FIVE SUSTAINABILITY FOCUS AREAS

At Vynova, we are committed to sustainability. Our mission is to offer solutions that bring the benefits of chemistry to society while preserving the planet’s climate, environment, and resources.

Five strategic Focus Areas form the foundation of our sustainability approach. Underpinned by our values and a robust governance structure, these Focus Areas set our long-term ambitions in the domains of Climate Action, Circularity, Environmental Responsibility, Responsible Procurement, and People & Society. By advancing these priorities, we work to create a positive impact on society and help address today’s global challenges.

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CLIMATE ACTION

Climate-Action

Climate change presents a transformative opportunity for Vynova to innovate and lead in reducing environmental impact while fostering sustainable growth. As a key contributor to global manufacturing, the chemicals industry has the potential to drive significant efforts to reduce its impact on climate change. By embracing sustainable chemistry, optimising energy use, and minimising emissions, we can not only mitigate climate risks but also enhance the resilience of our operations and products.

Our Climate Action Focus Area encompasses our actions to promote greenhouse gas emissions measuring, management, and ultimately reduction.

Policies, targets, commitments, and action plans

Topics
  • Climate change management 
  • Energy use, conservations and reductions 
  • Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and reductions
Link to the Sustainable Development Goals
E-WEB-Goal-07 E-WEB-Goal-13  

 

Targets and Commitments
  • Reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emission intensity by 30% from 2020 to 2030.
  • Conduct Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) for 100% of our product portfolio by 2026. 
2024 Key Achievements
  • Established the respective Focus Team.
  • Commissioned a 3-million-euro hydrogen network optimisation project at the Tessenderlo site to increase the utilisation of hydrogen for steam generation. 
  • Investment approval for a biomass-fired steam generation unit at the Mazingarbe site.
  • Commissioned a heat integration project in Tessenderlo.
  • Commissioned a new, more efficient electrical substation in Mazingarbe.
  • Installed new, more efficient hydrogen and chlorine compressors in Tessenderlo.
  • Commissioned a new, more efficient demin water unit in Wilhelmshaven.
  • Set the foundation for measuring our Scope 3 emissions.
  • Initiated preparations to conduct LCAs across the product portfolio, focusing on PVC products as a priority and aligning with industry standards for comparability.
Policies and Action Plans
  • Vynova’s Quality, Safety, Health and Environment (QSHE) Group Policy outlines our commitment to minimising the environmental impact of our operations. 
  • The policy outlines our commitment to reducing our global energy intensity and our GHG emissions intensity as much as possible through energy-related improvements and efficiencies.
  • The policy applies to all Vynova employees, individuals entering Vynova sites, and all parties working on behalf of Vynova. 
  • The policy is owned by the Vice President QSHE.

 

CIRCULARITY

Circularity

PVC is one of the most versatile and widely used polymers worldwide, playing a vital role in enhancing safety, efficiency, and comfort across industries such as construction, healthcare, and water distribution. As an intrinsically low-carbon plastic, PVC stands out for its durability, cost-effectiveness, and ability to be recycled multiple times without compromising its core properties. This makes it a key material in advancing circularity and unlocking new opportunities for sustainable innovation. By embracing circular solutions, we can maximise resource efficiency, extend product lifecycles, and create new value from recycled materials. 

Our Circularity Focus Area promotes circular economy principles within our operations and products. By encouraging waste management through waste prevention, sustainable additive use, and end-of-life PVC waste recycling, we are contributing to a collective response from society, governments, and industry to prevent plastic leakage into the environment and transition to a circular economy.

Policies, targets, commitments, and action plans

Topics
  • Materials management
Link to the Sustainable Development Goals
E-WEB-Goal-09 E-WEB-Goal-12  

 

Targets and Commitments
  • Expand partnerships with value chain players to enhance circularity.
  • Increase research and development investments in circular solutions.
  • Broaden our portfolio of circular products.
  • Support and promote effective policies for improved plastic waste management and recycling.
2024 Key Achievements
  • Expansion of strategic circularity-focused collaborations with external partners.
  • Successful recycling of PVC waste samples with validated application performance.
Policies and Action Plans Vynova is in the process of developing governing policies and action plans for its Circularity Focus Area.

