{"id":5276,"date":"2025-05-06T11:30:24","date_gmt":"2025-05-06T09:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/geschaeftsbericht-2024.pcc.eu\/group-management-report\/sustainability-report-non-financial-report\/"},"modified":"2025-05-21T17:36:01","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T15:36:01","slug":"sustainability-report-non-financial-report","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/geschaeftsbericht-2024.pcc.eu\/en\/group-management-report\/sustainability-report-non-financial-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Sustainability report \/ Non-financial report"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe \u201cSustainability report \/ Non-financial report\u201d is a voluntary submission that contains information pursuant to Sections 289b to 289e HGB (German Commercial Code) and Sections 315b and 315c HGB. In compliance with Section 317 (2) sentence 4 HGB, it is excluded from the audit. <\/em>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEconomic, environmental and social sustainability is an important component of the PCC Group strategy and all companies of the PCC Group are committed to an ethically correct and sustainable approach in their business activities. The economic component of sustainability, i.e. securing our long-term corporate success and increasing our enterprise value, goes hand in hand with sustainability in the ecological and social senses. An understanding of sustainable development that encompasses all three aspects forms the basis of our Group-wide strategy for sustainable, valuable growth.
<\/br>\n\nExplanations of the terminology used for Scopes 1 and 2 can be found in the \u201cNon-financial report\u201d <\/a>section that follows.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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The following general objectives serve as our sustainability vision:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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PCC\u2019s sustainability vision<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe PCC Group is committed to its ecological and social responsibility. Our vision is to make a strong contribution to climate protection and sustainable development. To this end, we aim to halve the greenhouse gas emissions of our chemical production by 2030 compared to 2020 (Scope 1 and 2). We intend by then to have completely eliminated coal from our power generating activities. And we want to see our Group completely net-climate-neutral by 2050. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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How we intend to implement this sustainability vision in our business activities is reflected in our mission statement on sustainability:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPCC\u2019s sustainability mission statement\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPCC is an innovative and rapidly expanding group of companies with extensive investment activities. In order to achieve our sustainability goals, we implement all our investment projects, particularly those relating to our manufacturing operations, using state-of-the-art, energy-efficient and resource-saving technologies aligned to an ever-decreasing carbon footprint. In addition, we continue to research and develop products that meet high sustainability standards and exhibit usage profiles that offer reduced greenhouse gas emissions. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Sustainability Report of the PCC Group is structured as follows:
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  • Brief description of the business model<\/li>\n \t
  • Corporate Social Responsibility at PCC<\/li>\n \t
  • Sustainability in the PCC Group segments<\/li>\n \t
  • Non-financial report<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/strong>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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    Brief description of the business model<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPCC is a Group geared to value growth with a focus on chemicals, silicon and logistics. The Group holding company PCC SE and headquarters of the PCC Group are located in Duisburg. Waldemar Preussner, who is the sole shareholder and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of PCC SE, founded Petro Carbo Chem Rohstoffhandelsgesellschaft mbH in 1993, the nucleus of today\u2019s PCC Group. In the year under review, the PCC Group, with around 3,300 employees in 18 countries, reported consolidated sales of \u20ac 960.0 million. The majority of this revenue, around 64.0 %, was generated by the chemical-producing segments Polyols & Derivatives, Surfactants & Derivatives and Chlorine & Derivatives, primarily at their sites in Poland.\nPCC generated consolidated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of \u20ac 88.0 million. Capital expenditures in fiscal 2024 amounted to \u20ac 126.5 million, 11.2 % less than in the previous year.
    <\/br>\n\nPCC\u2019s Group strategy is geared toward sustainable growth with the aim of creating or continuously increasing enterprise value. In order to enable new sustainable growth on an ongoing basis, we constantly
    review projects and acquisitions with the aim of competence-related diversification into new market segments. We may also only develop activities that are not part of our core business up to a certain level of
    market maturity and then make them available for sale.
    <\/br>\n\nThe largest site of the PCC Group is located in Poland, around 40 kilometers northwest of Wroc\u0142aw (Breslau) in the Polish town of Brzeg Dolny. We produce chemicals such as polyols, surfactants and
    chlorine, as well as chlorine co- and downstream products, phosphorus derivatives and other specialty chemicals there. Through the Silicon & Derivatives segment, we manage our silicon metal plant in
    Iceland. The main focus of the Trading & Services segment remains the founding business of commodity trading. In the Logistics segment, our focus is on intermodal container logistics, which we deploy
    to connect European destinations on the basis of our own transshipment terminals. Managed by the Holding & Projects segment are future-aligned projects such as our new production facility for specialty chemicals in Malaysia, which went into operation in 2024. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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    Corporate Social Responsibility at PCC<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of the PCC Group, i.e. our responsibility for our impact on society as a \u201ccorporate citizen\u201d, relates to the specific contribution we make to sustainability. The basis for our CSR is provided by the Code of Ethics and Conduct of the PCC Group. This is binding for all employees in the Group and stipulates, in particular, the high priority assigned to environmental protection and health and safety, as well as prescribing a culture of trust, fairness and reliability in our dealings with colleagues and business partners.
