Sustainability at Azelis

Taking action together

Sustainable behaviors and solutions are vital. For the health of our planet and society, and for the prosperity of Azelis. 

Together we will continue to build a resilient, thriving and responsible business. We will meet the needs of our stakeholders, whilst also creating a positive and widespread impact on the environment and communities around the world. Future generations need sustainable action now.  

Through 'Action 2025', our sustainability strategy, we want to be the world-leading distributor of sustainable solutions and services in the specialty chemicals distribution industry.

It is our vision to fulfill our role as a specialty chemical service provider by empowering the sustainability aspirations of our principals and customers into innovative sustainable solutions.

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Azelis obtained #1 ESG industry ranking from Sustainalytics in June 2023
Sustainalytics

In June 2023, Azelis has received a score of 11.9 which puts Azelis in the category of ‘Low risk’ and places the company in the 5th percentile of over 15.600 companies assessed by Sustainalytics.

With the new ESG Risk Score of 11.9, Azelis has managed to bring its ESG Risk Score down by 0.5 points compared to its latest assessment in 2022. This score puts Azelis in first place in its industry ranking at the time of assessment (end of June 2023), confirming its strong performance across a broad range of ESG metrics.

Read the full press release here

Action 2025, our sustainability strategy

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People

Azelis employs more than 3,800 people across the world in 63 countries. We value highly competent, forward-looking talents with a passion for entrepreneurship. As an integrated international group, we provide an opportunity for professional growth and progress as Azelis continues to grow and develop. 

People

We will be recognized as a global employer of choice for our industry.

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Employee attraction, development and retention

  • 75 points score for ‘engagement’ and  ‘loyalty’ in ESS
  • 10% of employees in the company ‘Talent Pools’.

Diversity and inclusion

  • 100% of line managers will be trained in  diversity and inclusive leadership.
  • 30% of senior management positions will  be held by women.

Working conditions

  • 72 points score for ‘working conditions’  in ESS.
  • 0 workplace accidents 
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Products and Innovation

Azelis has committed to the principles of sustainable procurement through a global charter for the evaluation of our supply chain. Working together with our customers for a more sustainable future, we offer the right ingredients and demonstrate innovative formulations created and evaluated in our labs.

Products & Innovation

We will be the leader in distribution of sustainable, innovative and safe chemicals.

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Sustainable products

  • In 2023, we will continue to accelerate the development of sustainable solutions and create a baseline for the future targets.

Sustainable sourcing

  • 80% of our revenue covered with ESG assessed suppliers through our “Together for Sustainability” membership.
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Governance

At Azelis we operate a robust global corporate compliance program, which includes the Code of Conduct as a base policy dealing with ethical business behavior. Any alleged violations of policies and procedures in relation to ethical business behavior are dealt with by the HR and Compliance department, depending on the nature of the case, both on a regional and a group level.

Governance

We will be fair in business practices and compliant with all laws and regulations,  embedding trust and ethics in the foundation of our operations.

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Compliance

  • 0  material breaches of laws and regulations across any country in which we operate.

Ethics and fair businesspractices

  • 100%  of employees trained in policies and procedures relating to ethics.
  • 0  material breaches of these policies and procedures.

Crisis management

  • 100% of Azelis sites haveeffective crisis management and business continuity plans in place.
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Environment

At Azelis, product stewardship is key: we ensure that all our products are used, packaged, labeled, dispatched, and disposed of in accordance with the local and governmental legislation. We proactively provide the necessary advice and information to all partners along our supply chain to help them ensure their safety and health, as well as the protection of the environment. 

Environment

We will continually reduce the environmental impact of our operations.

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Energy management and climate change

  • Audit our GHG emissions and identify carbon reduction priorities.
  • Establish a roadmap for sourcing renewable electricity.
  • Agree reporting baselines and emission reduction targets for 2023 onwards.

Waste management

  • Implementation of a solid waste management strategy.
  • Establish the reporting baseline and set the targets for 2023 onwards, to further reduce non-recoverable waste. 

Environmental accidents

  • environmental accidents
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Discover our sustainability program

Our sustainability program was initiated in 2015 after the Paris Agreement on climate change and the release of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by the United Nations. We have based our sustainability program on the United Nations Global Compact (UN GC) initiative, ISO 26000 and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and it consists of four pillars: People, Product & Innovation, Governance and Environment.

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UN Global Compact initiative

Being a member of the United Nations Global Compact initiative since December 2016, we have based our program on the 10 principles of the United Nations Global Compact regarding human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. We communicate yearly on our progress to the UN. 

UN Global Compact initiative

UN GC

Being a member of the United Nations Global Compact initiative since December 2016, we have based our program on the 10 principles of the United Nations Global Compact regarding human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. You can find our Communication on Progress to the UN here
Azelis also supports the UN strategy of achieving the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. We have identified what can be influenced by us as a company and as a community and through our commitments, and with our program, we are contributing to 13 of the 17 SDGs.

