More quality in sustainability

Mediator has helped Nowocoat in their work with sustainability throughout the company

Sustainability has become a dominant issue in industry and all companies, large and small, are gradually claiming to work sustainably. That Danish companies have a green strategy for the future has become a matter of course, but also a major competitive parameter that can gain new customers or an advantage over competitors in the market.

“Qualitative sustainability is not just about focusing on CO₂"A company or product is only sustainable when it thinks green and sustainable in all respects, health, social, ethical and environmental."

“The market is hungry for more quality in the many sustainability initiatives. But if the results of a company's efforts are to be used actively to win new orders, the changes must be measurable and can be held up against something recognizable. For example, certifications.” – Morten Carlsen, sustainability consultant at Mediator.

The good example
Sustainable thinking in the paint and varnish industry

One of the companies that has elevated its activities in terms of ensuring quality and lasting sustainable results is Nowocoat A/S. The company is an innovative and modern paint and varnish factory, which has roots dating back to 1861, and which supplies coatings for industry, production and professional use.

Historically, the paint and varnish industry has had a huge consumer focus on the environment and chemicals, which has placed correspondingly high demands on the responsibility of manufacturers. Therefore, it takes something extraordinary to stand out.
In order to meet these challenges, Nowocoat has decided that all parts of the company must be based on qualitative sustainability. The management has therefore developed its own framework to operate from, where processes for continuously working with better and safer working conditions, stricter ethical rules and the desire for more green and bio-based energy are prioritized on an equal footing with sustainability in production.

Where the UN Sustainable Development Goals have previously been Nowocoat's primary benchmark to measure its results against, it has now chosen to invest heavily in obtaining various environmental and management certifications as the next step to be able to describe and document the company's results even more clearly. A process where Mediator has helped with the regulatory and legislative part.

Should we also help you and your company with quality in your sustainability initiatives?

Contact us today at mc@mediator.as or 52100005

Business-friendly
course at

Over the past few years, Mediator has held more than 50 courses in collaboration with Plandent. Courses for Plandent's customers – that is, Danish dental clinics.

Back in 2019, new legislation came into effect, which meant that chemical APVs had to be prepared. It was required to chemical APV in written form. The country's dentists suddenly had a new task and challenge. That's why Plandent chose to help their customers get ready for this task.

Mediator and Plandent already had a collaboration on safety data sheets, so it was natural that we joined this journey. This has meant that in collaboration with Plandent, we have had more than 400 clinic assistants and dentists go through a course throughout Denmark from Aalborg to Bornholm.

The teaching is both theoretical and practical. Risk assessment, exposure level and the effect of preventive measures are discussed between the different clinics.

The clinics got off to a good start in preparing their chemical APVs during the course and some had completely completed the task by the end of the course.

Claus Krolak says about the collaboration:

As we received more and more inquiries from customers who were nervous about how the new legislation would be handled, it was natural to contact Mediator and ask if they could help us alleviate this uncertainty for our customers.
And they did! The evaluations have been top notch on all courses held and we only have happy customers.

RoyalCopenhagen
On bare ground without the help of chemical APV

New rules for Chemical APVs oblige companies to describe chemical work processes and risks.
Mediator helped Royal Copenhagen create an overview of 100 different chemicals.

Safety above all. This should be the starting point for all managers of companies in Denmark – especially if employees are in contact with hazardous chemicals in their work. Therefore, from 1 July 2019, the Danish Working Environment Authority has made it mandatory for all companies to prepare descriptions of their work processes with chemicals – the so-called chemical APVs. The law is designed to ensure that all employees know the risks of the substance in question and that they are instructed in which protective equipment they should use.

– Before the requirement for chemical APVs, instructions for use and information on safety conditions often ended up in a folder without actually being used. This has not been a useful solution. The new chemical APVs are a good way to draw attention to risks. If they are interpreted and used actively and correctly, they can create great value and, not least, safety in the workplace., says Jens Haugaard, CEO of Mediator, who specializes in chemistry, the environment and dangerous goods. He adds:

– All work with chemicals is complicated, and no two companies are the same. Even with the best intentions of preparing and following chemical APVs, it can be difficult to understand what precautions to take, what protective equipment to use – and not least, how to best pass on the information to your employees. Misunderstandings, lack of knowledge and poor communication can, in the worst case, lead to people being seriously injured.

From burden to value

Translating complicated chemical jargon into understandable information can be a difficult and time-consuming burden for managers and safety officers. This is exactly what Henrik Toft, factory manager at Royal Copenhagen's production facility in Glostrup, experienced.

– We were in the middle of the process of becoming ISO certified when the new legislation on Chemical APVs came in from the right. We were completely at the bottom, and I thought, oh no, this is going to be difficult to handle. We are experts in making porcelain – not risk assessment of the more than 100 different chemicals we use, says Henrik Toft, who hired the consultancy firm Mediator due to the complexity of the task.

– Jens Haugaard quickly got us down to earth, and he helped us create an overview of the rules and the process. Among other things, we had to make a list of laws and describe all our chemicals and what we use them for. Mediator was a great help in this process. At the same time, Mediator has reviewed all our work processes, assessed safety and prepared risk assessments. But it is a long haul, and we see Mediator as a permanent partner that we can always ask for help, describes Henrik Toft.

According to Henrik Toft, Royal Copenhagen has always had safety at its core, but thanks to the chemical APV, the entire factory has become better at handling chemicals in the right way.

– Having a professional guide us through this entire process has saved us a lot of resources. If we had to do this ourselves from start to finish, it would have taken much longer – at least a year longer., assesses Henrik Toft.

He recommends that other companies that use chemicals in everyday life seek help with their chemical APV.