ELIX Polymers presents its 2021 Sustainability Report which shares the steps taken by the company to promote sustainability. The report has been prepared in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards.
Some of the most relevant aspects of the company's activity in 2021 were the promotion of circularity in its solutions led by the E-LOOP portfolio, its contribution to the fight against climate change and the progress of responsible operations throughout the value chain.
E-LOOP is the brand name for responsible innovation and circular plastics that contain raw materials obtained from mechanical and chemical recycling and integrates solutions already validated and selected by customers for different applications. The objective of ELIX Polymers is to ensure that 25% of the solutions provided incorporate a sustainable benefit in 2025 and become key agents in the circular plastics industry, with the ability to create closed cycles and new business models.
On the other hand, within the framework of the “Climate Care” programme, ELIX Polymers continues to make headway in carbon neutrality. The aim of the programme is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the water footprint by taking advantage of the potential of energy efficiency and waste management measures, in addition to implementing renewable energy technologies as well as circular economy and carbon offset strategies. All the above will allow the company to reach its goal of reducing its environmental footprint by 15% in 2025, compared to 2017.
In 2021, aside from calculating the organisation’s environmental footprint, the carbon footprint of its products has been calculated by means of a life cycle assessment (LCA), including the impact of raw material extraction and transportation of said materials to the customer. The main novelty with respect to the calculation of previous years is that it has been possible to include the carbon footprint values of the suppliers of the most important raw materials.
Commitment to sustainable operations and ensuring a responsible value chain is a reality that has become consolidated in the company. In this regard, in 2021, ELIX Polymers continued to move forward in the commitments established in its strategy related to operations and the supply chain. Thanks to this, in 2022 a sustainability assessment was performed on all the company’s suppliers through the Ecovadis digital platform.
Four lines for a sustainable vision
The advances described in the company’s report fall within the framework of its 2020-2025 Sustainability Action Plan which the company started to apply in 2021. This plan is supported by four strategic lines that are in keeping with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
- Implementing ethical values
- Promoting the transition to a circular economy
- Minimising our ecological footprint
- Continuing to promote human development
and its operational goals, which include:
- Investment in R&D and technology by establishing projects to improve circularity and sustainable products.
- Assessment of the suppliers based on their environmental and social performance.
The scope of application of the above lines is extended across the entire value chain, from raw material extraction to the end consumer. All the foregoing is in accordance with the sustainable vision of ELIX Polymers up to the year 2030.
Further information is available in the 2021 Sustainability Report and the editions of previous years here.