New paths to competitive advantage
Escape hundreds of questions
Public customers are making more and more environmental demands. That is the experience of Bambo, a manufacturer of nappies, sanitary towels, etc.
"We had ecolabelled nappies as early as the mid 1990s, but at that time the public customers were not interested. In tenders today we are asked whether the product is ecolabelled or whether the enterprise is environmentally certified. If we can answer "Yes", we escape having to answer hundreds of questions," says Quality & Environmental Manager Jørgen Nellemose.
According to a 2000 survey of 90 suppliers to the public market, 40% of the suppliers to public customers in Denmark always or often have to answer environmental questions when tendering for public contracts. Source: Centre for Alternative |
Environmental aspects are important on the public market in Denmark, but situations still
arise where it seems that the environmental requirements are just a fixed part of the call
for tenders.
Require innovation
Bambo also sells to the private market in Denmark and abroad. On these markets the enterprise has also noticed an increasing interest in the products' environmental properties.
"Today, most customers expect that the environmental aspects are in order. We have been at the forefront of development, but the investments will no doubt pay eventually," says Jørgen Nellemose.
Jørgen Nellemose points out that one has to be innovative to win the market's attention. The products and materials therefore have to be continually improved, and one has to listen to the market. In this respect it is an advantage that Bambo is a relatively small, family-owned company. It is easy to make rapid decisions and try new things.
For example, Bambo participates in a product chain cooperation where the enterprise has entered into a binding cooperation with Stora Enso, a manufacturer of fluff - a paper product used in their nappies.
Bambo A/S, Aabenraa, 250 employees.