich

176(79%)tookuptheinvitationandparticipatedinthesurvey.

Thesurveydoesofcoursefocusonworkingconditionsand

work-relatedsymptomsofstaff.However,thereisalsomuch

attentiontolifestylefactors,theso-calledBRAVOthemesthat

relatetoexercise,smoking,alcohol,nourishmentandrelaxation,

workability(thedegreetowhichanindividualismentallyand

physicallycapabletoperformhisworkwell)andthe‘mental

temperature’(thelevelofwellnessatwork).

Theconclusionsandrecommendationsfollowingthe2012PHS

particularlyrelatetolifestylefactorsandworkingconditions.

19

20

Aart van Dijk Operations vocational training manager

Forbo encourages all its employees to keep learning. Within the Investor in People framework and the development-oriented staff policy, a lot is invested in training. Colleagues follow courses to further develop themselves, to stay up-to-date in their discipline or because they need to for a particular job they’re after. However, Safety training is mandatory. That means it is more of a challenge to make those training courses interesting for everyone.

DeLeiderDraaitDoor

‘Usingcherrypickerssafely,safehoisting,thesafeuseofhazardoussubstances.Allsafety-relatedtraininghastobeperiodicallyrepeated,asacertificateisonlyvalidforsolongandlegislationcanchange’,saysAartvanDijk,Operationsvocationaltrainingmanager.‘Also,refreshercoursesaregood.Safetyawarenessdeservescontinu-ousattention,alsoatmanageriallevel.Theyhavetoemanatetheimportanceofsafetyawareness.Thatrequiresfeltleadership.Thatmeansamanagerhastofeelhisrolefromtheinside.Heneedstodevelopaninnerdrivetoencouragehisstafftoworksafely.That’snothingnew,really.Soinorderforstafftonotforget

thecourse,Iwantedtomakeitmoreexciting.Thesamecontent,butamorestrikingformat.That’showIcameupwiththeideaofDeLeiderDraaitDoor,similartoDeWereldDraaitDoorTVshow.Weusedapartnersystem,weshowedvideosanddiscussedvariousbriefsubjects.Andweappliedalotofhumour.Wewerelookingforahealthybalancebetweencontentandformat.Welaughed,wegotemotionalattimes,butultimatelyit’saboutsafetyawarenesssinkingin.Ourmessage:useyourcommonsense.Beawareofpotentialdangersandactaccordingly.Yourbrainsprotectyou,youprotectyourbrains.’

Same content, striking format


Recommendationswillalsobemadetoincreasethementalability

tocopeandtoreducetheriskofstress-relatedcomplaints.Thiscan

bedonethroughtrainingandcoaching,forinstance.Thereportand

allconclusionsandrecommendationshavebeendiscussedbythe

HumanResourcesdepartmentwithdepartmentalmanagementand

theHSEdepartment.Therecommendationshavebeenconverted

intoactionplans.

Sickness absence 2012In2012,thesicknessleaverateof4.16%wasagainslightlyhigher

thanthetargetof3.75%.Thisisvirtuallythesameresultas2011,

whentheyearwasconcludedat4.1%.Thereportingfrequency

remained0.99,whichmeansthatthenumberofreportsison

averageslightlylowerthanonereportperpersonperyear.

Social mediaTheuseofsocialmediaisembeddedinoursociety.Inorderto

anticipatethemanydevelopmentsinthisfield,ForboFlooring

conductedastudyintodevelopmentsinthatrespectthatmaybeof

interesttothecompany.Thishasresultedintheactiveuseof

LinkedIn.ForboFlooringsetupacareerpageonLinkedIn,inline

withthecentralwebsitewww.forbo-flooring.nl.Weusethecareer

pagetotellpeoplewhatitisliketobeworkingforForboFlooring.It

willalsoshowvacanciesthatpeoplecanapplyforstraightaway.In

thefuturewewillfindouthowtouseothersocialmediasuchas

TwitterinourHRpolicy.

Major step regarding exposure to talcTalcisusedasananti-adheringagentinthegranulestorage.Astudy

conductedbytheexternaloccupationalhygienistshowedthatthe

overallexposuretotalcdustinthegranulestoragewastoohighif

nodustmaskswereworn.In2011,employeesstartedatrialduring

whichnotalcwasused.Instead,thefloorwaskeptcleanbyusinga

scrubbingmachine.Thesetrialswereextendedinto2012,inthe

courseofwhichdifferentcleaningagentsandfloorcoatingswere

tested.Thetrialshaveprovedsuccessfulandasaresultwehave

comesofarthatwewillnotbeneedingtalcatallinthegranule

storage.Thisisamajorstepfollowinglongtermexposuretotalcin

themixingdepartment.