 

ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY

Environmental-Responsibility

At Vynova, we have a distinct responsibility to mitigate our environmental impact and contribute to a cleaner, healthier environment for current and future generations. We therefore place critical importance to the areas of pollution, harmful substance management, waste management, plastics management, and water management, and strive to innovate and implement best practices that will reduce our environmental footprint while maintaining our commitment to quality and safety.

Our Environmental Responsibility Focus Area centres the environmental impact beyond greenhouse gas emissions that our operations can incur. We are proactively reducing air emissions and improving water and waste management to enhance overall environmental performance.

Policies, targets, commitments, and action plans

Topics
  • Air pollution
  • Harmful substances management
  • Microplastics management
  • Recycling, waste reduction and recovery
  • Water withdrawal, consumption, discharge and pollution
  • Waste management (hazardous and non-hazardous)
Link to the Sustainable Development Goals
E-WEB-Goal-06 E-WEB-Goal-09 E-WEB-Goal-12

 

Targets and Commitments
  • Reduce Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions by 50% by 2030 based on 2020 baseline.
  • Reduce Vinyl Chloride Monomer (VCM) air emissions for PVC Production by 50% by 2030 based on 2020 baseline.
  • Reduce PVC losses (microplastic) to water by 50% by 2030 based on 2020 baseline.
  • Develop a strategic approach to key topics identified through our double materiality analysis.
  • Certify all our PVC sites under the OCS Europe Certification Scheme by the end of 2024. 
2024 Key Achievements
  • We achieved our target of certifying all our PVC production sites under the OCS Europe Certification Scheme.
  • Certification and compliance with all requirements of the European Council of Vinyl Manufacturers (ECVM) Charter.
  • Ongoing large-scale investment into a completely redesigned and modified Ethylene Dichloride (EDC) plant in Runcorn to reduce VOC emissions to air.
Policies and Action Plans
  • Vynova’s Safety, Health, Environment and Quality (SHEQ) Group Policy outlines our commitment to minimising the environmental impact of our operations.
  • The policy outlines our commitment to reduce harmful emissions, responsibly manage water use and avoid any kind of uncontrolled spills or pollution into the environment, caused by human error or the condition of our assets.
  • The policy enshrines our commitment to transparency with the public on environmental matters to share experience with others to facilitate industry performance improvements.
  • The policy aligns with the principles of Responsible Care®.
  • This policy applies to all Vynova employees, individuals entering Vynova sites, and all parties working on behalf of Vynova.
  • The policy is owned by the Vice President of Quality, Safety, Health and Environment (QSHE).

 

RESPONSIBLE PROCUREMENT

Responsible-Procurement

Responsible procurement has emerged as a critical imperative in today's global business landscape, transcending individual company operations to encompass entire value chains and industries. We are deeply committed to caring for people and the planet, applying this principle alongside our core Vynova values (Connect, Commit, Improve, Respect) to guide every procurement activity and decision. 

By focusing on responsible procurement, we extend our sustainability efforts beyond our immediate operations. As an industry leader, we acknowledge the significant impact we can instil through collaboration and modelling of best practices throughout our value chain.

Policies, targets, commitments, and action plans

Topics
  • Supply chain engagement
  • Value chain workers
Link to the Sustainable Development Goals
E-WEB-Goal-08 E-WEB-Goal-12  

 

Targets and Commitments
  • Ensure responsible procurement practices across or value chain.
  • Cover 80% of our relevant spend with sustainability evaluations by the end of 2025.
  • Conduct audits within our supply base according to their sustainability and human rights risk score per year.
  • Train the procurement team on new legislation.
2024 Key Achievements
  • Launch of the respective Focus Team.
  • Development of a Responsible Procurement Roadmap.
  • Creation and roll-out of a new Supplier Code of Conduct.
  • Introduction and implementation of a Responsible Procurement Policy (replacing the existing guideline) across the different Vynova sites and procurement teams.
  • Training of the procurement team on upcoming legislation.
  • Increase in score for the Sustainable Procurement theme in the company’s EcoVadis assessment, helping achieve the Platinum rating. 
  • Evaluation and auditing of supplier sustainability across Vynova’s supply chain.
Policies and Action Plans
  • Vynova’s Responsible Procurement Policy ensures adherence to responsible procurement principles across the Group, aligning with the 10 United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) principles.
  • The policy outlines our commitments to best practices in daily operations while ensuring that ESG impacts are appropriately considered in supplier assessments.
  • This policy applies to all Vynova employees, individuals entering Vynova sites, and all parties working on behalf of Vynova.
  • The Responsible Procurement Lead is responsible for facilitating policy implementation and ensuring procurement team members have access to all relevant resources.

