Arkema
Climate Impact & Sustainability Data (2007, 2022, 2023)
Reporting Period: 2007
Environmental Metrics
ESG Focus Areas
- Renewable raw materials
- Solar energy
- Supramolecular chemistry
- Industrial safety
- Product stewardship
- Environmental stewardship
- Sustainable development
Environmental Achievements
- Reduced GHG emissions by a factor of 2.5 since 1990; goal to reduce by sixfold by 2010
- Reduced CO2 emissions by 13,500 metric tons annually at Beaumont, Texas plant through energy efficiency improvements
- Energy recovery system at Fos-sur-Mer plant eliminated most steam use, saving over one metric ton of steam per hour and reducing CO2 emissions
Social Achievements
- Launched Common Ground® initiative to improve relationships with local communities
- Partnership with French Red Cross to provide first aid training
- Signed several agreements with labor organizations in France covering various areas, including employee savings plan, employee representation, and jobs and skills planning
- Created a European Works Council
Governance Achievements
- Established two standing committees: Audit and Accounts Committee and Appointments and Compensation Committee
Climate Goals & Targets
- Boost Asia’s share of total sales to 20% by 2012
- Boost share of total sales involving performance products less than five years old to 20% by 2010
- Reduce working capital to 18% of sales by 2010
- Reduce GHG emissions by sixfold by 2010
Environmental Challenges
- High energy and raw material prices
- Strong euro
- Rise of Asian economies
- Stricter regulations in the European Union
- Balancing chlorine and caustic soda production with fluctuating market demand
- Sluggish growth in the European market for chlorochemicals
- Regulatory changes reducing the use of HCFCs
Mitigation Strategies
- Consolidation plan to enhance competitiveness of Vinyl Products business
- Closing uncompetitive operations and expanding the most efficient ones
- Adapting production base to develop HFC-based mixtures and new foam substitutes
- Investing in Asia
- Targeted debottlenecking in Europe and North America
- Joint ventures with leading partners
Supply Chain Management
Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities
Reporting Standards
Frameworks Used: ISO 14001, Responsible Care Management System (RCMS)
Certifications: ISO 14001
Third-party Assurance: Bureau Veritas Certification
Sustainable Products & Innovation
- Products made from plant-derived raw materials (e.g., Rilsan® 11)
- Pebax® Rnew (thermoplastic elastomers from renewable resources)
- Biostrength™ additives for bioplastics
Awards & Recognition
- Fifth place in CAC MID100 category for Best Shareholder Relations at the Fils d’Or awards
- Second prize in Governance Process category at Swiss daily Agefi’s 2007 Corporate Governance Awards
Reporting Period: 2022
Environmental Metrics
ESG Focus Areas
- Climate Change
- Sustainable Products
- Responsible Manufacturing
- Employee Well-being
- Diversity & Inclusion
Environmental Achievements
- Reduced Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 16% in 2022 (from 2021 levels)
- Reduced Scope 3 GHG emissions by 17% in 2022 (from 2021 levels)
- 61% of electricity from low-carbon sources in 2022
- Launched Archimedes program to evaluate sustainability of solutions; 53% of sales were ImpACT+ in 2022
Social Achievements
- Launched global Well-being at Work program
- 82.5% employee engagement and would recommend Arkema as an employer
- Increased proportion of women among senior management and executives by 2 points in 2022
- Supported various educational and community initiatives globally
Governance Achievements
- Board of Directors with equal representation between women and men
- Established a Diversity and Inclusion policy
- Three specialized committees supporting the Board of Directors (Audit and Accounts, Nominations, Compensation and Corporate Governance, Innovation and Sustainable Growth)
Climate Goals & Targets
- Net zero emissions
- 65% of sales to make a significant contribution to the SDGs by 2030
- 25% reduction in net energy purchases by 2030 (EFPI compared to 2012)
- 60% reduction in COD EFPI by 2030 (compared to 2012)
- 65% reduction in VOC emissions by 2030 (EFPI compared to 2012)
- 80% of purchases from relevant suppliers covered by a TfS assessment by 2025
- Reduce Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 48.5% by 2030 (from 2019 baseline)
- Reduce Scope 3 GHG emissions by 54% by 2030 (from 2019 baseline)
- Achieve a TRIR of 0.8 by 2030
- Achieve a PSER of 2.0 by 2030
Environmental Challenges
- Supply chain obstacles and product shortages
- High raw material prices and inflation
- Energy crisis in Europe
- Reducing Scope 3 emissions (78 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2022)
Mitigation Strategies
- Investing €400 million by 2030 in decarbonization projects
- Switching to renewable energy sources (biomethane, solar, wind)
- Improving energy efficiency at plants
- Working with suppliers to reduce upstream Scope 3 emissions
- Developing sustainable products (Archimedes program)
Supply Chain Management
Supplier Audits: More than 1,800 suppliers assessed against CSR criteria by end of 2022 (TfS)
Responsible Procurement
- Together for Sustainability (TfS) initiative
- Pragati program for sustainable castor cultivation
Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities
Physical Risks
- Extreme weather events
Transition Risks
- Regulatory changes
- Market shifts
Opportunities
- Development of energy-efficient products and processes
Reporting Standards
Frameworks Used: SBTi (Science Based Targets initiative)
Certifications: ISCC+ (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification PLUS), SuCCESS™ (Sustainable Castor Specification), RecyClass
Sustainable Products & Innovation
- Elium® resin
- Rilsan® polyamide 11
- Kynar® PVDF
- Bio-based surfactants
- Specialty acrylic resins and additives
Awards & Recognition
- Top Employer certification (France, US, Brazil, China)
- Ranked third in Chemicals sector on Forbes list of best employers
Reporting Period: 2023
Environmental Metrics
ESG Focus Areas
- Climate Change
- Circular Economy
- Biodiversity
- Responsible Manufacturing
- Employee Wellbeing
- Diversity & Inclusion
Environmental Achievements
- Reduced scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 7% in 2023 compared to 2022.