Safe site accessIn2012,theMunicipalityofZaanstadstartedtheredevelopmentof

theAssendelftNoordindustrialarea.Theaccessroadfromtherail

tracksnolongerrunsviaDorpstraat,butstraighttoIndustrieweg.

Themunicipalitywill,incollaborationwithForbo,constructa

separatecyclelanethatleadsdirectlytoForbo.Thisnewcyclelane

willensurecyclistswillalsobeabletoreachForbosafely.

dEVElOPMENT-OrIENTEd STAFF POlICy A balance in work, development and careerEachyear,duringtheperformanceinterviews,newagreementsare

enteredintowithallemployeesontraininganddevelopment.These

arrangementsareincorporatedinourannualtraining&education

programme.Thebasicprinciplesarefutureopportunitiesin

combinationwiththeemployee’swishes.

Sick leave in 2012 according to age group (%)

21-2

5

26-3

0

31-3

6

36-4

0

41-4

6

46-5

0

51-5

5

56-6

0

61-6

5

Age group

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Sick leave (%)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Sick leave (%)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

210 220 230 240 250 260 270 280200

Bonus sick leave

Employees not sick

2010

2011

2012

100

Penalty sick leave

Fifth sick noticeThird sick notice

20 30 40 50 60 70

2010

2011

2012

Short, medium and long-term sick leave in 2012

(2011)

1-7 days 0.73% (0.75%)

8-42 days 0.96% (1.01%)

43-365 days 1.78% (1.45%)

Outstandingcasesofillness 0.41% (0.89%)

Total 4.16% (4.10%)

Causes of sick leave 2012In2012,atotalof616peoplereportedsick.Thesesicknessreportsaredividedintofivecategories.

•Flu/shortillness 450

•Locomotorapparatus 104

•Psychological 14

•Other 48

Total 616

Sickleavewascausedbyanaccident26times:

•Industrialaccident 4

•Sportsinjury 10

•Trafficaccident 5

•Othertypeofaccident 7

Total 26

22

In2012,1.9%ofthetotalwagebillwasinvestedinexternaltraining.

Thisisexclusiveofthecostsofcounsellingandtimeoffdueto

attendingthecourses.Alltrainingeffortscombinedrepresentan

investmentof22,314workinghours,whichisequalto12.8working

years.

Professionalization and safetyIn2012,ampleattentionwaspaidtoprofessionalizationandsafety.

Inordertofurtherprofessionalise,stafffollowedprofessionalstudy

programmesandmanagementskillcourses.Toimprovesafety

awareness,194membersofstafftookpartintheLMRAcourse(Last

MinuteRiskAnalysis).TheLMRAcourseincreasessafetyawareness

ontheworkfloorbyteachingstaffastrategythatenablesthemto

recogniserisksandpreventinjuries.In2012,thedevelopment-orien-

tedstaffpolicywascontinuedunchanged.Thenumberofinternal

appointmentsandpromotionsisareliablemeasureofemployee

development.In2012,atotalof71colleagueswereappointednew

jobroles.

development assessmentsIn2012,nearlyallemployeesofSales&MarketingNederlandtook

partinanonlineassessment.Thegoalistogainmoreinsightinto

behaviouralpreferences,competenciesandmotivationsandto

makeemployeesmoreawareoftheirpointsfordevelopment.The

resultsoftheassessmentserveasatooltomapoutdepartmental

andindividualtrainingneeds.

Team leader CourseTheTeamLeaderCoursestartedin2011.Followingonfromthat,

meetingswereheldinFebruaryandMarch2012withallteam

leadersoftheOperationsdepartments.Thethemeswerecommuni-

cationandworkconsultations.InSeptemberandOctober,the

formatandcontentofacourseonleadershipandsafetywas

determinedwiththemembersoftheprogrammecouncilunderthe

nameofDeLeiderDraaitDoor(DLDD).

de leider draait doorForthedemonstratedleadershipincombinationwithsafetytraining

coursewedeliberatelyoptedforatitlethatwouldraiseinterestand

thatwouldenableustocomeupwithexcitingcontent.The

messageofthiscoursewasnotonlytoletparticipantsmakeuseof

hierarchicleadership,buttoalsoteachthemtodemonstratemore

of‘felt’leadership.Theformatwasanaloguetothewell-known

DutchTVshow,DeWereldDraaitDoor:videos,photosandpresenta-

tionstogetthediscussiongoing,togiveexamples,tomakematters

negotiableandtosurprisetheaudience.Withahealthybalance

betweencheerfulandseriousmoments.Foursessionswereheld,

eachofthemwithawiderangeofdisciplinesandhierarchiclevels.

Thetrainingcoursewasattendedby90employeesfromthe

Production,ProductionSupport,LogisticsandR&Ddepartments.The

evaluationsfromtheparticipantshavebeenverypositive,andthey

wereabletoapplythetrainingsubjectstotheirjobsstraightaway.

