ESG - Karsten.nl

ESG: Our Progress and Goals

As a leading company in the development and trade of non-food consumer goods for European markets, Karsten International understands the impact of our operations on people and the planet and is committed to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles.

Through strong stakeholder engagement, transparent communication, and dedicated expertise, we address evolving sustainability challenges while ensuring responsible and ethical practices across our value chain. This page highlights our ongoing efforts to create long-term value for our partners, consumers, and stakeholders.

Environmental

We are committed to reducing our environmental impact by expanding FSC-certified packaging and GRS-certified recycled materials, while strengthening carbon footprint data to drive future reduction targets.

Social

We strive to create a meaningful impact by supporting employee wellbeing, upholding ethical sourcing standards, and delivering safe, trusted products to our customers.

Governance

We foster responsible and transparent decision-making through self-conducted factory audits, our supplier quality and compliance scorecard, and continuous ESG progress guided by our annual EcoVadis assessment.

Our people

At our company, our people are the driving force behind everything we achieve. As we continue to grow—expanding from 51 employees in early 2023 to over 150 in 2025 across our offices in Amsterdam, Zhuhai, and Guangzhou—we remain committed to creating a workplace that supports physical, mental and professional growth.

Our strong, inclusive company culture is central to this commitment. Fostering an environment where every employee feels valued, respected, and empowered. We believe that a strong, inclusive culture drives innovation, resilience, and ultimately, our ability to deliver on our promises to customers and stakeholders

This culture is grounded in all our HR-related policies, including our employee handbook, code of conduct, core values and everything we do for our people, from wellbeing initiatives, learning opportunities and our approach to diversity and inclusion.

Our Core Values

Our company culture is the foundation of our success, defined by our shared values, that guide how we collaborate, make decisions and support each other.

We are efficient & cost-conscious
We are ambitious & value long term relationships
We strive for the best
We are direct & respectful
We like to have fun

Please visit this page to learn more about our company values: Welcome to Karsten!

Employee Wellbeing & Development

To promote physical health, we offer weekly yoga sessions, bootcamps, and monthly massages. For mental wellbeing, we’ve partnered with Praatuit and OpenUp, providing all employees with access to an external person of trust and confidential, professional mental health support whenever they need it.

Beyond personal wellbeing, we have our weekly Friday afternoon gatherings, outdoor activities, seasonal celebrations, and more. We also have a lease plan for bikes and electric lease cars; encouraging healthy, sustainable commuting.

Professional development is a key pillar of our ESG strategy. We collaborate with Lepaya to offer targeted trainings in areas such as project management and professional effectiveness. This year, 70 employees have registered for 11 hours of training from Lepaya, and more will follow.

Diversity & Inclusion

Given our international presence in the Netherlands and China, we actively work to bridge cultural divides and promote understanding. We commit to fair hiring, promotion, and development practices, ensuring equal opportunity for all.

We are proud of the diversity within our growing team:

Across our offices, our workforce has a strong female to male ratio, with 60% female employees and 40% male employees.
Our international environment truly shines through with more than 11 different nationalities represented in our offices.

We are continuously working on further strengthening diversity in all areas of our company and will share our progress in future reports.

Compliance Built for Retail Standards and Beyond

Quality Management System – BRC

Karsten International’s Quality Management System includes BRC accreditation. Our organisation works to high standards for quality, safety, and compliance. We hold a grade AA BRC certification for Traders and Brokers. Our organisation is audited on an annual basis, and we have clearly defined goals for continuous improvement.

Regulatory Compliance

As regulations continue to evolve—especially within the European Union—we recognise that staying compliant is not always straightforward. That’s why we are continuously working to improve our internal testing protocols, compliance processes, and supplier monitoring systems.

Our key compliance areas, but not limited to:

REACH Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals)
RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU (Restriction of Hazardous Substances)
Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC
CE Marking

Factory Audits & Product Testing

We conduct regular supplier reviews and follow up on results to ensure that we consistently bring customers right first-time product quality. This includes:

Self-conducted technical factory audits and on-site inspections during production.
Third-party laboratory pre-production, in-line and end of line product testing.
In-house laboratory testing at our Head Quarters.

We collaborate with a network of trusted global testing laboratories. Our dedicated quality team develop testing protocols, tailoring them to product categories and specific demands of each retail partner.

