Our Sustainability Strategy helps us to achieve the United Nations' Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) establish global objectives for sustainable development to eradicate poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for everyone. Companies are called to action as well.
We respond to this call by identifying priority SDGs where we can contribute the most
We understand SDGs to be an opportunity for global improvement, collective innovation and collaboration with our stakeholders throughout the value chain.
KEY SDGs FOR ELIX POLYMERS
To ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for people of all ages: minimising the negative health effects associated with our products.
To guarantee access to water and sanitation for all: innovative solutions for the distribution, management and efficiency of water.
To promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, decent employment and work for all. Safe production and management of chemical products and the application of labour regulations.
To guarantee sustainable consumption and production models: to help improve the quality and efficiency of production processes in all industries.
To take urgent measures in order to combat climate change and its impacts: to create resilience and the capacity for adaption within the sector and its supply chain.
SDGs RELEVANT TO ELIX POLYMERS AND THE INDUSTRY
To support the participation, contribution and success of women throughout the entire industry.
To guarantee accessible, safe, sustainable and modern energy for production, to promote the storage of renewable energy and the development of infrastructures for these purposes.
To construct resilient infrastructures, to promote sustainable industrialisation, fostering innovation and resiliency. To establish frameworks which promote industrial symbiosis.
To conserve and use sea resources and their ecosystems in a sustainable way. To establish collaborations throughout the value chain which reduce all types of sea contamination.
To improve operational management and expand our support of projects to stop environmental degradation and protect the most vulnerable ecosystems.
ELIX’s sustainability strategy and its action plan has 2025 as its horizon. Our strategy and our vision of sustainability affect the entire value chain, from the extraction of raw materials to the final consumer, paying special attention to our local environment.
ELIX Polymers" 2020-2025 strategy is based on four strategic pillars aligned with the SDGs identified as priorities and relevant to the company.
ADOPT ETHICAL VALUES
BE A DRIVING FORCE IN THE TRANSITION TOWARDS A CIRCULAR ECONOMY
REDUCE OUR ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT TO THE MINIMUM
CONTINUE DEVELOPING OUR HUMAN CAPITAL
Our strategy influences our entire value chain, from the extraction of raw materials to the end consumer, with special attention focused on our local environment.
/ OPERATIONAL GOALS
CS1. PROMOTE A CIRCULAR PLASTICS ECONOMY SYSTEM
KEY SDGs: 6, 12, 13, 17
CS2. WORK FIRMLY TOWARDS THE ADAPTATION TO AND MITIGATION OF CLIMATE CHANGE
KEY SDGs: 3, 13, 17
CS3. ENSURE AN ETHICAL BUSINESS MODEL AND A POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION TO THE SOCIAL WELL-BEING OF PEOPLE THROUGHOUT OUR VALUE CHAIN
KEY SDGs: 3, 8, 17
CS4. CONTRIBUTE TO THE REDUCTION OF BIODIVERSITY LOSS
KEY SDGs: 12
To fully deploy our plan, we've established seven programmes that make up the first ELIX Polymers sustainability action Plan 2020-2025, with the aim of achieving our core strategies and their operational goals.
For each of the action Plan's seven programmes. we've set one or more aspirational goals, as well as our own goals and their corresponding courses of action.
CIRCULAR PLASTICS
In a circular economy, waste is a resource and collaboration is a medium. Through strategies for the recuperation of ABS or other subproducts, the increasing of recirculation, and the establishment of partnerships throughout our value chain, at ELIX Polymers we want to become a key agent in the circular plastics industry, capable of creating closed cycles and new business models.
Aspirational goals
* What do we mean by sustainable advantage? We mean that we incorporate a higher content of mechanically/chemically recycled and/or renewable materials into our products or that we reduce our intensity of material use and therefore, improve our environmental footprint.
RESPONSIBLE INNOVATION
At ELIX Polymers we will continue developing a more sustainable product portfolio in accordance with high industry demands. We will increase the amount of recycled materials in our products and their recyclability, as well as reduce the amount of substances that are cause for concern.
Aspirational goals
CARING ABOUT CLIMATE
At ELIX Polymers we are taking a step forward in our commitment to climate change, exploiting the potential of our energy efficiency and waste management programmes already in place, and adopting renewable energy technologies and circular economy and carbon compensation strategies to reduce our GHG emissions by at least 15% from 2017 to 2025. We will also evaluate our main risks associated with climate change in order to avoid economic loss and major disruptions.
Aspirational goals
SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAIN
ELIX Polymers' business has social and environmental impacts on the whole supply chain. For this reason, we will develop a sustainable procurement policy which will take into account violations of human rights as well as social and environmental impacts throughout the supply chain.
Aspirational goal
PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT
Predictions for the future point to a lack of young, qualified job candidates, a growing demand for companies with a positive impact, and gender equality. At ELIX Polymers we continue striving to offer our employees decent work and life conditions. To achieve this, we will reinforce training, continuous education and awareness as a means of attracting young people and talented women.
Aspirational goals
GOVERNANCE AND ETHICS
Business ethics and transparency are becoming a demand worldwide and the chemical industry in general suffers from a bad reputation. At ELIX Polymers we will develop a corporate framework based on equity, a code of ethics and a commitment to our employees and local community.
