Super Supermarket Certification Mark
Sustainable and distinctive Supermarket Certification
Mark
“People, Planet and Profit. These are the three
cornerstones of a socially responsible business. Likely, you
already do a great deal of what is involved in this area. But
do your customers know it? The Vakcentrum has developed a
responsible business certification mark for food retailers:
the Super Supermarket Certification Mark. By means of this
mark, your customers will immediately recognise that you are a
responsible local business operator. This certification gives
your store a distinctive profile, and customers will remain
sustainably loyal to you. The customers that make purchases
from you will know that they are making a responsible
purchasing decisions. That feels good. And pays off.”
Patricia E.H. Hoogstraaten, Managing Director of the
Vakcentrum
The power of local commitment
An
independent business operator completely involved in the
community is, by definition, sustainable. After all,
sustainability has everything to with the social involvement,
and involvement in the local community is something that
independent business operators are good at. For instance, they
regularly sponsor local football clubs or act as employers
with a social conscience. In addition, many independent
business operators are actively concerned with sustainability.
They include sustainably produced items in their product range
or implement energy-saving measures in their businesses, such
as LED lighting and energy-efficient cooling systems. And do
not independent business operators often play a leading role
in supply chains by making environmentally-friendly agreements
with suppliers and logistics partners?
How do you qualify for the Certification Mark?
The Super Supermarket Certification Mark is a label for
independent supermarket business operators. This Certification
Mark clearly indicates that you are committed to responsible
business practices, and it therefore distinguishes you from
other supermarkets. The basis for the Certification Mark is
provided by the things that you already do. The Vakcentrum
would be pleased to advise you on points where you do not
(yet) satisfy the criteria. See the section entitled
“Application Procedure” for instructions on how
you can apply for the Certification Mark.
The 7 criteria
After thorough
investigation, the Vakcentrum has developed seven
sector-specific criteria based on the ISO 26000 guidelines:
• Local involvement: good relations with the
surrounding community, local sponsorship;
•
Stimulating personnel policy: sustainable, productive
scheduling, social employment practices;
•
Distinctive product selection: fair trade and sustainably
produced items;
• Energy: lighting and cooling
systems, environmental footprint, sustainable construction,
recyclable energy;
• Safety and prevention: healthy
employees, safe work and retail environment;
• Waste
collection and reduction; re-use of waste, sustainable
packaging;
• Transport and logistics: noise nuisance
/ reduction.
TNO knowledge and expertise
A thoroughly
reliable certification mark requires knowledge. Knowledge
about the various factors involved in responsible business
practices, knowledge of certification marks, knowledge of a
sustainable community and knowledge of the sector. Sector
expertise is abundantly available from the Vakcentrum.
Nationally renowned research institute TNO possesses the
expertise in its organisation as well. Over the next two
years, the Vakcentrum will work together with TNO to further
develop the Certification Mark. TNO also advises the
Vakcentrum on the ways in which the Certification Mark can be
kept up to date and the innovations that contribute to the
increase sustainability of the sector.
Independent and objective
Besides the
administrative organisation lodged in Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk (SSK), the Vakcentrum is supported by two
bodies:
The Certificeringsraad (Certification Board)
issues the Certification Mark on the basis of submitted
reports. This board also includes one member of the TNO SSK
project team.
The Raad van Advies (Advisory Board)
supports the Certification Mark in terms of its content. This
Board consists of the following members:
• Prof. Dr
Kitty Koelemeiher, Professor of Marketing at Nyenrode Business
University and Director of the Market and Supply Chain
Management cluster.
• Jan-Peter Müller,
Managing Director of Müller Fresh Food Logistics
(MFFL);
• Peter Vogelzang, KNVB Supervisory Board,
former police chief for the Utrecht Region;
• Ruud
Koornstra, Director of Tendris Holding, sustainable business
operator and inventor of the Pharox LED lamp;
• Henk
Gianotten, Director of Panteia / EIM
• Rob
Benjamens, Director / Partner of Conclusion Communication
Architects, communications expert.
The benefits of the SSK Certification Mark in
brief:
• As a local responsible business operator, you
distinctively position yourself and strengthen the loyalty of
your customers to your retail business;
• You are a
fully-involved and valued contact for local authorities;
•
You structurally and profitably incorporate responsible
business practices in your business;
• You benefit
from the expertise of the Vakcentrum and TNO, and are informed
about the newest social and technical innovations in the area
of sustainability;
• The Vakcentrum supports the
Certification Mark with local, innovative
communications.
Apply today for the Super Supermarket Certification
Mark!
The application procedure is as follows:
Step
1: Apply for the Certification Mark from Stichting Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk (SSK);
Step 2: Complete the
application form in indicating the state of affairs with
regard to each one of the criteria; based on this application,
Stichting SSK shall determine if you qualify for a
certification audit;
Step 3: One of the auditors shall
visit your premises to qualify and verify your data;
Step
4: The auditor will draw up a report to be submitted to the
certification board, providing your scores on the key elements
are sufficient;
Step 5: Official certification;
after a positive evaluation, you will receive the Super
Supermarkt Keurmerk certificate for a period of two years;
after two year, you will have to re-apply.
National and regional publicity
The
Super Supermarket Certification Mark gives the opportunity to
distinctively position yourself in relation to your customers
and local authorities, but this positioning must of course be
well known. The Vakcentrum shall take care of the
communications with regional and local media and assist
business operators with their local and in-store publicity.
The Vakcentrum shall seek national publicity for the award of
the initial Certification Mark. In brief, the Netherlands will
hear about the certification!
With the Vakcentrum, you never stand alone!
The Vakcentrum is the sector organisation for
independent business operators in retail sales. As a centre of
expertise for independent retailers, the Vakcentrum supports
its members in several ways, including the development and
implementation of socially responsible business policies. With
the development of the Certification Mark, the Vakcentrum
offers business operators the opportunity to distinctively
position themselves with regard to customers and local
authorities. The centre also wishes to raise the level of
socially responsible business practices in the sector, this by
sharing knowledge and encouraging innovative sustainability
initiatives. To guarantee objectivity, the Vakcentrum has
housed the Certification Mark in Stichting SSK, which works
with an independent Advisory Board and Certification
Board.
Would you like to know more?
Click
www.supersupermarkt.nl
Further information about the Vakcentrum can be found
at: www.vakcentrum.nl
Contact information
Vakcentrum
Blekerijlaan 1
3447 GR Woerden
The
Netherlands
T +31 348 41 97 71
E
info@vakcentrum.nl I
www.vakcentrum.nl