Section ECONOMY
TOPIC

IMERYS Industrial Minerals Greece Single-Member Société Anonyme
Sustainable Development and Corporate Social Responsibility

The objective of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) actions is to further embed CSR within Imerys strategy and drive systematic continuous improvement of CSR aspects in operations, thereby continuing to reduce risks, unlock opportunities and build capacity for long-term value creation.

The continuous improvement approach, new projects, and scientific studies shall continue to be developed and deployed based on a reinforced framework of solid policies, procedures, improved tools, training, as well as series of maturity matrices upon which Imerys sites are assessed and against which action plans are developed.

CSR actions have multiple target audience 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:

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

These actions are constantly being strengthened. CSR objectives drive systematic continuous improvement of CSR aspects in operations.

5 years ago, the Group announced the launch of the new CSR program entitled "SustainAgility". The ambitions of this program were structured around three main areas - axes, as described in the Imerys Corporate Social Responsibility Charter. They were:

  • Empowering our people: Making sure employees and the people we work with stay healthy and safe, nurturing talent, promoting diversity & inclusion, fostering social dialogue and safeguarding human rights.
  • Caring for our planet: Protecting the environment, promoting non-energetic resources efficiency, respecting biodiversity, and acting on climate change.
  • Building for the future : Behaving ethically, operating fairly, ensuring a responsible supply chain, engaging with communities and promoting sustainable products and technologies.

This year, 2023, the Group revised its Values with which we will create a better future for all employees, customers and the planet itself:

Our Values People: Every person matters

We believe our people are our greatest strength. This starts by caring about the health and safety of everyone we work with. Every voice is important and building an environment where we can all thrive will unlock our collective value.

Our Values Customer : Partner of choice

We are committed to growing our long-term value with our customers to develop mutually beneficial relationships based on reliability and innovative collaboration.We put our knowledge and expertise into the service of our customers to help them solve tomorrow’s challenges.

Our Values Collaboration: A team together

We are at our best when we work as a team, so we will always look beyond boundaries to collaborate with each other, our partners, and our customers to achieve the best results possible.

Our Values Performance: Strive for better

We perform at our best and lead with innovation to unlock the sustainable potential of minerals. We strive for continuous improvement in everything we do and help our customers meet their challenges. We are honest with each other, learn from our mistakes, and celebrate success while challenging ourselves to be better.

Our Values Sustainability: Enablers of omorrow 

We will protect the future of our people, our business, the communities in which we operate, and the world in which we live. We strive to embed responsible thinking into everything we do and become a more sustainable business.

The SustainAgility program 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 is at the heart of Imerys’ business. Our employees are among the most important stakeholders in Imerys SustainAgility program, where strong emphasis is placed on.

CSR actions refer to Imerys operations in Greece (Athens and Milos sites).
  • 3% improvement in energy efficiency compared to the results of last year. A typical example is the exploitation of the climatic conditions of Milos for the natural pre-drying of bentonite, which is equivalent to approximately 7,500 MT of annual heavy fuel consumption, which in turn correspond in a reduction of CO2 emissions by approximately 24,000 MT per year.
  • Reinforcement of biodiversity management plans: "Propagation of rare, endemic and endangered plant species" and "Creation of soaps from bentonite and plants from mine restoration sites".
  • Operation of a specialized landscape restoration department in Milos, with our own nursery, in which the seeds and plants used in the restoration of mining areas are produced and prepared. The nursery consists of approximately 900 species of Milos plants.
  • Operation of a botanical trail in Milos, which was created from the cultivation of plants from our own nursery.
  • Creation of an organic vineyard in Milos, with the planting of 22,300 vines on an area of 63 thousand squared meters, on the site of an active perlite mine in Trachilas, which is being gradually restored.
  • Operation and support of the Milos Mining Museum (MMM), where visitors participate in educational activities and programs.
  • Annually, participants of the local community are awarded the annual "ANASTASIA ANTONIADOU" award as well as the "ANASTASIA ANTONIADOU" scholarship. The award is aimed at local workers and residents of Imerys in order to encourage actions and initiatives in the fields of social, cultural and voluntary contribution. The scholarship is addressed to female graduates of the high schools of Milos/Kimolos, who have passed the entrance exams of the country's universities.
  • Material and moral supporting of these charitable initiatives which benefit children: the Special Purpose Social Cooperative Enterprise "Myrtillo", "Smile of a Child", "SOS Children's Villages of Greece", "Make-a-Wish of Greece" -a-wish Greece”).
  • Continuous training for each employee on health and safety issues with specific trainings, not only on safety issues in the industry, but also on mental health issues as well as daily safety of employees outside the workplace.

Within the SustainAgility framework, the benefits for Imerys sites in Greece derive from the following results:

  • IMERYS Greece S.A. facilities are certified with ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System (QMS), ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management System (EMS), ISO 45001:2018 Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS) while this year it will be certified with an ISO 50001:2018 energy management system
  • Reduction of Lost Time Accidents (LTA) for workers. 8 years with zero LTA accidents, deriving also from continuous training in health and safety issues.
  • Improving energy management and practices with the “I-Cube” Program (I^3 – IMERYS Industrial Improvement), which identifies opportunities on production, maintenance, quality and logistics. Matrices for occupational health, geology and mine planning as well as mining operations are also fully integrated into the “I-Cube” program implementation.
  • Active participation in Environmental and Sustainability, industry and CSR committees and councils.