 

PEOPLE & SOCIETY

People-Society

We recognise that social sustainability is as crucial as environmental sustainability and aim to ensure that our operations positively impact not only the planet but people as well.

Our People & Society Focus Area encompasses our initiatives around workplace diversity and inclusion, community engagement, partnering with education institutions and initiatives, as well as the element of safety from our safety, health, environment and quality (SHEQ) strategy.

Policies, targets, commitments, and action plans

Topics
  • Fair and inclusive workplace
  • Occupational health and safety
  • Product and service safety and quality
  • Working conditions
Link to the Sustainable Development Goals
E-WEB-Goal-03 E-WEB-Goal-05 E-WEB-Goal-08

 

Targets and Commitments
  • Operate safely every day, with zero incidents, zero injuries, and zero accidents.
  • Increase overall awareness on Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI).
  • Increase further collaboration with local stakeholders, schools, governments, and neighbours.
  • Promote Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) education among pupils and students.
2024 Key Achievements
  • Launch of the respective Focus Team.
  • Finalisation of 3 policies:
    • Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Policy
    • Giving back to Communities Policy
    • Partnering with Education Policy
  • Roll-out of the Vynova Process Safety Fundamentals across all sites.
  • Anti-bullying training for leadership teams at our Tessenderlo site.
  • STEM education initiatives between Vynova sites and schools.
  • Donations and fundraising activities for various local charities.
  • Bronze Healthy Workplace Award for initiatives on mental health in the workplace at our Runcorn site.
Policies and Action Plans
  • The policies in scope of the People & Society Focus Area include the following:
    • Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Policy
    • Giving Back to Communities Policy
    • Partnering with Education Policy
    • Safety, Health, Environment and Quality (SHEQ) Group Policy
  • These policies extend to Vynova employees and contractors.
  • The policies were collaboratively developed by working teams across all Vynova sites.
  • The SHEQ policy is governed by Vice President of Quality, Safety, Health and Environment (QSHE).
  • The EDI, Giving Back to Communities, and Partnering with Education Policies are governed by the Group Vice President of Human resources.

 

SUSTAINABILITY GOVERNANCE

Our sustainability governance comprises multiple groups tasked to ensure effective sustainability leadership and decision-making.

  • At the level of our parent company, the International Chemical Investors Group (ICIG), we are represented on the ICIG Sustainability Council by our Vice President Sustainability and we work collaboratively to ensure Vynova aligns with ICIG’s overall sustainability objectives.

  • The Vynova Management Board oversees the company’s sustainability initiatives and evaluates its overall strategy.

  • The Sustainability Committee assists the Management Board by defining material sustainability topics for Vynova and ensuring the integration of sustainability and climate-related risks into the company’s risk management framework and strategy. The Committee consists of our Vice President Sustainability (as Chair), the Vice President Business Development, as well as the leaders that steer our five Sustainability Focus Areas (Climate Action, Circularity, Environmental Responsibility, Responsible Procurement, and People & Society).

  • Each Sustainability Focus Area has a Focus Team to support its development. The Focus Teams are tasked with developing detailed roadmaps and targets, creating implementation action plans, implementing capacity-building activities on sustainability matters, reporting back to the Sustainability Committee on sustainability projects, and engaging with stakeholders.

  • The Vynova Sustainability Team supports the different Focus Teams and the rest of the company with the implementation of the Vynova Sustainability Strategy, defining priority projects on an annual basis, and preparing the annual Sustainability Report to report on our progress.

  • The Association and Advocacy Team brings together the colleagues that represent Vynova in industry associations. They monitor sustainability and climate-related regulatory developments and communicate about these to relevant stakeholders across Vynova to ensure compliance.
By positioning sustainability as a shared responsibility, with engagement across departments and levels of our organisation, we ensure inclusive development and effective implementation of sustainability initiatives to drive impactful results.

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