16-2

0

21-2

5

26-3

0

31-3

5

36-4

0

41-4

5

46-5

0

51-5

5

56-6

0

61-6

5

Age group

Age structure 2012 (%)

0

5

10

15

20

25

Men Women

580

600

620

640

660

680

700

Number of employees

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Training programmes and courses 2012IT/applications 10

Chemistry 1

Commerce 19

Communication/personaleffectiveness

77

Firstaid 128

Financial/economic/managerial 7

Forklifttruck 56

Logistics 80

Management/supervision 100

Retirement 5

Personnel/organisation/training 5

Processtechnology 40

Projectmanagement 9

Secretarial 2

Languages 8

Technologygeneral/other 141

Electrical/electronics 17

Health&Safety 335

Total 1,040

Influx 2012Corporate IT 5

Financial&ICS 1

FlooringControlling 2

FlooringHR 1

Innovation&ProductManagement 6

Operations 11

Sales&Marketing 2

StrategicMarketing&Communication 3

Total 31

Outflow 2012 Corporate IT 3

Financial&ICS 2

FlooringHR 1

Innovation&ProductManagement 1

Operations 24

HumanResources 1

Sales&Marketing 6

StrategicMarketing&Communication

1

SupplyChain 1

Total 40


STAFFING lEVElSProduction capacities TheeffectsofthecrisisalsohitForboin2012.Duetocutsinthe

collectivesector,investmentsinhospitalsandschools(traditionally

thebiggestmarketforMarmoleum)fell.However,othersectorstoo

sawfewerconstructionsorrefurbishments.Asaresultofthisfalling

demandforourfloorcoverings,productionlevelsoflinoleumfell

too.Ontheotherhand,wehadtoproduceourlatestcollection,The

NextGenerationofMarmoleum,becauseallnewcolourshadtobe

instockatthestartof2013.Theseapparentcontradictionsde-

mandedthenecessaryflexibilityandcreativityfromourstaff.Once

stockshadbeenbuiltup,oneofthesixshiftswasremovedfromthe

calanderssoastomovealongwithfallingproductionlevels.We

havebeenabletoabsorbthisfromtheflexibleshell,withagency

workersandsecondees.

Despitethepainfulmeasurestoletproductioncapacitiesmovein

proportiontodemand,wemadeconsiderableinvestmentsinthe

organisationin2012.Theresearchanddevelopmentcapacityfor

linoleumandtheinnovationcapacityoftheFlooringdivisiongrew

significantlyin2012.Theseinvestmentsintheproductdevelopment

capacityshouldintimehaveaneffectondemandforlinoleumand

assuchontheproductioncapacitiesrequired.

FTE developmentThenumberofagencyworkersfellsharply,buttheFTEdevelop-

mentofForboemployeesonlyshowedaslightlydownwardtrend.

Asat31December2012,therewere609fulltimeequivalentjobs,

comparedto613asat1January2012.Twenty-sevenpeoplejoined

thecompanyin2012,tenresigned,threeretired(earlyorotherwise),

terminationagreementswereconcludedwitheightandten

employeesleftthecompanyduringtheirtrialperiod,followinga

long-termillnessorbecausetheirfixed-termcontractsexpired.

Pension and collective labour agreementThecollectivelabouragreementbetweenForboandtradeunions

FNVBondgenoten,DeUnieandCNVBedrijvenbondterminatedin

April2012.Anewpensionagreementformedpartofthecollective

bargaining.Thepremiumspaidbytheemployerandemployeesfor

theoldfinalsalaryschemehadnotbeencost-effectivesince2009.

Duetothechangedintereststructureandincreasinglifeexpec-

tancy,thecommitmentsofthepensionfundhadrisentosuchan

extentthatthefinancialsituationofthepensionfundcameundera

lotofpressure.Therewasarealisticthreatofhavingtocutaccrued

pensionrights.However,theemployerandemployeeshaveagreed

onanew,conditionallyindexedaveragesalarypensionschemethat

doesbetterjusticetothepensionambitionsofbothparties.This

schemewascombinedwitha15millionEuroslump-sumpayment

byForbointothepensionfund.Thislump-sumpaymenthelpedto

preventtheintendedcutofmorethan4%onaccruedpension

rights.

WOrKS COuNCIlWorks Council activities In2012,membersoftheWorksCouncilservedintheCodeofCon-

duct,theAge-RelatedStaffPolicyandBalancedForbotaskforces

(HSEcommitteemember).TheForboSmoke-Freeby2015taskforce

isnew.TheWorksCouncildealtwithanumberofrequestsforadvice

andconsent.

23

24

Roland Prantl senior functional consultant SAP Competence Center

Working out six days a week. That demands a lot of time and energy. However, roland Prantl is also the fulltime senior functional consultant SAP Competence Center. As such, he has to make trips abroad every now and then. So how does he combine his demanding job with his workouts and does he have any time left for his family and other private matters?

