Sustainability is a mega-trend on the market and companies with a visible sustainability profile have increasingly more advantages in selling their products.

The SEAM Program is a reasonable standard that turns sustainability for the abrasive industry into a business opportunity and competitive advantage. It is based on quality and has for objective to stimulate continuous improvements among SEAM members.

The members of the SEAM program will have to follow a two-part application process:

1st Part: Minimum Requirements or Legal Compliance

The plants of the companies enrolled in the program need to fulfill a set of minimum requirements organized into the three fundamental pillars of sustainability: environment, labor and economy. ISO certifications, procedures and policies, operational best practices are the essence of this firs step and guarantees approval into the program

2nd Part: Evolving Targets

Once approved into the program, each company must choose several targets within the three pillars to improve on. These targets include but are not limited to energy efficiency, optimization of production processes, waste reduction, recycling of waste materials, improvement of workers’ health and safety, improvement of workers’ quality of life in the factory, investments to support these processes.

The company will have to select at least one (1) evolving target from each of the program’s three pillars (environmental, social and economic) and a minimum of three (3) additional evolving targets, totaling at least six (6) targets.

The management of SEAM reserves the right to do random verification audits on minimum requirements and evolving targets.

To those members that participate in the program, SEAM provides a unique sustainability label and establishes a visionary standard for sustainability within the abrasive industry, including necessary visibility to participating companies. SEAM will support the company’s branding and establish the label as a standard on the market. The sustainability label can be used on marketing material, company websites, letterheads and product’s packaging and catalogs.

FAQ

Q: Why should my company participate in the SEAM Program? 

A: Sustainability is a mega-trend on the market and companies with a visible sustainability profile have increasingly more advantages in selling their products.

Q: What is expected from my company regarding the fulfillment of SEAM minimum requirements? 

A: The SEAM Program is based on quality. Participants in the program need to fulfil minimum environmental, social and economic requirements for each of their manufacturing sites. Companies should have permits for their operations and be legally compliant. Furthermore, ISO certifications or their own policies and quality procedures should be in place and applied on every site. Availability of certificates and procedures, as well as compliance with pertinent European legislations and national laws will be evaluated via a minimum requirement form filled out by each plant and confirmed by signing the SEAM code of conduct. Access to documentation must be provided to SEAM management if requested. The effort of compiling the required documentation is assessed to be less than one (1) day per plant.

Q: What is expected from my company regarding evolving targets? 

A: The SEAM program has for objective to stimulate continuous improvements. Participating companies are expected to work on at least six (6) targets out of a list of environmental, social and economic issues. The process is driven by voluntary commitment and the advantages of becoming better and communicating success stories. SEAM expects proper documentation from the participating companies. All information will be treated in strict confidentiality.

Q: What about audits? 

A: Most European companies are already in compliance with the minimum requirements due to high legal and regulatory standards in Europe and established quality thinking in the European abrasive industry. Nevertheless, the program needs to ensure high level of quality and reliability. Therefore, SEAM reserves the right to do random verification audits on minimum requirements and evolving targets.