Aspirational goal
SUPPORT THE LOCAL COMMUNITY
Businesses with a positive impact have a better reputation and are more attractive to work for. Expectations are that a company's positive impact will go beyond the actual company to include neighbouring communities and ultimately the entire value chain. At ELIX Polymers, we will work to reduce salary inequality, guarantee good health and restore local ecosystems to become an inclusive business, and as such, contribute to society as a whole.
Aspirational goal
ELIX has embarked upon the path of digitalisation, which we see as an opportunity and a means to advance in the maturity of our processes and operations.
With our project DIGICOM we hope to achieve better traceability and transparency, bring value to our customers and establish collaborative relationships with our suppliers.
ELIX sees digitalization as a tool, not an end in itself. The combination of technology and process optimization through techniques such as Lean Management ensures the best decisions are taken regarding the solutions being developed. Among the main projects carried out in 2022:
SMART P&ID PROJECT
Digitalization of all engineering information under the Smart P&ID project, which will serve to make information more accessible and increase its security.
CYBERSEGURITY
Oversees the roadmap and established objectives, and disseminates the project throughout the company.
BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE
Development of business intelligence tools, such as Control Tower Isguen, which provide the information needed to optimize our decisions and impact on customer service.
DIGITALIZATION PROJECT
Project for the digitization of process and engineering know-how. In 2022, all existing information on paper was digitized.
Digitalisation will allow us to:
EMPLOYEES
Corporate intranet and email, portal of the employee, ELIX up to date, DNA ELIX, corporate communications, bulletin boards communication, internal platforms participatory, virtual coffees, coffee with the CEO, audiovisual materials, social networks, area meetings, informative activities, ELIX Collaborators.
CUSTOMERS
Corporate website, digital newsletters and corporate catalogues, digital technical newsletters, social media, international trade fairs, events, press releases, articles, advertisements, audiovisual materials, technical and sales visits to customers, visits to the Tarragona plant, annual customer survey.
COMPANY
Weekly, monthly and yearly corporate reports, sustainability report, strategic meetings.
CONTRACTORS
(On-site in ELIX facilities)
Operational email memos, meetings, communication boards, information panels, internal events, training sessions.
INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
Participation in committees and specific technical seminars, courses, meetings.
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Periodic contact through formal notifications, bulletins published by administrative agencies, face-to-face meetings, email, telephone.
YOU CAN ALSO FIND US ON THESE SOCIAL MEDIA SITES
Partnerships and adherence to sustainability initiatives help the company make progress in this area, making it part of the optimal ecosystem for developing and sharing projects that have a positive impact on the environment.
Since 2008 we have participated in the global and voluntary initiative to contribute to the sustainable development of the chemical sector, Responsible Care, through which we are committed to continuous improvement in safety, health and environmental protection in all our operations.
Business Charter for Sustainable Development Organization that works to promote world trade and investment based on free and fair competition. This organization, established under the auspices of the International Chamber of Commerce, defines 16 principles for the promotion of environmental management.
EcoVadis is an independent rating agency specialised in sustainable development and performance tracking, and provides supplier sustainability scores for global supply chains.
We have renewed our membership in the United Nations Global Compact, which provides us with a practical framework for business sustainability and makes accessible management tools and resources that help implement a sustainable business and development model.
Through the Volunteer Agreement Program promoted by the Catalan Climate Change Office (OCCC), we set annual goals for the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and demonstrate our concern about climate change and our commitment to mitigating it.
Operation Clean Sweep - Zero Pellets Loss is an international initiative to minimise loss of resin pellets and microplastics, this way avoiding their entry into rivers and oceans. Participating in this project obligates us to increase our operational precautions to avoid the dispersal of resin pellets and microplastics into the environment.
The Business Monitor for Excellence in Prevention, Health and Safety (MEPS2) establishes a benchmarking and measurement system that can be used by any organisation wishing to ascertain the extent of its development and implementation in the area of prevention.
Styrenics Circular Solutions is a joint initiative involving the entire value chain to promote the circular economy in the styrenic plastics sector (including polystyrene) and make it a reality, through innovative recycling technologies and partner-driven solutions.
International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) is an independent organisation responsible for one of the largest certification systems in the world, with more than 5,000 certifications valid in over 100 countries. The ISCC covers all sustainable raw materials, including agricultural and forestry biomass, biogenic waste, circular materials and renewable energies. The organisation stands out for its commitment to ensure that these raw materials are produced in an environmentally, socially and economically sustainable manner.
In 2022 we carried out the second followup audit of our ISO 9001 and 14001 certifications and the first follow-up of our ISO 50001 certification. We also worked on the implementation of ISO 45001 for our health and safety in the workplace management system in a bid to obtain the certification in 2023.
ELIX Polymers obtains the EcoVadis platinum medal for its good sustainability practices
In 2022, ELIX was once again subjected to
the yearly assessment made by EcoVadis, a
renowned agency in the field of corporate
social responsibility. For the first time, ELIX
has succeeded in obtaining EcoVadis’s platinum
medal, its greatest recognition in this
field, only awarded to 1 % of the companies
assessed throughout the world.
La compañía ha mejorado sus estándares en todas las áreas y ha obtenido una puntuación global superior a 75/100, lo que nos sitúa entre las empresas mejor valoradas.
NEED MORE INFORMATION?
DOWNLOAD THE 2023 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
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