The Chemours Company has set out to achieve ambitious sustainable and social goals for the business by 2030.
In its first Corporate Responsibility Commitment Report, the company outlined a comprehensive commitment to environmental and sustainable methods and initiatives, combined with socially conscious programs that aim to set the bar higher in several key areas.
“Our corporate responsibility commitment (CRC) is built on three pillars–an evolved portfolio, inspired people and solutions that benefit our shared planet,” said Mark Vergnano, president and CEO of the chemical company, which makes the Teflon fabric finish, in a message in conjunction with the report. “It is a cornerstone of the company’s pivot from transformation to growth and an outward expression of who we are and how we operate.”
In the environmental arena, Chemours, headquartered in Wilmington, Del., said it is restructuring its portfolio “to deliver innovative solutions to meet growing market needs and enable us to make specific contributions to the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs).”
This can be accomplished by supplying materials that help engines become more fuel efficient, creating coatings that help keep cities cool and inventing new refrigerants that don’t harm the ozone layer or warm the planet. These can be achieved by enabling new technology like 5G communications and the Internet of Things to better connect the world, according to Chemours.
Teflon EcoElite, for example, is a plant-based non-fluorinated water- repellent textile finish made with 60 percent renewably sourced materials. Chemours recently introduced Teflon Eco Dry with Zelan R2 Plus technology that contains 30 percent renewably sourced plant-based raw materials and is focused on delivering a high level of durable water repellency.
Chemours is committed to making significant progress to becoming carbon positive by 2050, and said it is “on the way to cutting the intensity of our greenhouse gas emissions by 60 percent.” Also, the company aims to reduce its landfill volume by 70 percent.
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Goals also include improving water quality, ensuring a 99 percent reduction in fluorinated organic compound emissions to air and water. The company is dedicating $50 million to enrich communities in which it operates through supporting STEM education for all, as well as its Safety 360° and sustainable environment programs.
“This is more than a financial goal,” the company said. “It means dedicated employee time and expertise.”
Chemours also wants to improve employee, contractor, process and distribution safety performance by at least 75 percent. The company is committed to the Responsible Care initiative of the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA), which aims to pave the way to a safer and more secure future for chemistry companies. In 2016, Chemours made a pledge to the Responsible Care guiding principles and said it is on track to receive the Responsible Care Management System third-party certification this year.
As a member of the American Chemical Council, Chemours said it already practices Responsible Care at its sites. Each year, company safety experts benchmark sites against the Responsible Care metrics designed and reported by the ACC. In 2017, Chemours awarded nine of its sites with its Environment, Health and Safety Excellence Award for reaching the top 25 percent of the ACC safety metrics compared to industry peers. Chemours also said it is “devoted to inclusion” and that it will work to build a diverse workforce comprised of 50 percent women and that it’s aim is to have a U.S. employee base that’s 20 percent ethnically diverse.
And while it can’t mandate supplier behavior, Chemours said it is encouraging its suppliers to be more responsible throughout their businesses, and it’s “choosing to do business with those that demonstrate the most responsibility.”