Yes we are always committed towards environment safety .
Factory environmental policy
BALLYFABS INTERNATIONAL LIMITED has always been responsible and sensitive on ecological and environmental matters.
We are committed to comply with all regulations regarding the preservation of the environment around its operations by constantly upgrading the technologies we use and by applying the best of sustainable processes and practices, we endeavor to give environmental issues the priority they deserve.
We are dedicated to constantly improving our performance on the prevention of pollution, the proper use of natural resources and the minimization of any hazardous impact stemming from the production, development, use and disposal of any of our products and services.
Towards this end, we continuously train our employees and create awareness among our suppliers, contractors, customers, stakeholders, and the community at large through a process of participatory dialogue and collaboration.
Introduced just over 25 years ago, the ugly truth about our plastic bag addiction is that society's consumption rate is now estimated at well over 500,000,000,000 (that's 500 billion) plastic bags annually, or almost 1 million per minute.
It takes 1000 years for a plastic bag to decompose.
1,460 Plastic bags are used each year by an average U.S. family.
12 million Barrels of oil are used to make the plastic bags each year for just U.S. consumption.
Less than 1% of all plastic bags get recycled in the U.S.
88.5 billion plastic bags were consumed in the U.S. last year alone.
A million plastic bags are used every minute, worldwide, and the number is rising.
Roughly 60–80% of all marine debris, and 90% of floating debris is plastic.
Plastic resin polymers are so durable that it can take hundreds of years for plastics to break down at sea, and some may never truly biodegrade in the marine environment.
Each year, the State of California spends approximately $25 million to landfill discarded plastic bags.
The City of San Francisco alone, estimates dealing with plastic bag litter costs about 17 cents per bag, totaling $8.5 million annually.
As the annual consumption in LA County is an estimated 6 billion plastic bags.
Plastic bags (which resemble jellyfish or sponges) are mistaken for food or prey by seabirds, marine mammals, fish, and sea turtles.
More then 1 million seabirds, 100,000 marine mammals, and countless fish die annually through ingestion of and entanglement in marine debris, including plastic bags.
The average family accumulates 60 plastic bags in only four trips to the grocery store.
Plastic Bag Consumption Facts
Each year, we consume an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags worldwide. That comes out to over one million per minute. Billions end up as litter each year.
According to the EPA, over 380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps are consumed in the U.S. each year.
Americans alone discarded more than 3.3 million tons of low- and high-density polyethylene bags, sacks, and wraps in 2000 (EPA).
The U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually.
Taiwan consumes 20 billion bags a year—900 per person (industry publication, Modern Plastics).
Four out of every five bags handed out at grocery stores in the USA are plastic.
Impact on Oceans and Beaches
Plastic bags are among the 12 items of debris found most often in coastal cleanups. (Center for Marine Conservation)
Plastic bags wrap around living corals, quickly "suffocating" and killing them. (U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
Plastic pieces outweigh surface zooplankton in the Central North Pacific by a factor of 6-1. (Algalita Marine Research Foundation)
Plastic pieces can attract and hold hydrophobic elements like PCB and DDT up to one-million times background levels. As a result, floating plastic is like a poison pill. (Algalita Marine Research Foundation)
Approximately 500 nautical miles off the California coast sits a growing "plastic island," a gargantuan patch of floating plastic trash held together by currents stretching across the northern Pacific almost as far as Japan. This "plastic island" is made up of about 7 billion pounds of plastic garbage, and measures about twice the size of Texas.
Each year, enough trash - most of it plastics - floats down the Los Angeles River to fill the Rose Bowl two stories deep. (Los Angeles Times, "Altered Oceans")
Of 500,000 albatross chicks born each year on Midway Atoll, about 200,000 die of starvation. Adult albatrosses mistake plastic trash for food and end up feeding it to their chicks.
As part of the Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup, on a single day in 2007, nearly 400,000 volunteers around the world picked up more than 6 million pounds of trash. A majority of the items were single-use disposable plastic items, such as plastic bags and Styrofoam containers.