“OnceIgivein,Ican’tstop’

‘‘Allingoodtime’,saysRoland.‘Yes,Idoworkoutat“DeClub”forhalfanhoureverylunchbreak.I’vebeendoingsosinceForbostartedtocontributetomembership,aboutthreeyearsago.Ienjoyit,becauseIsitdowntherestofthedayanditmakesmefeelfitterduringtheafter-noons.Itgetsmybloodflowing,Ithinkclearer.Ispendtheeveningswithmyfamily,Saturdaystoo.Sundaymorningisme-time,that’swhenIgolong-distancerunning.It’snotachoretome,butpartofmydailyroutine.WhenI’mabroadIoftenusethehotelfacilities,butIdon’tmindnotworkingoutsomuchforaweek.Ioftenbumpintocolleaguesat“DeClub”.Somepeople

aretoofanaticwhentheystart,butyou’llneverlastthatway.Youhavetograduallybuilditup.Ifyouwanttofeelgood,youneedtodoabitmorethantakingregularexercise.Iwatchmydiet,forinstance.Ieattwopiecesoffruiteveryday.NowIsoundlikeagoodytwo-shoes,butI’malsoaddictedtochocolate.ButonceIgiveintothat,that’sit,soIhavetomusterthedisciplinenottooverdoit.Youaretheonlyonewhocandosomethingaboutit.Themostimportantthingistochoose.Tobeawareofwhat’sgoodforyouandtomaketimeforthat.Balancedoesn’thappenovernight.’

Balance doesn’t happen overnight


Recommendationshavebeenmadeaboutthedigitalsalaryslipand

requestsforconsentwereprocessedinconnectionwiththeCodeof

Conduct,changestothecorporaterestaurantrotaandtheinstalla-

tionoftwocameras.The2011requestforadviceaboutthelossof

theCompensation&BenefitsManagerin2012waswithdrawn

followinganagreementwiththeExecutiveBoardaboutthetime

spentbytheDivisionalCompensation&Benefitsmanagerin

Assendelft.TheWorksCouncilhasproposedtochangethecompany

regulationsintermsofthepowerstoconsultinformationinthe

accesscontrolsystem.

TheWorksCouncilhasevaluatedspecificsubjectswithemployees,

suchasthedigitalsalaryslip,changestoCalanders2and4andthe

correspondingjobratingandtheimplementationofthereorganisa-

tionatSales&MarketingNL.Consultationsaboutthiswereheld

withtheFNVtradeunionexecutiveinMarch.Thenewcompany

doctorwasintroducedattheendofMay,withboththeWorks

CouncilandHSEcommitteemembersbeingpresent.Othersubjects

discussedatWorksCouncilmeetingsincludedpricesinthe

corporaterestaurant,anupdateonthepensionsituation,changes

toOxidation/Esterificationmanagement,thepresentationofThe

NextGenerationofMarmoleumcollection,changestotheDrying

Roommanagementreports,anexplanationtonewcontract

agreementswiththeoccupationalhealthandsafetyservicesandan

explanationabouttheuseofonlineassessmentsatSales&

MarketingNL.

HSE CommitteeIn2012,theHSECommitteecontinuedinvitingdepartmental

managerstoitsmeetings.Twodepartmentalmanagerswereasked

abouttheirvisiononsafetyandtheenvironment.Asagreed,two

consultationstookplacewiththeHSEmanager.Furthermore,the

committeecloselyfollowedtheClassbasesystemforreporting

unsafesituations,anditforwardedissuestothepersonsresponsible.

Thecommitteealsoconductedanumberofsafetyobservation

rounds.In2013,thenewHSEcommitteewillseeiftheseobserva-

tionroundsstillserveapurposeandactuallyaddvaluetotheother

observationrounds.

ForamorecomprehensivereportfromtheWorksCouncilandHSE

committee,werefertotheWorksCouncil’s2012annualreport.

SuGGESTIONS ANd rElAXATIONSuggestion BoxEightysuggestionsweresubmittedin2012,73ofwhichwere

processedbythecommittee.Atotalof25ofthosewererewarded,

while45wererejectedandthreewereawardedwithanincentive.

Theentriesincludedthirteenrequestsforrevaluation.Thenumber

ofsuggestionssubmittedfellby35%.Operationssubmittedmost

ofthesuggestions,namely64(includingthosethirteenrequests

forrevaluation),butotherdepartmentschippedintoo.Atotalof

€22,740inrewardswaspaidout,thehighestindividualpayment

being€6,000.Thenumberofpendingsuggestionsroseto122as

at31December2012.