    <\/br>\n\nBuilding on these rules of conduct, PCC SE has established binding\nGroup-wide sustainability guidelines that define the policy framework\nfor sustainable business practices within the PCC Group:\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPCC\u2019s sustainability policy:\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    • The PCC Group is committed to an ethical and sustainable approach\nin all business activities.<\/li>\n \t
    • All actions are based on the principles of the worldwide Responsible Care\u00ae initiative. This represents the efforts of the chemical industry to continuously improve environmental protection and general and occupational health and safety \u2013 irrespective of legal requirements. <\/li>\n \t
    • PCC strives for a corporate culture in which continuous improvement,\nlong-term competitiveness and outstanding performance\nare in line with the principles of sustainable development and our\nethical standards.<\/li>\n \t
    • PCC assumes ethical responsibility for sustainable, economically\neffective, ecologically sound and fair business practices.<\/li>\n \t
    • The Group\u2019s social responsibility is an integral part of our corporate philosophy.<\/li>\n \t
    • All employees of the PCC Group are trained according to their\nfunction, authority and qualifications to assume the responsibilities\nincumbent upon them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      For PCC, CSR means in particular taking appropriate and responsible\naccount of the concerns of all stakeholders at all Group sites.\nAs an international group of companies operating in many different\nmarkets, PCC maintains in some cases very close relationships\nwith a wide variety of interest groups: Aside from our employees\nfrom various cultures, these include our customers, suppliers and\nother business partners, the residents neighboring our 41 locations\nin 18 countries, the private subscribers to bonds issued by PCC SE,\ninstitutional investors and banks, not to mention government and\npublic institutions such as regulatory authorities or universities. \n

      An important principle of our CSR is open and transparent communication with our stakeholders. For example, we present our quarterly and annual reports to our investors live in internet-based interactive investor conferences. In late fall, we traditionally hold information evenings in several major German cities, these events having only been suspended for two years during the coronavirus pandemic for safety reasons. At these evening engagements, the members of the Group\u2019s Executive Board provide investors, bondholders and stakeholders with information covering the latest business developments, taking questions from the audience and making themselves available for personal discussions. In addition, we also invite our investors to PCC Investor Days at our Group headquarters in Duisburg every few years, most recently in June 2024 when we welcomed more than 1,000 guests. \n

      The extended principles of CSR within the PCC Group include the rejection of all forms of corruption and discrimination, unconditional respect for human rights, a commitment to fair working conditions, and compliance with high safety standards for all our employees, as well as fulfillment of all environmental requirements. We take ownership of socially accepted standards, thereby underpinning them further. We also commit to compliance with standards that go beyond general CSR norms, for example by having the PCC production companies participate in environmental protection initiatives such as the Carbon Disclosure Project, the United Nations Global Compact or the chemical industry\u2019s Responsible Care\u00ae initiative. \n

      The Group management assumes responsibility for our strategic\npositioning and mission statements relating to Group-wide areas of\nimportance, such as transparency in communication with our investors.\nMeanwhile, the individual Group segments and business units\nserve as the actual drivers of the dialog with diverse interest groups\nat our different sites. It is they who implement our sustainability\nstrategy in practice. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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      Sustainability in the PCC Group segments<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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      \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSustainability in the chemical-producing segments<\/strong>
      \nSustainability in the chemical-producing segments\nWe are increasingly strengthening our commitment to sustainability\nin the Group segments operating in the chemicals production\nsector (Polyols & Derivatives, Surfactants & Derivatives and Chlorine\n& Derivatives). We continue to improve the efficiency of our\nproduction facilities, protecting the climate and the planet\u2019s limited\nnatural resources through the adoption of particularly energy-saving\ntechnologies and the increased use of renewable raw materials.\nTake surfactants, for example: Our surfactant production facility in\nPoland is one of the most advanced in Central and Eastern Europe.\nOur Group company PCC Exol SA, the surfactant manufacturer of\nthe PCC Group, was the first company in Poland to have implemented\nand registered to the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)\nsystem certified by the European industry association EFfCI. The\ncompany also participates in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP),\nwhich involves reporting on its environmental impact. In addition, we use the raw material palm kernel oil for our surfactant production which is obtained sustainably in Ghana, West Africa. The palm kernels required for our organic production there are not harvested\non large plantations, but are collected from small farmers. 300\nsmallholders who regularly supply our company with palm kernels\nare currently undergoing a regular certification phase by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). In addition, the Group companies\nPCC Exol SA and PCC Consumer Products Kosmet Sp. z o.o. are\nRSPO-certified.
      <\/br>\n\nPCC Rokita SA, the largest PCC company and one of the biggest chemical companies in Poland, is also increasingly focusing on sustainability and is steadily expanding its portfolio of environmentally compatible and climate-friendly products. For example, chlorine supplied by PCC Rokita SA under the PCC Greenline\u00ae brand is exclusively manufactured using an environmentally friendly and resource- conserving membrane process. And we also ensure that only energy from renewable sources is used for production of PCC Greenline\u00ae chlorine. Through substantial investment in the modernization and expansion of its production capacities, PCC has, since acquiring a majority stake in PCC Rokita SA in 2003, created a flourishing chemicals subgroup that is now also an important factor for the region, for example as a major and multi-award-winning employer.
