Sustainability at Brenntag

Brenntag is the global market leader in chemical distribution and has a central role in the chemical industry’s value chain. This role offers huge potential for Brenntag but also entails an obligation to contribute towards greater sustainability in the industry. We are aware of our responsibilities towards the environment and society that come with our business activities and market position, and we aim to achieve sustainable value creation.

For many years now, sustainability issues such as health, safety and environmental protection, resource efficiency and full compliance with laws and regulations have been deeply embedded within our company. They determine how we interact with our employees, suppliers, customers and society in general, and have a direct influence on our commercial success.

We aim to factor in the effects of our business practices on the environment and society in our day-to-day activities when making strategic decisions. To this end, we have established corresponding standards and processes in our international corporate structures. Brenntag continuously encourages a sense of awareness among its employees for this issue and provides them with suitable training. Sustainability is therefore a basic principle which is applied in Brenntag’s day-to-day work. Our goal is the continuous global development of our sustainability strategy.

We also support sustainable development through our membership of various organizations and initiatives, and discuss sustainability issues with other players in our industry.

In order to ensure transparency on our sustainability performance and activities, Brenntag takes the standards of the Global Reporting Initiatives (GRI) as a basis.

Read more about sustainability at Brenntag, our strategy, targets and partnerships as well as our projects worldwide at our corporate website: www.brenntag.com/sustainability

Sustainability topics at Brenntag

Brenntag’s understanding of sustainability is closely linked to its own value chain. There is a range of sustainability issues that are resulting from our business activities and from our portfolio of services. These issues are relevant for all Brenntag regions and that’s why they are the major focus of our global and regional activities in the field of sustainability:

Safety

Safety is part of our corporate strategy. Worldwide, we operate in line with the “safety first” and it’s our goal to be the safest chemical distributor worldwide . This commitment encompasses the health and safety of our employees as well as product safety and the protection of the environment.

Resource efficiency

We aim to minimize the ecological impact of our business activities. Besides protection of the environment, therefore, sustainable and optimal use of resources plays a key role at Brenntag. At the same time, through its products and services Brenntag helps its customers to use resources sparingly.

Supply chain responsibility

As the global market leader in chemical distribution, Brenntag plays a key role within the industry’s supply and value chain. Brenntag is aware of the responsibility which comes with this position. The safety and quality of chemical products and services can only be ensured through the joint commitment of all stakeholders within the chemical industry.

Compliance

Brenntag has always attached great importance to the responsible, prudent and sustainable corporate governance. In all its business activities, Brenntag is committed to acting honestly, fairly and in good faith in its dealings with customers, suppliers and competitors as well as with its employees and the public.

Employees

With their expertise, their skills and their dedication, our employees are a cornerstone of our company’s success. Together with their commitment, our employees’ high level of qualification and their targeted development are prerequisites for Brenntag’s long-term competitiveness. The recruitment, retention and development of the best employees are one of Brenntag’s strategic objectives.

Social responsibility

With its more than 550 sites worldwide, Brenntag is present in many local communities. We see ourselves as part of these communities, as a “corporate citizen”, and we maintain a close dialogue with them. Brenntag and its employees assume social responsibility at a local level in various ways – by contributing funding, donations in kind, expertise and personal commitment.


Sustainability Management

Brenntag aims to achieve continual performance improvements in the key areas of sustainability. With this goal in mind, we implement, establish and optimize relevant standards and processes, raise our employees’ awareness accordingly and provide them with further training. In this way, we intend to shape our sustainability strategy at a global level and to develop it further. In 2011, Brenntag established an international team which successfully pursues the systematic development of sustainability at Brenntag. The Board of Management and regional top management support the activities of this sustainability committee. In addition, Brenntag Group’s Corporate Development department now has a sustainability coordinator who manages and promotes global projects and initiatives and who maintains a dialogue with those line managers at Group level and in Brenntag’s regions.

Our approach

GOALS:

  • “Zero Accidents and incidents”
  • Development of a “Sustainable Procurement Programme”
  • Implementation of an energy and CO2 efficiency programme

TRANSPARENCY:

  • Publication of sustainability reports
  • From 2015: annual reporting
  • Compliance with GRI standards
  • EcoVadis assessment of our sustainability performance

MEMBERSHIPS:

  • Since November 2002, participation in the “Responsible Care” and “Responsible Distribution” association initiatives
  • Since July 2015, member of the chemical industry’s “Together for Sustainability” initiative
  • Since October 2014, membership of the UN Global Compact – annual progress report on our activities