Classification of suggestions received 2012Operations(Production/Logistics) 64

HumanResources 7

Sales&MarketingNL 5

Finance&ICS 4

Total 80

Successful sporting event EachyearForboFlooring’sSportsandLeisureCouncilorganisesa

rangeofactivities.Thisyear,thecouncildecidedtomaketheForbo

FamilyCyclingDayevenmoreattractive.Inconsultationwiththe

sportsclubsthisledtotheForboSportingEvent:apartfromthe

customarycyclingandwalkingevents,peopletookpartinafitness

walk,atennisclinic,afitnessclinicandalong-distancecyclingtrip.

Variousexcitingactivitieshadalsobeenorganisedforthechildren.

Thankstothecooperationfromtheclubs,thisfirstSportingEvent

wasabigsuccess.Thereactionsfromthenearly550participants

havebeenverypositive.ThankstotheSportingEvent,thenumber

ofmembersofthetrimclubhasrisen.

Plus…Thisyearsawthebi-annualtripforretireesandthattoohadbeen

revamped.Onlyformeremployeesandtheirpartnerswereinvited,

makingitpossibletohosttheeventonasingleday,atasingle

location,motelAkersloot.Itwasaverysuccessfulday.

Sinterklaaswascelebratedon1December.Duetoabreakdownhe

nearlydidn’tmakeit,butatruckbroughthimrightuptothedoorof

thecorporaterestaurant.Veryexcitingforthechildren,who

unwrappedtheirpresentswithbigsmilesontheirfaces.

ThebingonightsledbyPeterDennemantookplaceasnormal.Peter

isaworthysuccessorofJanGravesteijn,whohadbeenabingo

masterfornearly45years.

ThephotoclubandotherclubsatForboalsoremainactive.Weare

ofcoursepleasedtoknowtherearealwaysvolunteersatForbo

willingtohelpoutwiththevariousevents.

26

Responsibleproduction,nowandinthefutureWe are proud of our beautiful green products. And we are proud of our production processes which aim to leave the smallest footprint possible. Still, the process does affect the environment; it consumes energy. It generates residual substances and odours, CO2 is emitted. We are aware of that and we want to keep those effects to a minimum as best as we can. Production, turnover and healthy working conditi-ons are important in order to facilitate a healthy business. However, we also spend a lot of time and energy on coming up with improvements that contribute to environmentally friendlier products and processes. We encourage our employees to think about responsible production in order to keep our planet earth habitable for future generations.

EFFICIENT IN ENErGy Theproductionoflinoleumrequiresenergy.Forbousesnaturalgas

andgreenelectricityasprimarysourcesofenergy.Thehigherthe

productionlevels,themoreefficientenergyconsumptiongets.Soa

fallinproductionisachallengewhenitcomestotheefficientuseof

energy.BurningnaturalgasproducesCO2.Since2008,Forbo

Flooringhasbeenbuyinggreenenergy,andassuchcontributesto

lessconsumptionoffossilfuels.

Weconvertsomeofthesourcesofenergyintosecondarysourcesof

energysuchassteam,hotwaterandcompressedair.

Energy consumption 2012

1

23

4

5

67

810, 119

Energy consumption 2012

1

23

4

5

67

810, 119

%

1 Oxidation 23.8

2 Dryingrooms 21.7

3 Calanders 16.3

4 Mixingdepartment 14.8

5 Trimming 6.2

6 Storage&Distribution 5.0

7 Esterification 3.6

8 Offices 2.8

9 Notidentified 2.7

10 Samples/rawmaterials 2.4

11 Recycling 0.7

Natural gas consumption 2012

1

3

2

4

56

Natural gas consumption 2012

1

3

2

4

56

Areas Nm3 %1 Steamgeneration 4,155,115 51

2 Small-scaleconsumption 1,238,741 15

3 Incineratorsdryingrooms 1,017,985 13

4 Steamboiler 908,340 11

5 Esterification 537,411 7

6 Incineratorsoxidation 230,235 3

Total 8,087,827 100

Electricity consumption 2012

1

2

4

5

3

9 - 14

67 8

Electricity consumption 2012

1

2

4

5

3

9 - 14

67 8

Areas kWh %1 Oxidation 13,417 33

2 Mixingdepartment 8,130 20

3 Dryingrooms 6,266 15

4 Calender4 4,512 11

5 Calender 2 3,696 9

6 Storage&Distribution 1,324 3

7 Trimming 1,149 3

8 FandHbuildings 769 2

9 Other 440 1

10 Headoffice 300 0.5

10 Laboratory/pilotfactory 244 0.5

12 Calender 1 241 0.5

13 Recycling 219 0.5

14 Esterification 133 0.5

Total 40,840 100

OUR PLANET EARTH

Thefourprocessphasesthatconsumemostenergyare:

Oxidation 24% heatinguptheboilersandheavy

mixingwork

Dryingrooms 22% steamhumidification,compressedair

drive,incinerator

Calenders 16% electricandcompressedairdrive

Mixingdepartment 15% electricandcompressedairdrive

reduced energy consumptionTheconsumptionofenergydependsontheamountoflinoleum

produced.In2011weused8,283thousandNm3ofnaturalgasand

41.9thousandMWhofelectricityfortheproductionof22.8millionm2

oflinoleum.In2012thosefigureswere8,088thousandNm3of

naturalgasand40.8thousandMWhofelectricityforthegross

productionof20.9millionm2oflinoleum.Sodespitethefactthatwe

producedapproximately8%lesslinoleum,energyconsumptionfell

byapproximately2.5%,not8%.Unfortunately,afallinproduction

resultsinalessefficientuseofoursystems.Thereasonisthatwe

cannotswitchoffallmachineswhennoproductionisinprogress.

Therelativeenergyconsumptionperm2ofproductof2012

iscomparabletothatof2009,whenweproducedagross

20.8millionm2oflinoleum.Assuch,energyefficiencydidnot

deteriorateduringthepastthreeyears,butitdidnotsignificantly

improveeither.


However,wecanstillreportsomeenergyimprovementsfor2012.

Electricityconsumptionatheadofficefellby11%,whichisagood

result.

In2012,magnetswerefittednearthegassupplyforthesteam

boilers.Thesemagnetsprovideamaximumflowofgasatmolecular

level,facilitatingamoreefficientincinerationprocess.Accordingto

thespecifications,thiscanleadtoa5%gassavingforthesteam

boilers.Wewillbemeasuringthesesavingsin2013.Astudyintothe

reductionoftheventilationcapacityforaircirculationwasconduc-

tedintheDryingRooms.Althoughthisstudyhasnotyetbeenfully

completed,theresultsappeartobepositive.

CO2 emissionsTheemissionofCO

2isdirectlylinkedtotheburningofnaturalgasat

ourlocation.Duetoafallof3%inournaturalgasconsumptionin

2012,CO2emissionsfellaccordingly.Thetotalquantityis14.4

kilotons,12.2kilotonsfallswithintheCO2emissionstrade.Thisisthe

CO2emittedbythesteamboilers,thewaterboilerandlow-volume

consumption.Ourannualemissionrightsarefixedat10.1kilotonsof

CO2.Thatmeanswehadtopurchase1.1kilotonsofCO

2emission

rightsfor2012.Anewtradingperiodstartsin2013.Thatmeans

someoftheincineratorswillalsofallundertheCO2emissiontrade

witheffectfrom1January2013.

AIrNOxNitrogenoxides(NO

x),likeCO

2,areformedduringcombustion

processes.However,thequantitythatisformeddependsnotonly

onthenaturalgasconsumptionbutalsoonthequalityofthe

burner.NOxcontributestoacidificationandcanbeaburdenon

NOx-sensitiveplantsandanimalsinnearbywildlifeareas.In2012we

emittedslightlymoreNOxfromtheBEESsystems(steamboilersand

hotwaterboiler)thanin2011(2,813kilosin2012comparedto2,523

kilosin2011),whiletheoverallnaturalgasconsumptionofthese

systemsfellby2%.Thisistheresultofthefactthatboiler6wasused

relativelymorethanin2011.Boiler6hasaslightlyhigherNOxemis-

sionthanboiler7.Thehotwaterboilerwasalsousedslightlymore

often.

Odours studied againTheemissionofvolatileorganiccompounds(VOCs)happens

especiallyduringtheesterificationandoxidationoflinoleum

cementandduringthelinoleumdryingprocessintheDrying

Rooms.TheemissionofVOCscontributestotheacidificationofthe

environmentandcausesthatodourthatissoparticulartoour

company.Inordertoreducetheseemissions,incineratorshave

beeninstalledinthedepartments,whichremovevirtuallyallVOCs

influegasesandodour.Theseveryextensivemeasurements

conductedin2011and2012havegivenusabetterandmore

completeinsightintoourVOC/odouremissions.

0

20

40

60

80

100Energy E�ciency Index (%)

02008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Energy consumption (TJ)

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Natural gas Electricity2009 2010 2011 20122008

27

Responsibleproduction,nowandinthefuture

28

Jan Ayal mechanical engineer and Herbert de Rooy general production operator

Forbo’s plant counts more than 130 conveyor belts. They transport the linoleum granulate. This coloured substance sticks to the belt, falls off one belt onto the other, it bounces up and down and forms clumps. And if you don’t keep the belts clean, the product will be contaminated with the colours of the previous run. So is there another way of doing this, employees were wondering.

