Sustainability | MAM Baby

Together for a Sustainable Future

We put expertise and passion into developing and producing baby products that impress thanks to their outstanding safety and quality, and support the healthy development of babies. A sustainable and responsible approach to business is a fundamental part of this and is firmly set out in our company values. At MAM, we contribute actively to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, which promote an agenda for sustainable development to be achieved by 2030. The SDGs constitute an important guideline for our Sustainability Strategy.

Our mission—at the heart of everything we do—is to not only enhance the happiness and well-being of babies today but to also create a world worth living in for future generations.

Peter Röhrig

MAM Founder

Sustainability at MAM

Top-quality products designed for the future

At MAM we are putting all our energy into developing products that meet the highest standards for quality and safety and are produced with the most resource-conserving methods possible. Innovation is the only way we can tackle challenges such as climate change and environmental pollution. We make a key contribution to this by designing our products and packaging to be recyclable and eco-friendly.

PP that can be traced back to bio-circular raw materials has exactly the same properties as fossil-based polypropylene in terms of safety, heat resistance, and break resistance. More MAM products will also be switched over to this synthetic material in the future.

When it comes to procuring plastics, we take what is known as the mass balance approach.

  1. Currently, fossil and bio-circular raw material flows enter the refinery so the base material for polypropylene can be produced. Separate infrastructures are not in place (yet). At MAM, we opt for responsibly sourced, bio-circular raw materials for our certified products and reject fossil fuels entirely. 
  2.  The resulting base material undergoes further processing into polypropylene.
  3.  This polypropylene is used in the manufacture of our ISCC Plus certified product components.
  4.  ISCC Plus certifies that the materials used in our products can in fact be traced back to bio-circular sources. We invest in bio-circular raw materials in the quantity necessary to produce our products.

The more companies follow our example, the higher the proportion of bio-circular materials will become and the less companies will need to resort to the use of fossil raw materials. We are also planning to switch more products over to bio-circular materials in the future—a key step toward decarbonizing our company.

Optimized packaging

Since 2019, we have been working hard on targeted measures to make our packaging more eco-friendly as well. For us, reducing our ecological footprint and boosting recyclability are an especially important part of this. Right now, 76 percent of our packaging materials are either recycled, renewable, or procured in a responsible manner—and we are working continually to increase this percentage.

Here are a few measures we have already implemented:

CO2-saving cleaning

Like many other products, most of the CO2 emissions are generated during the use phase of pacifiers and baby bottles. Sterilizing and cleaning are the activities that consume the most energy. We support parents with these steps and have developed practical, effective solutions to reduce CO2.

Integrated Climate Protection for a Future Worth Living

Continually reducing carbon emissions is of utmost importance in the fight against climate change. This can only be achieved through close collaboration and the involvement of our internal and external stakeholders—our employees, suppliers, and consumers. Only by working together will we be able to learn and explore new ways of doing our part to protect the climate. In this context, we are considering our entire value chain:

Suppliers

The supply chain for the individual parts of our products offers huge potential for reducing CO2 emissions. That's why we work with suppliers who place the same priority on sustainability that we do at MAM. We procure approx. 97% of our product components from Austrian suppliers who guarantee short transport routes to our plant in Hungary.

Production sites

We make every effort to keep CO2 emissions in our production plants as low as possible. These efforts are supported by renewable energy generated by our photovoltaic systems (PV) installed at the MAM plants as well as a wide range of measures aimed at saving energy.

  • At our plant in Hungary, we have increased the output of our photovoltaic system to a total of 484 kWp over the past few years, which means the system is currently covering 16% of our energy requirements. We are also planning further steps to expand this.
  • Our PV system at our plant in Kabin Buri, Thailand, has an output of 355 kWp and therefore provides 40% of the electricity required there. Kabin Buri is leading the way when it comes to energy efficiency. This plant saves over 340 tons of CO2 every year thanks to all of the measures we have put in place.

MAM subsidiaries 

The MAM subsidiaries are also placing a stronger focus on climate measures aimed at reducing their carbon footprint. Examples include pushing ahead with the switch to renewable energy and promoting sustainable logistics and mobility for employees. Here are a couple of examples of how our subsidiaries are implementing related activities in practice:
  • Protecting the climate has become a matter of personal importance for the team in France. Over the past few years, measures have been implemented in sales in particular, including electromobility and paperless sales negotiations. 
  • And our German subsidiary's energy requirements are covered entirely by green electricity.

Social Responsibility, Together for the Common Good

We assume social responsibility for our employees and society. We pay attention to our employees' needs and well-being, and promote fairness and equality of opportunity. We contribute to society at the global level through our commitment in the areas of baby health and product safety and our involvement on behalf of socially disadvantaged children and families.

Good and safe working conditions

Innovation and progress can only happen where employees feel comfortable. Topics such as support for employees and additional benefits have been a top priority at MAM right from the start. We guarantee safe working conditions at our plants and sites, and offer a variety of services that promote the health of our employees. Extended accident and health insurance coverage, vaccinations in the office, and regular health checks are just a few of the services MAM offers its employees. We also promote our employees' physical fitness and team spirit by hosting sports activities such as hiking days and running events. Over the years, we have expanded the benefits we offer our employees to create a more professional portfolio.


Equality of opportunity and balancing work and family life

Providing equal opportunities for women and men and creating family-friendly working conditions are a key focus at MAM in particular. We support women in positions of leadership, and women hold 54 percent of management roles at MAM. This figure has risen continually over the past few years. As a manufacturer of baby products, balancing work and family life is especially important to us. We make it easier for our employees to maintain a balance between their personal and professional lives by offering flexible working hours, a clear flexitime system, and the opportunity to work from home.

Ethical principles and fair supply chains

We are a member of the UN Global Compact and work in strict compliance with its 10 principles, including labor, human rights, and anti-corruption. These principles are set out in our MAM Code of Conduct, which is communicated to our employees as well as our suppliers. We ensure fair trading practices in our supply chain. All of our rubber products have the Fair Rubber logo from the organization of the same name, which facilitates a fair supply chain for rubber. As a member of Fair Rubber, we also pay a Fair Trade premium that is passed directly to the farmers and benefits their communities.

Contribution to society

We place importance on entering into long-term partnerships that prioritize the health and safety of babies and their families. Thanks to the good cooperation we have shared with medical experts, midwives, and doctors for many years, MAM possesses a wealth of experience around the world. We pass this knowledge on to parents on an ongoing basis via our website, at events, and on social media so they can stay up to date on the latest findings. And helping babies in need and their families is a matter very close to our hearts. We support numerous charitable projects worldwide in the form of product and financial donations, and through the commitment and involvement of our employees throughout the world.

Sources

1) Based on the ISCC PLUS certified mass balance approach, bio-circular raw materials can be traced back to vegetable oils as well as waste and residues from the production of plant-based oils.

2) Global product Carbon Footprint study, Austria 2017, conducted by denkstatt.

3) Global product Carbon Footprint study, Austria 2013, conducted by denkstatt