Code of conduct

What are our basic criteria?

  • Beter Bed Holding N.V. complies with the laws and regulations applicable in all countries in which we operate.
  • We support and honour human rights in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 
  • We do not cooperate with any organisations that violate human rights or make use of child labour. 
  • We also expect our business partners to compensate their employees in accordance with the laws and regulations applicable in the country concerned. Under no circumstances may employees be discriminated against or exploited, nor may they be required to perform forced labour. Employees must enjoy freedom of association, including the right to form and join trade unions. 
  • Our partners will provide healthy workplaces and a healthy working environment. 
  • Justice, honesty, integrity and transparency are inherent to all the relationships we establish with others.
What do we expect from our employees, and what can they expect from us?

  • We aim to provide our employees with a working environment that fosters and promotes continuous improvement, commitment, flexibility, trust and enterprise.
  • All employees must work in a safe and healthy environment and be offered the opportunity to develop.
  • We comply with privacy laws and regulations. Any personal data relating to our employees are treated with care. We expect the same from our employees in relation to the privacy of their colleagues or employers. 
  • In the workplace, our employees are expected to conduct themselves in an honest, ethical and fair manner, in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations and with accepted standards of decency. 
  • Our products, brands and company name are discussed in social media on a daily basis, including on networks used by our employees. Here, too, we expect them to comply with accepted standards of decency and conduct themselves online in the same manner as in the workplace. Business-critical and confidential information must not be shared. Customers, shareholders, colleagues and competitors may not be compromised by any information relating to our employees. 
  • Leadership, enterprise, trust and excellence are the core values of the Beter Bed company culture.
What can consumers expect from us?

  • We would like to build long-term, personal relationships with as many customers as possible, based on honest and sound advice. Our products always provide good value for money. We must not disappoint our customers as regards the sustainability, usefulness and safety of our products.
  • We value service, flexibility and custom work very highly. Labels, quality labels, advertisements and our communications regarding our products and services must not be misleading. Beter Bed therefore complies with the rules prescribed by the Advertising Code. 
  • In the event of any complaints, we are always willing to engage in dialogue with our customers, and we will handle these complaints in a fair and reasonable manner in order to reach a solution.
How do we like to conduct business?
  • Beter Bed works with international suppliers. In selecting these suppliers, both the commercial and the ethical aspects of the relationship are important. Our way of conducting business must be compatible with our standards and values.
  • With our business partners, too, we aim to build long-term relationships, based on the condition that both the supplier and its suppliers and subcontractors comply with the laws and regulations applicable in their country. 
  • We neither offer nor accept bribes or other improper inducements for the purpose of business gains. Employees are prohibited from offering gifts or payments that might be interpreted as bribes. Any request or offer for bribes must be reported to the management. 
  • It is important to us that all transactions are recorded accurately, completely and in a timely manner, in accordance with the accounting principles applicable at the company. This improves transparency throughout the organisation. All funds and operating assets must be correctly administered. 
  • In addition, we assume that our competitors operate in a similarly honest and ethical manner. Accordingly, employees of Beter Bed are not permitted to discredit any of our competitors or disadvantage them by illegal means. 
  • We do not abuse any economic power position we might enjoy, nor do we make (secret) arrangements with third parties that violate the applicable competition laws. 
  • We aim to prepare our financial statements such that they are as transparent as possible, as well as to continuously improve our accountability to the Supervisory Board. We respect the voice and the protection of our shareholders. In our annual report, we account for our implementation of the Dutch Corporate Governance Code.
What are our requirements for the manufacture and transport of our products?
  • We comply with strict rules for the import and transport of our products. For example, products imported from overseas must be transported in containers that have been confirmed to be gas-free by an independent agency in the port of, for example, Rotterdam. We do not accept any containers that have not been officially confirmed to be gas-free. In addition, we regularly test products transported in these containers for the presence of hazardous substances.
  • We aim to provide safe products and services at all times. This means that for all products, a full description must be provided of the materials, production processes and transport processes utilised, and we aim to have safety tests in place for all our products. 
  • If it is established that a particular substance is hazardous to health or harmful to the environment, we immediately bar this substance and actively search for better alternatives, in partnership with our suppliers. Substances that are banned in Europe are prohibited from use. We closely monitor the positions of, and developments at, non-governmental organisations in order to stay ahead of regulations. 
  • Our products are not available in stores until we and our suppliers have tested them extensively for safety (including public health and construction), sustainability, and compliance with European regulations. For these tests, we work together with our suppliers, and, increasingly, with independent agencies. If a product does not comply, we find acceptable alternatives instead.
How do we consider the environment?
  • We are mindful of the environment in all our practices, both in the manufacturing process and in relation to the products themselves. To the extent possible, we make an effort to save energy and reduce carbon emissions, our mileage and the amount of packaging waste produced, as well as to gradually reduce our use of environmentally harmful substances and promote recycling (based on biodegradable and technically reusable materials).
  • The wood used in our products is legal and its origin is documented. We do not purchase any types of wood listed in appendix I of the CITES list (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). 
  • We also expect our suppliers to contribute positively to the well-being of humans, animals and the environment. We reject any form of violation of animal welfare at all times. We only use down and feathers from animals that were killed before the down and feathers were removed. Furthermore, we do not use products from suppliers that use ingredients derived from animals that were abused for the production of foie gras.
How do we deal with political issues?
  • While we respect the political views of our employees, their opinions must never be presented as reflecting those of Beter Bed as an organisation.
  • As a rule, Beter Bed does not become involved in politics and does not express any value judgments regarding political systems, parties or opinions. 
  • Employees are prohibited from using Beter Bed funds, property or services in order to contribute to political parties or their representatives. We, for our part, will never exert pressure in order to induce employees to provide political or financial support to any political party or its representatives.
Compliance with our Code of Conduct
As the Code of Conduct contains general rules, it cannot provide for every situation. We expect that all our employees, as well as our business associates, are able to assume their responsibility and act in compliance with this Code of Conduct.
We conduct tests on a random basis and request that our business associates permit the performance of unannounced tests. Any necessary changes are inspected after two months; if, upon re-inspection, it emerges that they still do not comply, we terminate the partnership.

Our company in the future: C2C?
Our Code of Conduct relates to the standards and values currently applicable at our company. Many of these standards and values fall within the remit of corporate social responsibility. This is the basis on which we operate.
Nevertheless, sustainability, public health and the protection of humans, animals and the environment merit even greater priority than we currently accord them. Throughout the production process, our practices can be even further improved and enhanced. We aim to progress from merely protecting the environment to actually improving it. We would prefer to source all our products from suppliers that produce their products on a cradle-to-cradle (C2C) basis, using raw materials and production processes that are not only non-damaging, but that can potentially even benefit the environment (e.g. recycling).
This is a long-term process that requires gradual improvements and changes in mentality. We aim for Beter Bed to one day be synonymous with the principles of ‘cradle to cradle’.
We have consequently asked our suppliers to submit new product proposals that comply with these requirements. We will then launch a sustainability concept, for which we will reserve additional space in our stores.