Onestepforward thankstoinnovation

‘Forbo’sprincipleisthatallmaterialshavetobeasnaturalaspossible,sowealwaysoptedforcanvasbelts’,saysHerbertdeRooy,generalproductionoperator. ‘Asgranulateadherestoittoomuch,thebeltiscoveredinatoplayerofsilicon.Butthatlayerpeelsoff,causingtheproducttobecontaminated.Thisresultsinthelossofalotofrawmaterials,thecleaningprocessislabour-intensiveandcostsmuchtime.Timeduringwhichproductionstagnates.Andallofthatcoststime.Butthat’sthewaywedidit,linoleumhadthatnameofbeingandifficultsubstance.Eventually,wedidstartlookingatalternatives.Thingshadtoimproveonallfronts:fewerspills,lesssubstance,abetterworkingenvironment,lesstimeneededtoclean,higherproductionlevels.’

‘Togetherwithamulti-disciplineprojectgroupweconductedextensiveresearchandformulatedtherequirements’,JanAyal,mechanicalengineerchipsin.‘Weinvitedmanufacturerstohelpthinkaboutasolution,andtheyweremorethanhappytodoso. Theexchangeofknowledgeandideaswaspheno-menal.We’reayeardownthelinenowandwe’reinthetestphaseduringwhichwewilltryoutseveralbeltsandtrialsituations.Ittookalotoftimeandenergy,butwe’realreadyseeingexcellentresults:50%lesstimeneededtoclean,90%lesswaste,amoreefficientuse ofmaterialsandadust-freeenvironmentforstaff. Awin-win-winsituationfortheenvironment,produc-tionandstaff.ThethingIreallylikeisthatwetooksomeverybigandinnovativestepsthatnowgenerateavisibleresult.Weusedtohavestacksofdust,nowthere’shardlyanything.Wereallytookastepforwardandwecanalsoimplementthisinotherdepartments.’

Less dust, less waste, produce more


Onthebasisthereof,wecalculatedanewodourcontouraroundour

premises.Outsideacontourofapproximately1kmaroundour

premises,odournuisancelevelsarevirtuallyzero,butwithinthe

contoursomenuisancemaybeexperienced.TheMixingdepart-

mentcurrentlyisthebiggestcontributortoodouremissions.

Duringthepastfiveyears,VOCemissionswererecalculatedin

accordancewithprescribedcalculationmethods.Emissionsshould

onaveragenotincreaseoverseveralyears,butaredeterminedonly

onthebasisofthemostrecentemissionmeasurements.Asaresult

theannualemissionfiguresshowmoredifferences,asthemeasure-

mentvariessignificantly.

In2012,VOCemissionswere30.1tonsfrom31emissionpoints.In

2011,thefigurewas7.6tonsfrom27emissionpoints.The22.5-ton

differencecanbeexplainedasfollows:

-48%ofnewlychartedemissionsintheMixingdepartment

-31%increaseatknownemissionpointsattheMixingdepartment

followingimprovementstotheworkingenvironmentthere

(previouslydiffusedemission)

-8%riseofemissionsfromOxidationincinerators

-4%riseofemissionsfromTrim3stoves

-9%other.

Theimprovedoverviewofemissionsbymeasuringatmoreemission

pointsgivesusaninsightthatenablesustofocusmoreonoptions

toreduceemissions,whilealsostillconcentratingonoptimisingthe

indoorclimateoftheproductiondepartments.

dust filtersThemanufactureoflinoleumalsoproducesdust.Dustcontributes

tospreadingemissionsandcanleadtoahigherlevelofparticulate

matter.DustcanbereleasedduringmixingintheMixingdepart-

mentandwhenfillingwoodflour,limestoneandscrapsilos.Inorder

topreventtheemissionofdust,dustfiltershavebeeninstallednear

thesedepartmentsandsystems.Thefunctioningofthesefiltersis

regularlyinspectedasapreventivemeasure.Theemissionofdustis

measuredonceeverythreeyears.Nonewmeasurementstookplace

in2012.Thedifferenceinthecalculatedemissionsisthereforethe

resultofadifferenceinoperationalhours:1,163kgin2012compa-

redto1,294kgin2011.

rESIduAl WASTEresidual waste used as raw material Duringthemanufactureoflinoleum,typicalresidualwastesuchaslinoleumandgranulateisproduced.Thisresidualisproducedwhentrimmingtheedges,duringsampling,breakdownsorwhenmaterialthatfailstomeetourhighqualitystandardsisrejected,amongotherthings.Amagnificent86%ofourinternallinoleumresidualwastedoesnotleavethepremises,asitisreusedasrawmaterialinourproductionprocess.Theother14%cannotberecycledandisdisposedofaswasteproduct.