Since water keeps the plastic cool and algae blocks ultraviolet rays, "every little piece of plastic manufactured in the past 50 years that made it into the ocean is still out there somewhere." (Research Triangle Institute)
Globally we are facing the effect of Plastic bags and as a result every country is trying to stop the usage of plastic bags. Below are some of the progress taken place in different country
who's been doing what ?
Australia
Australia 2003
Australia 2005
Australia 2007
Australia is in the process of deciding how to control plastic bag waste, and is considering a tax on single-use HDPE bags.
The retailers' Code of Practice for the Management of Plastic Carry Bags was accepted by Ministers in October 2003. There are many commitments, including reaching a 25% reduction in plastic bag use by the end of 2004 and a 50% reduction in plastic bag use by 2005. The Code includes a commitment by retailers to report twice a year. Initial reports show that Australian supermarket shoppers slashed their use of plastic bags by 29% by June 2004! Read more about the report here. Furthermore, Coles Bay in Tasmania successfully banned plastic check-out bags in all their retail stores. In the first twelve months, Coles Bay stopped the use of 350,000 plastic check-out bags.
Planet Ark, an Australian organization that runs public campaigns to educate consumers on environmental issues, estimates retailers Coles, Woolworths, and Safeway stores have sold over 10 million reusable bags – a sound alternative to "giveaway" plastic bags. Most efforts by retailers have been voluntary, and major retailers cut their plastic usage by 45% between 2003 and 2005. Retailers hope that the success of voluntary efforts will preclude any levies on plastic bag consumption. In 2006, the state of Victoria began charging consumers for each plastic bag they use. Smaller businesses are exempt, but the government hopes that the initiative will reduce the 1.1 billion bags per year consumed in Victoria alone. This measure might push the rest of Australia to adopt similar measures.
China
China 2003
China 2005
The term "white pollution" has been coined in China for the tumbleweed of polythene blowing on the streets. According to UK's The Guardian, 2 billion bags are used each day.
To combat the growing problem of plastic bags in China, Guo Geng, a political adviser in Beijing, has proposed the introduction of a "bag tax" to decrease demand for plastic bags and to raise more money to tackle pollution caused by the bags. Media reports claim that the Ministry of Finance is conducting a feasibility study for introducing such a tax.
Denmark
Denmark 2003
Denmark 2005
As part of a larger packaging tax introduced in 1994, Denmark taxes plastic bags. The stated aim is to promote reusable bags. However, the tax is paid by retailers when they purchase bags, rather than by shoppers, yielding less dramatic results than the Irish PlasTax, which charges consumers directly for each bag used. Still, consumption of paper and plastic bags has declined 66%.
Denmark employs a general waste tax that has proven to be very successful. The waste tax is differentiated so that it is most expensive to landfill waste, cheaper to incinerate it and tax exempt to recycle it. Also (as described above), they have so-called "green" taxes on packaging, plastic bags, disposable tableware and nickel-cadmium batteries.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong 2003
Hong Kong 2007
In 2001, it was estimated that 27 million plastic shopping bags were disposed of each day in Hong Kong. This is four times the individual consumption level in Australia. Hong Kong has implemented a campaign of "No plastic bag, please," and prohibits larger retailers from providing free bags. The program has been designed to educate the public on alternatives to plastic bags and to encourage customers to make environmentally-friendly decisions and purchases. In addition, there is a tax for products for which there is an environmentally-friendly alternative readily available.
In a paper tabled to lawmakers May 21, the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department urged legislators to agree to impose a levy to cut plastic bag use, stating that a 50-cent levy could cut plastic bag use in Hong Kong -- currently estimated at 8 billion bags annually -- by one billion. Some leaders in Hong Kong are worried that charging customers for plastic bags will increase the use of paper bags. They also worry it will hurt small businesses, and advocate for increased public education efforts rather than additional levies. A member of the Green Student Council in Hong Kong states that levies do make a significant impact. "On no-plastic bag days, which is held one day a month, an average of 50 percent of shoppers bring along their own bags, so it helps."
