Corporate Responsibility

We operate in a responsible manner to reduce our environmental impact and strengthen the social well-being of our collaborators while implementing programs to enhance and support the community because we are committed to doing business today with a sustainable mindset.

Ethics in AGC Pharma Chemicals Europe

At AGC Pharma Chemicals Europe, we follow a set of principles driven by our company values that help us achieve a global company vision.

 

We believe that profitable business activities go hand in hand with ethical standards.

 

We are committed to conducting business following applicable laws, rules, and regulations.

Our Code of Conduct establishes the professional standards for AGC Pharma Chemicals employees at all company levels. It defines how we do business and how we interact with one another.

Our company policies and voluntarily accepted obligations are designed to promote an organizational culture based on ethical values and fair standards.

 

Our activities are guided by our vision and our ambition to perform with integrity and accountability.

 

This means setting the right priorities and delivering on our commitments while adhering to AGC Pharma Chemical´s values and the standards set out in our Code of Conduct.

The AGC Group Code of Conduct establishes principles set out in three key pillars.

Handshake_Mesa de trabajo 1

We are fair and honest in our business

Handshake_Mesa de trabajo 1

We ensure a safe and helpful workplace

communities_Mesa de trabajo 1

We care for our communities

Our Code of Conduct is intended to provide guidance and help recognize and handle ethical issues and provide mechanisms to report unethical conduct.

 

We have created a Compliance Office to ensure adherence to the code and provide employees with advice on ethically challenging matters.

All employees have access to the reporting system, which consists of tools and communication channels to obtain advice and report suspected misconduct cases.

 

We expect all our employees to work by our values. We organize mandatory annual training sessions to ensure that our employees understand, adhere to and know our Code of Conduct.

Enviroment, Health and Safety (EHS) Policies and Principles

We are a proud member of the Responsible Care® Program, a voluntary global initiative of the chemical sector to continuously improve safety, health and environmental protection per sustainable development and corporate social responsibility principles.

We have implemented Management Systems for the prevention of occupational risks and major accidents and the protection of the environment in accordance with current regulations.

These systems are based on the ICH Q10, ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 standards and in our corporate vision “chemistry for a Blue planet”, which promotes continuous improvement.

blueplanet

Our mission is supported by four pillars

Chemistry for a Blue Planet

Is it possible to protect the earth and pursue human progress at the same time?

We think so.

Chemistry holds the key because it plays such a big part in so many industries. With chemical technology, we hope to create a world that is safe, secure, and comfortable and environmentally friendly.

We believe that chemistry has the power to achieve all these goals without compromising the well-being of our planet.

We are working towards a future that restores the glory of our planet’s past by means of innovative chemical technology.

Our EHS Company Policy

The principal commitment of our policy is to reduce the impact of our activities and products on collaborators, the community and the environment.

EHS Management Systems

For more than 10 years, we have been certified in accordance with ISO 14001 for environmental management and with OHSAS 18001 / ISO 45001 for occupational health and safety management.

Since 2020 we have had an integrated management system that encompasses all aspects of safety, the environment, and the prevention of major accidents.

The evaluation of all our interested parties (clients, suppliers, administration, community, collaborators, etc.) and the study of the context within which we operate help us identify the areas to improve upon.

On an annual basis, we define improvement programs, including objectives that go beyond legal compliance. Additionally, we monitor our performance through our system of indicators.

Environmental Protection

We are committed to protecting the environment.

We constantly evaluate our processes, identify and reduce the environmental impacts of all our activities.

We operate wastewater and off-gas treatment facilities in full compliance with our Environmental Authorization.

We segregate more than 30 different types of waste, all managed responsibly through authorized waste management companies whilst continuously promoting reduction at the source.

We reuse and recycle whenever possible in place of other management methods which are more detrimental to the environment, such as incineration.

We monitor our environmental footprint by tracking our performance through indicators.

Consumption, energy efficiency and the fight against climate change

We obtain all our electricity from renewable sources, prioritizing efficiency in the production and air conditioning of buildings. 

We use natural gas for specific processes and, by implementing heat recovery systems, we significantly reduce its consumption. 

Diesel is reserved for emergencies, but in 2022, due to the energy crisis, we increased its use to generate steam. 

In addition, we began a project in 2022 to adopt more environmentally friendly refrigerants in our cooling systems, reaffirming our commitment to sustainable practices.

KPI 2022 2021 2020 2019
Electricity consumption (MWh) 12095 12224 11890 11564
Natural gas consumption (MWh) 6935 7855 7128 8281
Diesel consumption (MWh) 900 51 240 63
Consumption of diesel/petrol company vehicles (MWh) 132 159 159 159
Total energy consumption (MWh) 20062 20289 19417 20267
Variation compared with the previous year -1,1% +4.5% -4.2% --
Refrigerant gas leaks (T CO2 eq) 42 49 294 477
Acción por el clima

Our commitment to carbon footprint reduction is reflected in:

Scope Definition 2030 target
(compared to 2019)
Scope 1 Direct emissions 30% reduction
50% reduction on sales
Scope 2 Indirect emissions from purchased electricity Continue to purchase electricity from renewable sources
Scope 3 Other indirect emissions Improve the calculation in the categories of purchase of goods/services and waste treatment
Reduce 30% in the categories of purchase of goods/services and waste treatment.

Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and percentage reductions compared to 2019 are detailed here. 

KPI 2022 2021 2020 2019
Scope 1 GHG emissions (ton CO2 equivalent) 1582 1546 1708 2056
Scope 2 GHG Emissions (ton CO2 equivalent) 0 0 0 0
Sum of scope 1 + 2 GHG emissions (ton CO2 equiv.) 1582 1546 1708 2056
Reduction vs to 2019 (%) 23% 25% 17% --
Turnover (millions of €) 86,0 94,7 93,8 72,2
Change compared to previous year -1,1% +4.5% -4.2% --
1 + 2 GHG emissions per million € invoiced 18 16 18 28
Reduction vs. 2019 (%) 36% 43% 36% --

Water consumption

Producción y Consumo Responsables

Water is crucial to our operations: we use it as a raw material in production, as a heat transfer fluid, and in cleaning processes and infrastructure. We are committed to using this resource responsibly in all our activities. 

KPI 2022 2021 2020
Well water consumption(m3) 221231 279987 252684
Municipal water consumption (m3) 5068 7211 2134
Total water consumption (m3) 226299 287198 254818

In 2022, we identified our main water consumers, installed new meters and set up a metrics system for detailed consumption monitoring. This allows us to set medium-term improvement targets for our water management. 

Waste management

We promote source reduction, internal reuse and recycling. Whenever possible, we collaborate with external distillers from whom we purchase recovered solvent. 

In choosing how to treat our waste, we prioritize recycling and energy recovery over other options, such as stabilization. Only those wastes that are required by law are sent directly to landfill. 

Year after year, we implement projects to reduce waste and improve its treatment. Improvements in the dosing of additives at the treatment plant reduced the amount of sludge sent for stabilization. In addition, we optimized the performance of the treatment plant, treating internally flows that were previously sent externally. 

Waste management in numbers
50Types of waste generated 20Authorized management companies 42Treatment contracts 9257Tons externally managed
KPI 2022 2021 2020
Generation of waste (tons), of which... 9257 10967 11767
· Non-hazardous 302 288 371
· Hazardous 8955 10679 11396
Percentage of recobery 56% 55% 57%

Waste water management

Agua Limpia y Tratamiento

We have a treatment plant that treats production water by physicochemical and biological methods. We are improving capacity and reducing sludge generation through electrocoagulation techniques and the replacement of the filter press with a screw filter. 

We are closely following regulatory developments on the presence of pharmaceutical substances in the environment. We are particularly concerned about the problem of active ingredients in water, and for this reason, our medium-term investment plans include the implementation of technologies that guarantee non-emission. 

KPI 2022 2021 2020
WWTP inlet flow rate (m3) 59066 50840 52797
COD - WWTP input (tons) 1012 1122 1261
Ammonium - WWTP input (tons) 34 41 46
COD removal output (%) 99,19 99,16 99,05
Ammonium removal output (%) 98,84 99,16 98,98
Number of incidents with spillage above the limit 0 0 0

Health and Safety

Workplace Safety

People are our greatest asset, and that is why we work to make the workplace as safe as possible. We thoroughly evaluate any occupational risks derived from our activities and establish preventive measures to eliminate or reduce them to a minimum.

We inform all our stakeholders about the risks, establish preventive measures, and train them to carry out their work safely.

We investigate accidents and incidents to determine their root cause and establish corrective and preventive measures to avoid repetition.

Major Accident Prevention

We have established high-priority objectives around ensuring that our production processes, equipment, and facilities offer the highest level of protection to avoid situations that affect the physical integrity of our collaborators and the local vicinity.

For this, we have a compliance-based management system, integrated accident prevention policies, and the conviction that all risks must be controlled and all accidents avoided. Training, communication, and continuous improvement are fundamental to achieve these objectives.

Product stewardship

We handle chemical substances with different properties. We always define the best and safest ways to handle them, both inside and outside our facilities.

We have Safety Data Sheets for all the substances that we manufacture and comply with our registration obligations with ECHA.

Social responsibility

Our products are designed to positively impact people’s health, but our goal is to take this further.

Our social responsibility policy establishes four priority lines of action:

Web_Mesa de trabajo 1

Close community

Web-02

Health

Web-03

Next generation

Web-04

Natural environment

Through our social responsibility activities, we contribute to improving people’s lives and the environment.

We assign an annual budget for the activities we develop with different entities. We are also open to new initiatives proposed by the people who work with us.

Certifications

Explore our commitment to a more sustainable future. Discover our Sustainability Report 2022