In2012,wedisposedof884tonsoflinoleum(2011:983tons)and

889tonsofgranulate(2011:947tons).Linoleumandgranulatethat

aredisposedofstillhaveahighcalorificvalueandareincinerated

externally.Theheatobtainedfromthisprocessisconvertedinto

energyandreturnedtopowerplants.Thisyearwewillbecon-

ductingatestinwhichgranulatewastewillnotbeincinerated

externally,butbeputtogooduseinthetarmacindustry.

CO2 emissions (kilotons)

2009 2010 2011 2012200814.0

14.4

14.8

15.2

15.6

16.0

VOC emissions (ton) (amount of emission points)

02468

1012

2426283032

1416182022

(13)

(16)

(16)(27)

(31)

2009 2011 201220102008

NOX emissions (kg)

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

4,000

2009 2011 20122010

20080

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Coolant emissions (kg)(substances that a�ect the ozone layer)

45

2009 2011 201220102008

Water consumption (m3)

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

2009 2011 201220102008

Mains water Surface water

Less dust, less waste, produce more

30

Aslinoleumandgranulatewastedependontheproductionfigures,

aproduction-relatesHSEobjectivewasformulated:0.012tonsof

granulatewastepertonofproduct.In2012,wefailedtoachieveour

objectiveforgranulateresidualwaste(0.016ton/ton).Amongother

things,thiswascausedbytheexecutionoftestproductionsin

preparationofournewcollection,qualitydifferencesandanumber

ofincidents.

In2012,wereplacedsevenconveyorbeltswiththeaimofspilling

lessgranulatefromthebelts.Thisprojecthasbeenasuccess.The

reductiononthesebeltsis99%andtherearehardlyanyspills

anymore.Thenewconveyorbeltscanhelpprevent330tonsof

granulatewasteperyear.In2013wewillagainbereplacinga

numberofconveyorbelts.

less residual waste disposed ofApartfromlinoleumandgranulateresidualwaste,otherwaste

includespaper,wood,juteandtin.In2012,wedisposedofatotalof

3,289tonsofresidualwaste.Thisis8.5%lessthanin2011.A

significantamountofresidualwasteisusedexternallyasfuelto

generateenergy,aspackagingmaterial,jutebailsandpaperfor

instancearerecycled.Residualwastethatcannotbeprocessedis

disposedof.

ENVIrONMENTAl INCIdENTSThirty-three(potential)environment-relatedincidentstookplacein

2012.In2011,thatfigurewas42.Ofthese33incidents,24moreor

lesscausedanegativeimpactontheenvironment.Theyincluded:

-anexplosion

-ninebreakdownsintheincinerators(twelvein2011)

-twelvefireoroverheatingincidents

-twospills(methylatedspiritsandtalloil).

Theothernineincidentsdidnotaffectanythingoutsidethesite

boundaries,astheyweredealtwithinternallyor,inhindsight,did

notcauseanyemissions.Incidentsarereportedinternallytoa

centralpoint,afterwhichimprovementmeasuresareformulatedin

ordertopreventrepeats.Allreportshavebeenprocessed.

NocomplaintsweresubmittedtotheProvinceofNoord-Hollandin

2012.Inordertobeabletorespondwelltoanyodournuisance,

ForborecommendslocalresidentstocontactForbodirectly.This

enablesustofindoutifForboisindeedthesourceandwhatmaybe

causingtheproblem.Nocomplaintsfromlocalresidentswere

receivedbyForboin2012.

Recycling linoleum residues (ton)

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

2009 2010 2011 2012

Linoleum scrap recycled internallyLinoleum residual waste disposed of

2008

Disposal of linoleum residues (ton)

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

2009 2010 2011 2012

Linoleum Granulate

2008

Disposal of scrap (ton)

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Landfill Incineration Recycling

Water drained to sewer (m3)

0

6,000

9,000

12,000

15,000

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

3,000

Colophon

This is a publication of Forbo Flooring B.V., Assendelft

Editors Lucia Fijlstra, Mia Harkamp, Laura Hellendoorn, Saskia Boot and Woord tekst en advies, AmsterdamInterviews Birgitta Langen, AmsterdamDesign Frissewind, profs in communicatie en design, AmsterdamPhotography Don Wijns, Frissewind, profs in communicatie en design, AmsterdamPrinted by Zalsman Groningen bv, Groningen

The production of this annual report has been CO2-neutral, and it was printed on FSC-certified paper.

We hope you have enjoyed reading our 2012 HSE annual report. In 2013 we will continue to work hard on the objectives set out in the report and on the further improvements in the fields of health, safety and the environment. If you have any questions or comments about the report, please send them to [email protected] more information about our company, visit www.forbo-flooring.nl.

Our balance

creating better environments

For more information, please contactForbo Flooring B.V.

PO Box 13, 1560 AA Krommenie

Industrieweg 12, 1566 JP Assendelft

The Netherlands

+31 (0)75 647 7477

[email protected]

www.forbo-flooring.nl

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