IMERYS Industrial Minerals Greece Single-Member Société Anonyme

Imerys’s core strategy is to further integrate Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and to promote systematic continuous improvement of CSR aspects in its operations through the CSR objectives. Imerys is committed to provide equal opportunities for all, where the value and contribution of each individual is welcomed and recognized, equal treatment for all, an environment which does not tolerate any discrimination and/or harassment of its employees, customers, suppliers or other stakeholder on the basis of gender, age, nationality, citizenship, ethnicity, religious status, educational background, sexual orientation, physical and mental abilities, marital and parental status, or political affiliation or any other dimension of diversity. The company also commits to promote a corporate philosophy based on mutual respect and appreciation.

CSR actions have multiple target audiences and have an impact on all Imerys stakeholders. Identifying stakeholders and gaining an understanding of their needs and expectations is a critical step to foster engagement.

The list of stakeholders groups includes:

• Employees
• Business partners
• Suppliers and subcontractors
• Shareholders and investors
• Local community members
• Government authorities
• Professional associations
• Customers
• Competitor and peer companies
• Banks & brokers
• Media
• Non-governmental organizations

The CSR goals drive systemic continuous improvement of CST aspects in the company operations. The actions that the company takes and the rules it creates are constant and are re-examined with the passage of time and/or when newer data and research is available.

Ιn 2017 the company started various initiatives in order to approach its workers with the goal of starting an open dialogue for the various social issues in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals for the reduction of inequalities in all countries that the company operates. The programs were:

• Your Voice (2017)
• Senior management convention (2017)
• Over 30 workshops (over 700 participants) held globally (2017 & 2018)

In 2018 the program was introduced as one of the main pillars in the new “SustainAgility” inside the key area “Empowering our people”. In the context of this program the company reassured its goal to recognize, accept and value human differences and committed to the following:

• Promote a culture based on mutual respect and appreciation, where the value and contribution of each individual is welcomed and recognized.
• Develop programs focused on achieving greater diversity as well as inclusion both at global and local levels.
• Respect and promote the principle of non-discrimination and equal opportunity in all aspects of our operations, in particular with regards to human resources management.
• Work together to eliminate barriers or unconscious biases that may run contrary to the culture of diversity and inclusion we wish to foster.
• Openly share our commitment to diversity and inclusion and our expectations for non-discrimination, ensuring there is no place for any form of bullying, harassment or behavior that is divisive or open to misinterpretation.

Τhe company developed a new program focused around: the decision-making process and governance, education and development, the culture and communication and human resources. A Diversity and Inclusion steering committee was introduced which determines and supervises the goals of the program. 

The program initially has a three year time frame starting from 2020 but it will continue to focus on certain goals for seven more years.

The “Diversity and Inclusion” policy is included in of one of the main pillars in the SustainAgility program which was developed taking into consideration a wide range of inputs from internal and external stakeholders, including but not limited to publications by expert committees, professional associations, external research and benchmarks, the Group’s Risk Committee, local forums, customer and market signals and reviews of global megatrends.

Human capital was at the forefront of the program from the start, since at the first workshops emphasis was given to the opinions and beliefs of the company’s employees and the creation of the goals of the committee. The program was designed around and in order to solve the concerns of its workers on social issues.

CSR actions refer to Imerys operations in Greece (Kiffissia and Milos sites).

The benefits that result from the company’s operations to society and to all stakeholders are the following:

• With the introduction of the new Purchasing policy, and in keeping with the commitments outlined in the Group Diversity and Inclusion Charter the Group has also articulated its ambition to ensure inclusive sourcing based on a chain of suppliers with remarkable sustainability performance.
• 7 females and 4 males operate as ambassadors following the “Diversity and Inclusion” program  at the Imerys facilities in Kifissia.
• In 2019 22.19% of the total workforce were women while in 2020 that percentage increased to 29.97% with plans to increase by a lot since the program officially started in 2020.
• Imerys ensures opportunities for younger workers since in 2019 the percentage of young adults under 30 years old represented 6.11% of the total workforce while in 2020 that percentage increased to 13.35%.
• Imerys doesn’t contribute to ageism since 10.48% of its employees were over 55 years old, the percentage of workers aged between 50-54 years old was 14.86% while the percent of workers ages less than 30 was 13.35% in 2020.
• The company provides secure job positions with 53.4% of its employees in 2020 working in the company for more than 10 years.

From the program SustainAgility, the Imerys in Greece has the following benefits:

• Increases creativity
• Higher innovation
• Better decision making
• Reduced employee turnover
• Higher employee engagement
• Improved hiring results
• Better company reputation