Our partnerships and certificates

In 2024, Bekina Boots US earned the ‘Climate Pledge Friendly’ label. ‘The Climate Pledge’ was set up by Amazon and Global Optimism in 2019 and is a promise by 480+ companies to reduce carbon emissions to 0 by 2040 - a decade earlier than the goal of 2050 set in the Paris Climate Agreement. This is part of the UNFCC; an international treaty signed by 159 United Nations member states to combat global warming. 

Bekina NV has been a member of the United Nations Global Compact initiative since 2023. This is a voluntary leadership platform for the development, implementation and dissemination of responsible business practices. Bekina aligns its strategy and operations with the ten universally accepted principles relating to human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. With more than 24,000 participants, it is now the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative. 

The fact that we were awarded the Voka Charter for Sustainable Entrepreneurship (VCDO) means that we have successfully implemented an action plan for sustainable business operations. This is a customised action plan that Voka develops in cooperation with businesses. It aligns with the 17 sustainable development goals of the United Nations. We are particularly proud of this recognition. 

EcoVadis aims to improve companies’ practice at an environmental and social level through its influence over worldwide supply chains. Bekina participated in an EcoVadis sustainability evaluation to assess our performance in the area of sustainability and compare this with our direct peers. This collaboration platform covers 150 sectors and 110 countries. We achieved a gold rating and this score reflects the fact that, at the time of the evaluation, the quality of our sustainability management system was among the top 5% of participating companies. 

ISO 14001 certification guarantees that a company has an effective environmental management system in place. We achieved this in 2021. This certification is not generally mandatory, but for us it is confirmation of our ambitious Bekina Standard. This stringent standard reflects our sincere commitment to the environment. We attained the certification through the consolidated efforts of all our employees and partners. It gives huge traction to our chosen sustainability policy and motivates us to consistently set the bar higher than the usual regulations. 

Essenscia is the Belgian federation of the chemical industry and life sciences sector. The organisation represents the specific interests of companies active in the chemical, plastic, pharma and biotech sectors. This fits perfectly with the sector in which Bekina operates. 

As a polymers manufacturer, we support Operation Clean Sweep (OCS), an initiative launched by the European polymer-processing industry to prevent plastic pellets, flakes and powders from entering the natural environment during the production process. The OCS principles apply within the Bekina factory walls too. We avoid microplastics in the supply chain, to prevent plastic pellets ending up in our own environment later on.  

Agoria is an organisation representing almost 2000 technology companies in Belgium, including companies in the manufacturing industry, digital sector and telecoms. Around 70 percent of these companies are small and medium enterprises (SMEs) Agoria is the biggest player within the Federation of Belgian Enterprises (VBO). Bekina is pleased to be part of this. 

Febelsafe is the Belgian professional federation of manufacturers, distributors and service providers in the area of safety and wellbeing. Safety is a top priority for Bekina. It’s important both for our own employees and as a common feature of all our products that contribute to a safer (work) environment. Through membership of Febelsafe, Bekina stays up to date on the latest innovations in legislation and standards for PPE (personal protective equipment), particularly safety shoes. By participating in the working groups organised, Bekina can also share experience from the market and work together with all participants in the value chain to improve safety for the end user. 

The SDGs, or Sustainable Development Goals, are 17 sustainability targets established by the United Nations (UN). They have since been signed by no fewer than 194 countries worldwide. The UN oversees the implementation of the SDGs and offers support around themes like water, energy and climate. By focusing on the SDGs in our sustainability policy, Bekina aims to contribute to worldwide efforts in relation to sustainability.  

Bekina has been collaborating with Voka on a high-impact, effective and relevant sustainability policy since 2017. The largest enterprise network in Flanders, Voka helps companies to prosper and grow for the well-being of all. Voka supports them in embedding sustainability within their DNA and achieving sustainability objectives. 

We collaborate with VLAIO (Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship) on a regular basis. This involves participation in projects in cooperation with various research institutions such as the VKC (centre of competence for the plastics processing industry), KU Leuven and Ghent University. 

Flanders Investment Trade (FIT) supports Flemish export companies with advice and support to make the right contacts within the various export countries. This cooperation means that Bekina can count on FIT to provide relevant market information in countries where we want to expand our activities, for example. 

Bekina has been certified in accordance with the ISO9001 quality standard since 1997. This quality standard combines best practices related to transparency, reliability and quality. By working in accordance with the ISO9001 standard, Bekina guarantees a high-quality service with a focus on customer requirements and satisfaction, both now and in the future.