Climate Change Data

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

• Circular economy
• Safety
• Well-being at work
• Sustainability
• Biodiversity
• CO2 neutrality

Environmental Achievements

• Increased waste collection to recycle metals, moving closer to a fully closed manufacturing loop.
• Developed flame retardants with wider application potential and evaluated their recyclability.
• Initiated a project to recycle PP plastic casings of lead batteries.
• 83% of sales volumes manufactured entirely from post-consumer or industrial waste.

Social Achievements

• Rolled out Behavior Based Safety program.
• Improved psychosocial well-being KPIs by nearly 50% compared to 2014.
• Campine outperforms the Belgian benchmark for well-being, safety, and health at work.
• Jobsatisfaction, enthusiasm and the intention to keep their job at Campine scored more than 10% higher than the benchmark.
• Stimulates employees to attend trainings and supports development projects for underprivileged people in the region.

Governance Achievements

• Adjusted Corporate Governance Charter in compliance with the new Code 2020.
• EU General Court ruled in favor of Campine, resulting in a refund of €3.9 million.

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

• Volatility in raw material prices due to geopolitical and geosocial tensions, trade wars, slowdown of growth in China, increasing attention to climate and environment, and Brexit uncertainties.
• Reduced volumes and lower sales prices in Specialty Chemicals, leading to lower margins.
• Drastic drop in antimony metal prices pushing Specialty Chemicals division into the red.
• Reduced demand in the automotive market impacting both Metals Recycling and Specialty Chemicals divisions due to the transition to electric vehicles.
• Lower demand in China for antimony products leading to increased Chinese export and global competition.
• Abundant supply of antimony in China creating a downward price spiral.

Mitigation Strategies

• Efforts to improve operational efficiency.
• Launched an ambitious investment program (impact to be clear in the next few years).
• Countered short-term lower demand in lead products through sales to new industrial customers and commodity traders.
• Investments in a 3rd line to recover metals from industrial waste streams (operational by end of 2020) and a new ingot line in the lead refinery (early 2021).
• Construction of a project to recover polypropylene plastic from battery cases (2nd semester 2020).

Supply Chain Management

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Transition Risks

• Climate change debate and changing demands/taxes on combustion engine cars accelerating the automotive sector's transition to electrification.

Sustainable Products & Innovation

• Recyclable flame retardants.
• Recycled PP plastic from battery cases.

Environmental Metrics

ESG Focus Areas

• CO2 impact
• waste policy
• emissions
• recycling
• training
• safety
• health
• ethical and sustainable business
• innovation

Environmental Achievements

• Achieved ISO 45001 standard regarding safety management.
• Investment of a new recycling facility included a new filter installation resulting in low emission levels (average 6% of permitted levels).
• SO2 emission per recycled ton of waste decreased by 30% over the last 5 years.
• Dust deposit in the plant surroundings reduced by 15% due to investments, operator awareness, and increased daily cleaning operations.
• Successful tests demonstrated that Campine technology can run with dismantled batteries, further enhancing material recovery rate.
• Successfully installed a new furnace to increase antimony recycling capacity and efficiency.

Social Achievements

• Launched a new “safety 2.0” program to improve safety awareness and prevent accidents.
• Annual maintenance shutdown was completely accident-free.
• No accidents involving interim workers or contractors.
• In the lead department, open lead refining pots were completely covered, improving safety, environment, health, and energy saving.
• Fixed stairs were installed at various locations to make workstations safely accessible.
• Various extraction pipes were adapted and renewed in the production departments.
• Awarded a premium to the entire staff for their dedication and flexibility during 2021 (max 500€ consumption checks and 200€ eco checks).

Governance Achievements

• Three-year review of the board’s functioning conducted to increase efficiency, improve transparency, and set strategic goals.
• Board of directors confirmed its commitment to governance responsibilities.

Climate Goals & Targets

Environmental Challenges

• Substantial workforce absence due to COVID infections or quarantine, leading to frequent production rescheduling.
• Various material shortages, mainly affecting the Plastics business unit.
• Faster wear and tear of the gas after-treatment installation in the Lead business unit, limiting blast furnace output.
• Rising raw material prices.
• Increase in labor accidents.
• Disruptions in global logistics and related cost increases.
• Boosting energy prices, general inflation, and increased service costs.
• Shortage on the labor market and search for qualified personnel.
• Ability to pass on inflation costs.

Mitigation Strategies

• Continuously adjusted purchasing tactics and sales prices.
• Implemented ‘Safety 2.0’ program.
• Proactive management decisions to keep most logistics disruptions under control.
• Passed on higher transport costs to the market.
• Utilized energy-saving plan.
• Passed on majority of energy cost increases to customers.
• Continued efficiency improvements in production methods.
• Investing in green energy production with a solar panel park.
• Digital automation of processes.

Supply Chain Management

Responsible Procurement

• Design for safe use and design for climate neutrality are integrated in the different product lines.

Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities

Sustainable Products & Innovation

• Newly developed lead alloys contributing to longer battery life or more efficient solutions for start-stop technologies in cars.
• Development of safer, dust-free antimony trioxide products (masterbatches).