Ireland
Ireland 2003
Ireland 2005
Ireland 2007
Republic of Ireland was consuming 1.2 billion plastic shopping bags per year before introducing the PlasTax. Since the tax of about $.15 per bag was introduced in March 2002, consumption has plummeted 90%. To complete the win-win cycle, the $9.6 million raised from the tax in the first year is put into a "green fund" to further benefit the environment.
The extremely effective PlasTax continues to produce amazing results, the latest figures estimating 95% reduction in consumption. This levy has been viewed as a major success by the government and environmental groups alike. It also has been enthusiastically embraced by Irish consumers, thanks to an intensive environmental awareness campaign launched in conjunction with the levy. Irish retailers, although initially skeptical, also have recognized the huge benefits of this levy. The amount of plastic being sent to Irish landfills has been reduced dramatically. The result: a clear, visual improvement in cities, on coastlines and in the countryside.
Ireland continues to be the paragon of countries in the fight against plastic bags. Efforts from California to Somali look to the success of the PlasTax. Customers have adopted reusable bags and retailers no longer incur much cost. In February 2007, the BBC reported that plastic bag usage per individual increased in 2006, and Ireland is raising the tax to 22 cents per bag. "We need to ensure that the success story continues into the future," stated Irish Environment Minister Dick Roche. "There has been no increase in the levy since its inception and I am anxious to ensure that its impact is not diminished."
United Kingdom
United Kingdom 2003
United Kingdom 2005
United Kingdom 2007
Inspired by Ireland, the United Kingdom is considering a PlasTax. The current Minister of the Environment, Michael Meacher, is in favor of it. But the British Plastics Federation, the "Carrier Bag Consortium," and other plastics industry groups are strongly opposing such a tax.
While the government has yet to adopt a plastic bag tax , it fully supports reusable carrier bags and some retailers have taken up the cause. "Bag for life" and "penny back" schemes have been introduced by some of the large supermarket chains, encouraging consumers to consider the benefits of reusable bags as an alternative to plastic bags.
As of 2007 it is estimated that the average UK consumer uses 167 plastic bags per year, and only 1 bag in 200 is recycled. The government shows no signs of introducing a ban or a tax. It prefers encouraging retailers to commit to recycling.
The recent popularity of UK-based fashion designer Anya Hindmarch's "I'm Not A Plastic Bag" tote has raised popular interest in the anti-plastic bag campaign, but many environmentalists aren't convinced that making environmentalism trendy will influence usage in the long-term. Bag ladies are hot! Rebecca Hosking, a Devon-based activist, has succeeded in freeing her small town of plastic bags. She urges individual and grassroots efforts in the fight against plastic bags. "My best advice to anyone who wants their town to be free of plastic bags is that they are going to have to fight the fight themselves."
United States
United States 2003
United States 2006
United States 2007
While this is a relatively new area of concern in the United States it is ripe to take-off. The federal system in the US means that cities, states, and local townships can initiate their own actions aimed at significantly curbing single-use plastic bags.
As many of you already know, San Francisco is thinking about imposing a 17 cent surcharge on plastic and paper grocery bags. They would be the first US city to do so, if the proposal gets the go-ahead. One study has shown that stores are handing San Franciscans around 50 million bags year!
San Francisco is banning plastic bags! Visit our Newsroom for more information. The city hopes its legislation will be a model for other US cities. New Haven, CT is also considering an ordinance that would ban plastic bags, while Marin County, CA has launched an educational campaign and encourages businesses to promote reusable bags
India
India 2003
India 2005
India 2007
In India, a law introduced recently prohibits plastic bags thinner than 20 microns in the cities of Bombay and Delhi, along with the entire states of Maharashtra and Kerala. The restriction is meant to discourage production and use due to the thicker bags being more expensive. The logic seems a bit odd and its success is marginal.