- Reduced scope 3 emissions by 9% compared to 2022.
- Increased renewable electricity share to 27% in 2023 from 24% in 2022.
- Launched the Go for the Planet program to raise climate awareness among employees.
- Implemented a new pipeline to recover surplus steam at the Carling site.
- Signed major contracts for renewable electricity supply in the US and China.
- Developed a range of products made from renewable materials with mass balance certification.
- Achieved significant sales volumes of partially recycled materials (Virtucycle® program).
Social Achievements
- Launched the Caring by Arkema program, providing global mental health support.
- Improved employee engagement scores (77% fully committed, 79% would recommend).
- Ranked third in French Capital Magazine's 500 Best Employers of 2024.
- Increased proportion of women in senior management to 29% in 2023.
- Implemented new, state-of-the-art headquarters in France, US, and India to foster social interaction and wellbeing.
- Launched a new employer brand recruitment campaign highlighting soft skills.
Governance Achievements
- Board of Directors with balanced representation between women and men.
- Established three specialized committees (Audit, Nomination, Innovation & Sustainable Growth).
- Achieved Top Employer certification in ten countries.
Climate Goals & Targets
- Net zero emissions by 2050 (90% reduction across all scopes).
- Reduce scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 48.5% by 2030 (from 2019 baseline).
- Reduce scope 3 GHG emissions by 54% by 2030 (from 2019 baseline).
- Reduce net energy purchases by 25% by 2030 (from 2012 baseline).
- Reduce COD EFPI by 65% by 2030 (from 2012 baseline).
- Reduce VOC emissions by 65% by 2030 (from 2012 baseline).
- Increase proportion of women among senior management and executives to 30% by 2030.
- Increase proportion of non-French nationals among senior management and executives to 50% by 2030.
- Reduce water consumption (Optim’O program)
- Increase proportion of purchases from relevant suppliers covered by a TfS assessment to 80% by 2025.
- Increase proportion of sales covered by a Life Cycle Assessment to 90% by 2030.
Environmental Challenges
- Lower demand in many markets and customer destocking.
- Persistent inflation and geopolitical tension.
- Need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the value chain.
- Maintaining high levels of employee engagement and empowerment.
Mitigation Strategies
- Agility and dedication of employees.
- Focus on sustainable development and high-performance materials.
- Capacity expansions and new project start-ups.
- Cost and cash flow management.
- Ambitious climate plan with targets for 2030 and net-zero ambition for 2050.
- Collaboration with suppliers to reduce emissions.
- Go for the Planet program to foster a climate culture.
- Review of empowerment strategies based on internal engagement surveys.
Supply Chain Management
Supplier Audits: More than 2,000 suppliers assessed against CSR criteria (TfS).
Responsible Procurement
- Together for Sustainability (TfS) initiative.
Climate-Related Risks & Opportunities
Physical Risks
- Extreme weather events
Transition Risks
- Regulatory changes
- Market shifts
Opportunities
- Development of energy-efficient products
- Growth in sustainable construction and electric mobility markets
Reporting Standards
Frameworks Used: SBTi
Certifications: ISCC+, SCS Global Services, HQE, BREEAM Excellent, Fitwel
UN Sustainable Development Goals
- Goal 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy)
- Goal 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure)
- Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production)
- Goal 13 (Climate Action)
Arkema's initiatives contribute to these goals through sustainable product development, responsible manufacturing, and climate action.
Sustainable Products & Innovation
- Bio-based adhesives
- Recycled polyamides
- Cool roofs
- High-performance running shoes (Cloudneo)
Awards & Recognition
- Forbes World’s Best Employers
- Time Magazine’s World’s Best Companies
- French Capital Magazine's 500 best employers
- ICIS Innovation Award
- Arkema – Académie des Sciences Award
- Universum label (Top 100 Most Attractive Employers)