Altair Chimica participates to the Sustainability Report of the Tuscan chemical sector

Essential for the region of Tuscany, although its main use is in the supply of intermediate goods, the chemical sector supports and promotes numerous production chains, transferring innovation and competitiveness and keeping most of the economic wealth produced within the region.

Altair Chimica, together with 18 other companies of the Tuscany region, voluntarily reported its economic, social, and environmental data through the Sustainability Report (the latest available is for 2021, created in 2022), which shows the absolute value of the Tuscan chemical sector.

Economic sustainability

Thanks to their ability to effectively combine available resources, chemical sector companies can enhance the distinctive characteristics of local products and services, thus promoting sustainable development. In particular, the economic value generated in 2021 was €3.1 billion.

Regarding Altair Chimica, all employees received a 5% salary increase starting in January 2023, thanks to a decision made by the shareholders of ESSECO GROUP, of which Altair Chimica is part of, communicated by their CEO, Ing. Francesco Nulli (for more information, read here). This is not the first time Esseco’s shareholders have made this kind of decision, as they had already decided last summer to increase the one-off contribution as the pay range decrease to deal with the increase of the cost of living resulting from the international crisis.

Due to its innovative vision, Altair Chimica embodies a structure which is projected towards the future, capable of offering high-quality products and services for the benefit of economic sustainability, the industrial world, and society as a whole.

Social sustainability

Chemical industry companies in Tuscany are committed to collaborating with all their stakeholders, creating lasting relationships based on mutual respect and trust in order to integrate their expectations into business strategies. It is essential to emphasize safety, health, protection of workers’ rights, and job security, but also to invest in relationships with the community and institutions.

There are 4,533 employees, of whom 92% have permanent contracts, and almost 12% are female, exceeding 20% for managerial positions. In 2021, almost 80,000 hours of training were provided to employees, and 49 partnerships were formed with schools and universities.

Thanks to the choice of entrusting positions of responsibility to qualified professionals, Altair Chimica has achieved exceptional results in the chemical industry landscape, with around 50% of women managers occupying top positions in the company. This characteristic makes Altair Chimica a reference point for the sector. This presence is particularly strong in areas related to sustainability, with roles such as the essential role of Energy Manager, held by Ing. Annalisa Montagnani, who can have a strong and effective impact on company performance by promoting a rapid transition to the use of an increasing share of renewable energy.

Environmental Sustainability

Respect for the environment is one of the pillars of sustainability strategies for chemical companies. It is widely believed that the growth and development of businesses should prioritize the constant reduction of environmental impacts and the search for innovative solutions to improve resource usage.

In 2021, the costs incurred by companies in the sector for the supply of electricity, fuels, and steam amount to approximately €300 million, which represents about 10% of the production value. Another interesting fact concerns recycling activities: 76% of the waste produced by the Tuscan chemical sector is recycled, while the recycled water volume amounts to 2.3 million cubic meters.

In this context, Altair Chimica, which has always been committed to researching and developing sustainable technologies for cutting-edge production, pays the utmost attention to environmental sustainability and invests directly in energy self-production, both through cogeneration plants and solar panels. In recent years, the overall efficiency of these plants has been close to the theoretical maximum value, around 90% (for more information, read here).

Overall, the company has been able to meet over 70% of its energy needs through self-production and long-term contracts for the supply of energy from renewable sources, directly investing with leading companies in the construction of large photovoltaic and soon wind power plants.

Sustainability as a driver of the future

In a scenario in which the cost of electricity is constantly increasing, for companies in the chemical sector, which are naturally energy-intensive, the transition to renewable energy sources becomes an essential competitive factor, but at the same time, it represents a very concrete contribution to combating climate change. This transition will require an increasing number of resources in the coming years: in this sense, the Tuscan chemical industry can represent a sector which is rich in job opportunities for young people.

At the following link, you can read the 2021 Sustainability Report (ITA) for the Tuscan chemical sector: https://stage.altairchimica.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Brochure-di-sintesi-Bilancio-Sostenibilita-Chimico-Toscano-2021_compressed.pdf