Hello! We are 4 pupils from Het Goese Lyceum. Nicolau, Ole, Merel and Anika. We are working together with the G.D. Somani Memorial School in India. The topic that we are researching is about ecological companies.
What is ecological and what is biological? Making products in a ecological way means that it has no negative impact on the environment. Ecological companies will stand for environmental concerns and also policies affecting human rights. They do care about the environment.
Producing in a biological way means caring about the way crops have grown and animals have lived. Biological companies won't use any toxics to grow crops and the animals will be allowed to walk freely. The animals don't have to grow faster. And will be slaughtered in a more friendly environment.
Our main research question is:
What measures do companies take to implement a more eco-friendly policy and to attract more customers? Ecological companies are companies who really care about environment.
We have interviewed two companies. Uticon and Bio-Drome. We think that they have something to do with ecology. Hereby our interviews with the final conclusions. Enjoy!
INTERVIEW Bio-Drome (Anika and Merel)
After a few years selling nature foods on the market, Gerard and Joke Pieksma started a small shop with the name ''De Koriander''. This worked out to be a good idea because at the moment they already have got a nice group of customers. They had to find another place where they could sell more because it was too small and they found it in the Lange Vorststraat 68. They sold all kinds of basic products like fruit, bread and milk. Because biological products became each year more popular, they grew so they had to move again. This time they went to the Papegaaistraat. The new owner of the shop was Damario Luitwieler. He renamed the shop into Bio-Drome. We interviewed a girl who was working there and also several members of the staff.
1. What is the ecological policy of the company. Why has the company adopted this policy?
We do have a kind of ecological policy. We have more biologic products but we are trying to sell all products without chemicals. And trying to find more products without a packaging.
2. The workplace. Describe the work location. What does the organization produce, sell, build?
The workplace is a supermarket. Not too big but with enough space full of nice products. 'We sell the same as every supermarket but produced in a biological and ecological way.'
3. What are concrete measures that the company has taken. Who and where are the main customers? What is done to get more customers?
We spread every advertisements by mouth, we don't produce ads on the TV. The customers are mainly people who believe that biological food is better for their health.
4. Do you have any future plans?
We don't have future plans yet because we have just realised this plan.
Interview with customers:
1. What do they like about the company? 2. Why do they consider the company as an ecological company? Explain.
Michiel
1. That it is specially for vegetarians and that the products are presented in a nice way. And the staff is very friendly.
2. They don't use any toxic substances in harvesting their products.
Bert-Jan
1. They have a packaging free place. They have food that is made in a friendly way and that is very important to me.
2. As I said the packaging free place is very ecological.
Eline
1. I do like to buy biological and ecological foodstuff. And in this shop you can buy I think only biological food. It is better for my health.
2. They only sell ecological food and things like candles and other things you can buy in a drugstore.
INTERVIEW Uticon (Nicolau and Ole)
1. The Organization. Who founded it, when and where did it start and who is the current owner?
The company UTICON has been founded arounnd 27 years ago. Founder and owner is Simon Bruijnooge in Yerseke. It is part of a group from Germany. http://www.uticon.nl/
2. The workplace. Describe the work location. What does the organization produce, sell, build?
Uticon is mainly an engineering office with three offices in Holland, Yerseke, Eindhoven and Apeldoorn and one in Belgium, Destelbergen near Gent. The organization sells consultancy and advise. Knowledge of ¨Best Practise Engineering¨. A great part of the employees is working on site in different factories in the food sector. (FrieslandCampina, Coca-Cola, VSI (energy bars. Chocolate), Pringles etc.)
3. What is the ecological policy of the company . Why has the company adopted this policy?
The policy of the company is to make very effective factories which produce products with very little waste of material and in the most optimum way of energy management. Energy for the machines and energy for the environment.
4. What are concrete measures that the company has taken. Who and where are the main customers? What is done to get more customers?
Concrete measures are compact building design. Innovation in technology. Research. The main customers are food producing companies, wherever they are. To make more customers the company promotes the expertise obtained in each new project to be improved in the next projects. ¨Best Practise Engineering¨. There is also a department which is a ¨Company Academy¨, which is open to third parties or clients.
5. PR-website-advertisements. Analyse the website of the company
The website is very clear, you can visualize the website in a correct structure. Uticon doesn't make any advertisement. Hereby the link to the website of Uticon. http://www.uticon.nl/
6. Future plans?
More ecological based factories with a lower carbon footprint and a healthier designed architecture in the buildings layout for the people to work in an ecological healthy environment.
Interview with another company
Lamb Weston Meijer, potato factory in Kruiningen
1. What do they like about the company? Clean engineering (hygienic high level)
2. Why do they consider the company as an ecological company. Explain Cleaning of these factories is a main task which has a big impact in the overall business and the ecological footprint. Doing this well, the company helps the environment. Cleaning the water, reuse of water, reducing use of soap, etc.
3. Compare both companies. Are there any similarities in their approach. Explain. In every food company the approach is similar.
Conclusion:
Bio-Drome --- This shop has grown a lot in the last few years. They think more in a biological way than an ecological way. Main customers are people who think biological food is better for their health.
Uticon --- The company gives advice to other companies about how to improve in an ecological way. Uticon itself isn't totally an ecological company.
Conclusion for both companies: Uticon is more ecological than Bio-Drome because Bio-Drome has a bigger point of view to sell biological products.
Comparison: The G.D. Somani Memorial School has also a group doing research on the subject ecological companies. They have done some research at GoLite and Unilever. GoLite produces light weight equipment and Unilever products include foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products.
We have done some research on some smaller companies: Uticon and Biodrome. We have also interviewed some customers. We wrote it like an interview and they wrote it like a research. So we have just interviewed two small companies and they have done research at two big companies.