Environmental Management Policy

Efficient management of natural resources is essential for sustainable development. When developing its strategic corporate plans, Aster Textile always seeks to fulfil its environmental responsibility by protecting and effectively using natural resources. Aster’s environmental approach is based on identifying environmental risks and safeguarding natural resources.

Aster Textile Group is committed to fully complying with all applicable national and international legal and regulatory requirements related to environmental protection.

In line with these principles, Aster Textile strives to be an exemplary industrial enterprise operating within an environmental management system and pursuing continuous improvement. To these ends, Aster is committed to the following goals and activities:

• Passing a clean and healthy environment sensitive to climate change to future generations;
• Engaging in efficient use of energy and natural resources;
• Acting with the goal of zero waste by continuously researching and developing the possibilities of waste reuse as part of the circular business model;
• Opting for environmentally friendly technologies by evaluating the environmental impact in investment plans;
• Reducing negative environmental impacts in all business processes, from the design stage to the products’ end-use date;
• Prioritising climate change and sustainability in all its business activities;
• Increasing environmental awareness among employees and the wider community.

Aster Textile Group collaborates with business partners, suppliers and sub-contractors that have a similar perspective on environmental management. For this reason, Aster has adopted an eco-friendly purchasing policy. From raw materials used in production to packaging materials, Aster purchases recyclable, reusable or recycled substances when available.

Occupational Health and Safety Policy

Aster Textile sees its employees as its most valuable asset. As such, Aster’s primary OHS goal is minimising the potential for accident and ensuring continuous improvement by forming a safe working environment. All necessary precautions are taken to ensure occupational health and safety. All required tools and equipment maintained and ready to use.

Aster has adopted the following principles to create and maintain a “health” and “safety” working environment:

• Conducting its business activities in accordance with internationally accepted standards and legal and regulatory requirements for occupational health and safety;
• Taking necessary precautions by proactively identifying risks in the working environment;
• Planning and implementing activities to ensure continuous improvement in the working environment;
• Raising awareness among all its employees and business partners on relevant health and safety topics, encouraging competent stakeholders in that area.

In line with these principles, “Occupational Health and Business Safety” training programs are periodically conducted each year to all existing employees as well as new hires as soon as they start to work at Aster. Health and safety issues are assessed monthly with the Occupational Health and Business Safety Board; relevant items and areas in need of improvement are determined.

Aster Textile acts as a responsible corporate citizen in relation to current occupational health and safety issues, information and public concerns. Aster commits to developing a strong health and safety culture as well as improving OHS standards working in collaboration with all its stakeholders.

Quality Policy

Aster and Aster Global aimed at being an example and reliable company that adopts a holistic quality and sustainable success based on internal and external customer satisfaction.

Accordingly, the principles of our quality policy are as follows:

• To offer value-added products with our flexibility, our entrepreneurial spirit and our innovative structure in accordance with the expectations of our customers,
• To carry out studies based on productivity and profitability by targeting continuous improvement and development for sustainable success,
• Working with all our strength to create a corporate culture that respects humanity and nature by believing in the power of being a team.

We believe that we will produce high quality products with low cost by managing our activities in an integrated manner with Quality Management Systems, we will deliver them on time by meeting expectations and requirements of our customers, and thus, we will increase our competitive power and market share in domestic and foreign markets.

Secure and transparent Information Security Management System...

Aster Corporate Group is committed to protecting its information assets and managing these assets to serve its corporate mission, vision and strategies. Aster effectively manages and continuously improves its reliable and transparent Information Security Management System (ISMS) to ensure internal and external customer satisfaction, pursuant to its ISMS Policy.

The core principles of Aster’s ISMS Policy include:

• Awareness of information assets, analysing and identifying risks, and taking appropriate measures;
• Protecting the information assets of Aster against any and all threats that may arise either internally or externally, intentionally or unintentionally and ensuring the confidentiality, integrity and accessibility of information as required;
• Complying with all applicable laws, rules, regulations, directives and procedures for which Aster is responsible;
• Closely monitoring technological innovations and developments in the field of ISMS, ensuring continuous improvement of the ISMS, and reviewing at regular intervals;
• Maintaining the competence for rapid intervention to any information security events that may occur and minimising the impact of the event.

In the coming year, Aster Textile plans to focus more on production innovation in line with changing trends in information technology. This effort aims to boost Aster’s competitive advantage in this critical area. The impacts of these improvements and upgrades on the natural environment are the main criteria to be considered. Aster Textile conducts various efforts in key areas such as paper use, energy consumption with virtualisation technologies and cloud technologies. Aster targets scaling IT operations and IT designs in accordance with “Green IT” principles and the reduction of energy consumption to reduce energy costs. The Information Technologies team sees technology and science as important tools to bequeath a more liveable environment to future generations with less negative impact to Turkey and the world.

Aster Textile closely monitors emerging technologies and new innovations. Aster uses new technologies in particular in response to the high cost of development samples. Conventional methods lead to a high environmental impact due to the waste of excess materials, and the inefficient use of time and labour during the sample production process. One of the leading technologies that Aster uses is 3D design software. Samples that are produced in limited numbers with conventional methods can be designed in unlimited amounts with minimal time and cost thanks to CLO 3D, positively contributing to Aster’s sustainability efforts.

With the CLO 3D simulation platform, Aster Textile transfers its collections and pre-production sample processes to its dedicated digital showroom. Thanks to the avatars created exclusively for Aster’s business partners, delivery of physical samples is significantly decreased. As a result, less raw materials, energy, and water are used; in addition, packaging materials utilised during sampling and transportation processes are eliminated. The carbon footprint of these processes is reduced substantially.

Aster Textile also minimised its environmental impacts related to sample delivery and delivery costs with its DigiEye and DigiView investments. These solutions enable the completion of colour approval processes within 24 hours, compared to conventional methods that formerly required over one week, and without the need for physical package courier by air. This solution results in a lower carbon footprint, increased agility during the sales process, and a solid competitive advantage.

The Industry 4.0 digital transformation is another significant innovative initiative implemented by Aster Textile. This effort aims at digital data management during the pre-production process, in addition to allowing access to real-time quality, productivity and production information. With a tablet application that automatically updates every 30 seconds, the instant efficiency values of Aster operators can be monitored. Individual and band efficiencies can also be determined. After completion of the project’s pilot phase, product and time losses can be prevented in a very short time thanks to instant data tracking.

• ISO 27001 Information Security Management System
• ISO 9001 Quality Management System
• Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)
• Recycled Claim Standard (RCS)
• Recycled Blended Claim Standard
• Organic 100 Content Standard (OCS)
• Organic Blended Content Standard
• Responsible Wool (RWS)
• Tencel
• Better Cotton Initiative (BCI)
• Supima – World’s Finest Cottons
• Lenzing™ EcoVero™
• Refibra™