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GRI

Our sustainability program and the way we report on our sustainability efforts is based on the Standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). Using the Standards of the GRI reporting allows our economic, environmental and social performance to be easily quantifiable and compared. 

GRI

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Our sustainability program and the way we report on our sustainability efforts is based on the Standards Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). Using the standards of the GRI reporting allows our economic, environmental and social performance to be easily quantifiable and compared. Sustainability reporting based on the GRI Standards provides information about an organization's positive or negative contributions to sustainable development. The GRI Standards framework consists of Universal Standards and Topic-specific Standards which contain disclosures and supporting requirements for disclosures.

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RC® /RD®

Azelis has long been committed to Responsible Care® (RC) or Responsible Distribution® (RD) programs. These are voluntary initiatives from the chemical industry for the continuous improvement of Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) standards. 

RC® /RD®

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Azelis has long been committed to Responsible Care® (RC) or Responsible Distribution® (RD) programs. These are voluntary initiatives from the chemical industry for the continuous improvement of Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) standards. We align our sustainability strategy with the Responsible Care® or Responsible Distribution® programs sponsored by national associations to ensure sustainable use of resources along with continually reducing the environmental impact of our business. 

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ACD (formerly NACD)

The Responsible Distribution Code is a code of management practice that has become the standard that members of the Alliance for Chemical Distribution (formerly NACD) in the United States must uphold. Azelis Americas has been successfully verified and audited by various 3rd-party companies and has shown to be in full compliance with all of the aspects of the NACD RD program. 

ACD (formerly NACD)

ACD

 The Responsible Distribution Code is a code of management practice that has become the standard that members of the National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD) in the United States must uphold. Azelis Americas has been successfully verified and audited by various 3rd-party companies and has shown to be in full compliance with all of the aspects of the NACD RD program. This strict adherence encourages a safer and more responsible industry regarding the health, safety, and security of our customers, our employees, our community and the environment. For more information, please see the NACD website about Responsible Distribution.

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RDC DRC

Also in Canada, we have been long committed to Responsible Care® Canada. RDC is the voice of organizations involved in the chemical and ingredient supply Chain, who champion health, safety and sustainability through Responsible Distribution®

RDC DRC

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Also in Canada, we have been long committed to Responsible Care® Canada. RDC is the voice of organizations involved in the chemical and ingredient supply Chain, who champion health, safety and sustainability through Responsible Distribution®.

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EcoVadis

We rely on EcoVadis as a trusted provider of business sustainability ratings, intelligence and collaborative performance improvement tools for the global supply chain.  The EcoVadis methodology is an evaluation of how well a company has integrated the principles of sustainability/ CSR into their business and management system. We are very proud to have been rewarded the EcoVadis Gold rating twice in a row and in July 2021 we received the Platinum EcoVadis rating, becoming the first chemicals distributor to have been awarded this rating. We currently hold the EcoVadis Gold rating. 

EcoVadis

ecovadis logo

We rely on EcoVadis as a trusted provider of business sustainability ratings, intelligence and collaborative performance improvement tools for the global supply chain.  The EcoVadis methodology is an evaluation of how well a company has integrated the principles of sustainability/ CSR into their business and management system. Their methodology is built on international sustainability standards, including the Global Reporting Initiative, the United Nations Global Compact, and the ISO 26000. We are very proud to have been rewarded the EcoVadis Gold rating twice in a row, which was an important prerequisite for Azelis’ membership of Together for Sustainability (TfS), a global initiative for sustainable supply chains.

TfS

Together for Sustainability

Azelis joined Together for Sustainability in 2020, a truly sustainable initiative for the chemical industry for the evaluation of supply chains. Operating as a unique, member-driven organization and peer-to-peer network, TfS member companies shape the future of the chemical industry together.

Together for Sustainability

TfS

Azelis joined Together for Sustainability in 2020, a truly sustainable initiative for the chemical industry for the evaluation of supply chains. TfS counts 29 members today, representing a global turnover of €349 bn of companies in the chemical industry and a global spend of €227 bn).Operating as a unique, member-driven organization and peer-to-peer network, TfS member companies shape the future of the chemical industry together. The TfS framework, which includes both TfS Assessments and TfS Audits, allows member companies to assess the environmental, labor and human rights, ethical and sustainable procurement performance of their suppliers. This, in turn, helps drive and deliver tangible, measurable improvements of their suppliers, as well as their own sustainability performance. TfS introduced its global framework and tools to create transparency around the sustainability performance of chemical companies and their suppliers, creating the visibility that would allow members to collaborate and continuously improve performance. 

BRINGING OUR GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENTS TO LIFE

Azelis Sustainability Report 2022

Azelis & sustainability - Taking action together

Sustainability animation video

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