Our Vision
“Our vision is to be an industry-leading cardboard packaging company; achieved via being innovative and helpful. Our activities should have a positive effect on the environment, the community, our clients & business partners and our employees”.
Underpinning our operations is our vision. All employees at Aylesbury Box are trained and empowered to achieve these high standards.
Our Purpose
Product Protection, Brand Promotion, Bespoke Service with Minimal Environmental Impact and Maximum Social Responsibility.
We design, manufacture and source paper-based packaging for UK businesses that fulfil the following five criteria:
- The protection of our customers’ products, taking into consideration the product we protect, how they are transported, the conditions in which they will be stored, and for how long they will be stored.
- How to best represent our clients’ brands through innovative, fun and exciting cardboard engineering, the most technically advanced materials available, and the latest print and finish techniques.
- Delivering a bespoke solution to our customers, including packaging design, the number of boxes required and when and where they are to be delivered. This also includes whether we need to hold stock for rapid call-off or have manufacturing processes set up to achieve just-in-time manufacturing. Whatever our customers need, in terms of service, we will strive to achieve it.
- We consider and minimise the impact our packaging has on the environment and promote concepts of sustainable development and a circular economy to support the decarbonising and safeguarding of our world.
- We are committed to engaging with diverse stakeholders and driving social benefits in the community. This is achieved by supporting the growth of our local economy, supporting young people in the community to engage with business, ensuring a safer and healthier environment to promote the well-being of our employees and supporting charities.
We work to achieve all this with fairness, friendliness and fun.
Our Values & Ethics
Health, Safety & Wellbeing
Health and safety are at the heart of our operations. As responsible and progressive employers, our primary concern is to assess and mitigate the risks associated with machine and forklift operation, factory safety, fire and working at a screen all day.
We have a clear policy, set of procedures and training schedule and it is every employee’s responsibility to make sure it is enforced. If something is unsafe, it must be addressed as a priority. We are all involved, and we all take care of each other.
Aylesbury Box runs a cycle to work scheme. This helps members of the team to incorporate physical activity within their daily routine, bringing health and environmental benefits. We also promote the use of public transport, walking and lift-sharing for our employees to get to work.
We cover the cost of all eye tests and examinations for employees that use computer screens as part of their job. Where possible, we offer flexible work schedules so employees can attend hospital and dentist appointments to fit with busy NHS schedules.
Sustainable & Environmentally-friendly Operations
On behalf of our customers and employees, we want to push positive environmental change in the packaging industry. We aim to focus on the sustainable life cycle of our cardboard and plastics and minimise our factory’s environmental footprint today and into the future.
It all starts with good design. We aim to create sustainable solutions from the outset, use paper from Forest Stewardship Council ® (FSC®) certified sources, ensure reusability and encourage the use of recycled materials. We consider the manufacturing process, the work environment, finishes and waste minimisation.
Having embedded sustainable practices throughout the manufacturing process and deliveries, Aylesbury Box Company is FSC® certified. With this environmental and social standard, we can prove that our packaging is sourced, processed and delivered responsibly.
We Listen
Warren Boswell, Luke Jamieson, Andrew Stoten and Matt Whalley are the Aylesbury Box Company Directors. They are available if Aylesbury Box’s customers, employees or suppliers have a serious concern about how the company is operating – mainly if it affects the Purpose, Vision and Values of Aylesbury Box.
Everyone has a direct point of contact, for when contacting them is not possible; that is to say, there is a clear management structure within Aylesbury Box.
All views and concerns raised will be taken seriously and thoroughly considered. If anyone associated with Aylesbury Box Company suspects any wrongdoing that they believe is in the public interest, they are encouraged to whistleblow. Aylesbury Box Company recognises that Law also protects whistleblowers, and we do not have gagging clauses in our employment contracts.
We also listen to what is going on outside Aylesbury Box. We look for opportunities to engage the views of competitors, customers, suppliers, other people in the packaging industry and the local business community. We draw on their experiences, processes, vision and values; taking what is good and learning from their mistakes.
We Empower Employees
The Directors form an equitable Senior Management Team. Beyond this, Aylesbury promotes unity and the promotion of leadership and responsibility within everyone.
We have clearly defined every employee’s role and how their contribution feeds into the success of Aylesbury Box Company. This empowers employees; ensuring suppliers know what is expected and customers are informed about our and their responsibility to ensure orders are fulfilled promptly and accurately. We all know what we have to do and how our success will be measured. We review this, at least every six months to ensure we all stay on track.
All employees are encouraged to be involved in what Aylesbury Box, its customers and suppliers do. They have opportunities to read and share available business information, have a go at their colleagues’ jobs, ask questions about what our customers do and discover what our suppliers offer us in terms of products and service. When safe to do so, our team can visit customers and suppliers to build understanding and business relationships.
The majority of our employees’ work is structured, however, we recognise that occasionally time is needed to think and research to come up with a great solution. This is okay and is encouraged. When an employee, customer or supplier has a new idea, we help to make others aware of it. Each of us is ready for feedback, but equally, we are ready to contribute constructively to others’ ideas.
We Promote Responsible Leadership
We value communication that chimes with our team and recognise that this depends on authentic, connected and constructive relationships. With good leadership and team dynamics, we know that our employees are capable of fulfilling their roles to the highest standards. We want to encourage everyone to do their job well because they want to, not because they have to.
We encourage managers and colleagues to be approachable, however, we encourage everyone to use initiative to seek out solutions, rather than simply being told what to do.
Training & Development
Training and learning are part of the culture at Aylesbury Box Company.
Our employees are trained to do their job capably and confidently. The training is documented and notes are provided for reference. If they are aware of additional training courses that will help them do their job, we encouraged them to inform their manager.
Another development opportunity that we support is shadowing another member of the team. This builds a deeper understanding of our operations and individual’s skills. We want our team to be great at their job and to go beyond.
Employee Rewards
The Directors ensure that employee rewards received are linked to fairness, hard work, and performance; credit where credit is due. We celebrate both individual and team successes and direct this credit in the right direction. If employees feel that they have not been recognised, we ask them to voice their concerns. Finally, we support employees’ freedom of association and their right to collective bargaining.
Equality Diversity and Inclusion
Our facilities, recruitment process and policy of employment does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, colour, religion, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation or disability.
We value, celebrate and embrace our diverse workforce. Aylesbury Box recognises that everyone’s needs are different and aims to respond accordingly. All employees and prospective employees receive equal opportunities. Ability is consistently recognised and encouraged to flourish and grow.
Aylesbury is racially and culturally diverse and our employees are representative of our community. When recruiting, we look for transferable skills and attitudes that individuals have gained through experiences and interests outside of the workplace. We are very proud of this inclusion, as a diverse range of people makes us stronger.
Despite decades of successful inclusion, Aylesbury Box is embarking on a more formal set of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policies between 2022 and 2025. We are open to reviewing job categories, employee satisfaction, progression routes and retention rates with the view of implementing corrective actions to improve inclusivity where necessary. Our Policies will be updated to reflect changes.