QIMA is our trusted partner for product and factory inspections.
We collaborate with SGS on developing testing protocols and delivering training.
As a central digital platform, Qarma streamlines our internal supplier onboarding, auditing and inspection processes.

Sustainable Products & Packaging

Currently, about 80% of our packaging is FSC^® certified. The Forest Stewardship Council ^® (FSC^®) ensures that the wood comes from responsibly managed forests, helping to protect nature and wildlife. By choosing our FSC^® certified products, you support sustainable forestry and a healthier planet. Look for the FSC^® label on our packaging.

Our commitment for 2026 is to obtain Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certification, strengthening both the transparency and the expansion of recycled-content materials in our product portfolio.

The new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) introduces stricter rules for recyclability, recycled content, and the reduction of packaging waste. Our commitment for 2026 is to be fully ready for the new regulation by, among other things, improving our packaging data availability and recyclability assessments.

Our Products

Karsten International is fully committed to ensuring that the products we bring to market are safe, responsibly made, and aligned with the latest regulatory standards.

Our Supply Chain – Governance

Karsten International’s sustainability commitment spans the entire value chain, starting with responsible supplier management and extending through optimizing transport and distribution to maintaining strong customer relationships.

Supplier Management

Karsten International works with over 100 supply partners and approximately 200 production facilities globally. We’ve launched a Supplier Quality Scorecard and Performance Evaluation system this year.

This system systematically assesses 135 suppliers (with more to follow) on EU regulation compliance, technical knowledge, communication, workflow, quality control, and certifications. This critical procedure ensures consistent quality and long-term supply chain reliability. It also optimizes cost efficiency, facilitates informed decision-making, and strengthens our enduring supplier relationships, aligning with our core values.

Ethical Sourcing

Karsten International upholds social responsibility through ethical sourcing, human rights, and environmental protection. Our Ethical Sourcing Policy sets minimum supplier standards, requiring valid social audits (BSCI, SMETA, or equivalent) from all producers and subcontractors.

We make use of Amfori BSCI. Amfori BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative) is a comprehensive programme designed to identify, assess, and mitigate social risks within supply chains. Amfori BSCI enables us to exercise ESG due diligence, enhance transparency, and address significant violations of working conditions within international labour rights frameworks.

Our Ethical Sourcing strategy is focused on increasing self-conducted suppliers’ audits, conduct training and implement a whistleblowing policy.

Transport & Distribution

We do not operate our own fleet or distribution centres, relying on specialized logistics partners. This allows us to ensure access to innovative and sustainable solutions expertise while making conscious choices to work only with partners aligned with our sustainability goals.

Our logistics strategy is built on efficiency and reliability. By working closely with our logistics partners, we implement key improvements:

Maximizing container load and minimizing empty kilometres
Increasing rail transport share across multiple destinations
Expanding inland shipping routes from port to warehouse

As we move forward, we aim to make these efforts measurable and transparent. Our long-term commitment is to integrate sustainability into every aspect of transport and logistics, aligning with our responsibility to reduce environmental impact while maintaining efficiency and reliability.

Customers and End-Consumers

We value our long-standing customer relations and believe in building partnerships that extend beyond transactions. This commitment is exemplified by initiatives like running the TCS Amsterdam Marathon together with Action to raise money for the UMC Cancer Centre. Look at the Our Partners page for all customers we work with Our partners – Karsten.nl

We consider after-sales support essential and have a dedicated customer service team in place. Every complaint or return is reviewed to determine the root cause and take appropriate action together with the quality team.

ESG Reporting and Assessments

Karsten International prepared for the CSRD by conducting its first double materiality assessment in 2024 with stakeholders, and although we are no longer in scope, we continue to develop our first Sustainability Report. Our material topics—identified through desk research, internal surveys and workshops, and interviews with external stakeholders —guided our 2025 priorities of strengthening policies, setting targets, and establishing baseline data.

We adopted EcoVadis for internal performance measurement and earned the 2025 Commitment Badge, with Environment and Sustainable Procurement emerging as key focus areas. As a result, our main goals for 2026 include calculating our CO₂ footprint, setting and implementing reduction targets, and enhancing our reporting to support our ambition of achieving the Bronze Medal in our next assessment.

Questions?

Do you have questions or suggestions, or would you like to learn more about our environmental and social responsibility? Don’t hesitate to contact us.