In the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, a new law states that anyone found even using a polythene bag could face prison or a stiff fine. The new law bans the production, storage, use, sale and distribution of polythene bags. The law is based on legislation passed by the national parliament, but Himachal Pradesh is the first state to have implemented it. In addition, the government of the western Indian state of Maharashtra banned the manufacture, sale and use of all plastic bags, saying they choked drainage systems during recent monsoon rains. Manufacturers and stores selling plastic bags will be fined 5,000 rupees while individuals using bags face penalties of 100,000 rupees (approximately $2,000).
Other parts of India are focusing on public information campaigns. According to The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in Panaji, Goa, a community has launched a system in which individuals donate old newspapers and magazines, which are cut into paper-bags and sold to shops to reduce plastic bag usage.
We at BALLYFABS INTERNATIONAL LIMITED by policy, do not engage, employ, support or allow the use of any individual below the age of 18 years.
We do not use forced labour in any of our operations in our organization We do not tolerate unacceptable worker treatment such as the exploitation of children, physical punishment or abuse, or involuntary servitude.
We expect our suppliers and contractors with whom we do business to uphold the same standards.
-Factory employment policy, recruitment, working hours etc
We at BALLYFABS INTERNATIONAL LIMITED are committed to maintain, in any event, not more than 48 hours per week with at least one day off for every seven day period; voluntary overtime paid at a premium rate and not to ex ceed 12 hours per week on a regular basis.
We are also maintain Wages paid for a standard work week as per the legal and industry standards to meet the basic need and expectations of the workers and their families and no disciplinary deductions are exercised.
Working Hours
09-00Hrs to 18-00Hrs (Lunch Break 13-00-14-00Hrs)
Weekly Off - SUNDAY
Factory Non-discrimination policy
We at BALLYFABS INTERNATIONAL LIMITED is committed to maintain No discrimination based on race, caste, origin, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation, union or political affiliation or age.
Factory disciplinary practices policy
We at BALLYFABS INTERNATIONAL LIMITED are committed to maintain No corporal punishment, mental or physical coercion or verbal abuse to our labour at any time any event .
Health and Safety Policy
The management of BALLYFABS INTERNATIONAL LIMITED ensures a healthy and safe working environment and takes adequate steps to prevent accidents and injury arising or occurring in the course of work.
Factory Manager is responsible for the health and safety of all personnel. We are committed to provide regular health and safety training to all personnel at planned interval * to undertake periodical review to detect, avoid and respond to potential threats towards the health and safety aspects for all personnel in the organization.
To provide clean and adequate sanitary support facilities.
*At least once per year.
We are also member of . Sedex
Sedex, the Supplier Ethical Data Exchange, is a membership organization for businesses committed to continuous improvement of the ethical performance of their supply chains. It links production sites to suppliers, and suppliers to end customers, and it links the audit companies to everybody.
Sedex is used by all the world’s major retailers, and allows open and honest interpretation of the ethical standards of production.
They standardized the audit process, by compiling all the best practices for ethical audit techniques, so that the whole audit process is standardized.
This encourages sharing between end customers and suppliers.
Sedex is a not-for-profit organisation based in London, UK, open for membership to any company anywhere in the world. www.sedex.org.uk
Social Accountability Policy
We have voluntarily chosen to implement a comprehensive social accountability system based on SA8000 :2008 standard for managing ethical workplace conditions as a part of business agenda
Therefore, we are committed to :
Conform all requirements of SA8000 standard.
Comply with all legal and other subscribed obligations.
Respect all ILO and other international social and labour issues
Ensure that this policy is effectively implemented, maintained and communicated
Make this policy accessible in a comprehensible form to all personnel engaged in Ballyfabs international limited.
Review this policy in order to continually improve it according to changes in social requirements.
Make this policy publicly available in an effective form and manner to all interested parties upon request.
This certifies that
Ballyfabs International Limited
Has offset 90.32 tonnes of carbon dioxide through
greenhouse gas reduction projects in order to reduce the rate of global climate change.