      <\/br>\n\nIn the chemical-producing segments, we realize sustainability not only\nthrough modern and efficient production methods, but also in the\nchemicals we produce. Our innovative chemical substances render\nitems and commodities that many people use in everyday life more\ndurable, safer and more environmentally compatible. They ensure, for\nexample, that hydraulic oils need to be changed less frequently and\nhomes can be insulated more effectively; they make cosmetics even\nmore skin-friendly and facilitate the manufacture of high-convenience\nfoams that are also virtually free of emissions of volatile organic\ncompounds, as well as being exceptionally flame-retardant.
      <\/br>\n\nWe underline this claim with our product portfolio of sustainable chemicals under the aforementioned brand name PCC Greenline\u00ae, which comprises around 180 products. ROKAmina K30B, for example,\nis a high-purity amphoteric surfactant that we recommend as an environmentally friendly and compatible ingredient in natural cosmetic products. To manufacture this surfactant, PCC Exol SA uses, among other things, a palm kernel oil derivative obtained from oil palm kernels from sustainably managed smallholder farms. Another PCC Greenline\u00ae product is EXOcare\u00aeTE20 Flakes MB, based on renewable vegetable raw materials, a product used in hair cosmetics, for example, to give hair elasticity and suppleness. PCC Greenline\u00ae also includes CAMOLIN\u00ae liquid soap, which is 100 % vegan, i.e. is manufactured without animal-derived ingredients, and contains at least 98 % ingredients of natural origin. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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      \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSustainability in the Silicon & Derivatives segment<\/strong><\/br>\n\nOur silicon metal plant in Iceland makes particular use of the island\u2019s rich geothermal resources. The plant\u2019s energy supply is thus covered entirely by renewable energy sources (said geothermal energy, but also hydropower); moreover, the installation of state-of-the-art filters makes the plant virtually free of dust emissions. Its CO2<\/sub> footprint is therefore exceptionally low compared to other silicon plants worldwide, a fact confirmed in 2023 by the ISCC Carbon Footprint Certification (CFC) of the greenhouse gas balance of our silicon metal. We are also working to further improve this balance by increasing the use of renewable raw materials. See also the section on \u201cMeasures\u201d under \u201cEnvironmental issues\u201d in the nonfinancial\nreport. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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      \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSustainability in the Trading & Services segment<\/strong><\/br>\n\nThe Group-internal service entities managed within this segment include, in particular, the Conventional Energies business which primarily supplies the production facilities of PCC in Poland with steam and electricity. Here, dust emissions have been significantly reduced in recent years through the installation of modern electrostatic precipitators at the PCC cogeneration plant located at the Brzeg Dolny chemical site. As a CHP facility, this plant not only supplies energy for PCC\u2019s chemical production, but also provides a large proportion of the households in the town with district heating. In Poland, the coal-fired heating of homes still predominates, as was also the case in Brzeg Dolny prior to PCC commencing its supply operations. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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      \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSustainability in the Logistics segment<\/strong>
      \nThe mainstay of our Logistics segment is the intermodal container\ntransshipment business. We run combined transport operations\nthroughout Europe on the basis of five wholly-owned container\nhandling terminals in Poland and Germany, facilities that have been\ngreatly expanded and modernized in recent years. We therefore efficiently\ncombine environmentally friendly rail and flexible road transport,\nthus supporting the transfer of traffic from road to rail in line\nwith demands expressed by the European Union. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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      \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSustainability in the Holding & Projects segment<\/strong>
      \nIn the Holding & Projects segment, we manage, in particular, the Renewable\nEnergies business, which focuses on the construction and\noperation of small hydropower plants that are exceptionally environmentally\nfriendly due to their relatively low impact on nature. Six\nof these power plants, five in North Macedonia and one in Bosnia\nand Herzegovina, have so far been connected to their respective
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      \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tInitiatives and certifications<\/strong>
      \nPCC affiliates are involved in a whole range of certification procedures and initiatives. For example, our chemical-producing companies PCC Rokita SA, PCC Exol SA and PCC Synteza S.A. all participate\nin the chemical industry\u2019s global Responsible Care\u00ae initiative. Our production companies have also received several awards for their sustainability and can point to high ratings and rankings in this domain.\nFor example, two of our companies were awarded Gold certification in the renowned EcoVadis sustainability assessment: PCC Exol SA (2024) and PCC MCAA Sp. z o.o. (2023). PCC Rokita SA (2024)\nand PCC BakkiSilicon hf. (2024) achieved silver status. The commitment of the Group holding company PCC SE to sustainability is underscored by its participation in the Renewable Carbon Initiative. The main certifications and initiatives assigned the five sustainability aspects of non-financial reporting are indicated in the following. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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      Non-financial report<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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      \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIn compliance with Germany\u2019s CSR Directive Implementation Act\n(CSR-RUG) adopted on April 19, 2017, the PCC Group has published\nannually since fiscal 2017 a voluntary non-financial report pursuant\nto Sections 315b and 315c in conjunction with Sections 289c to\n289e HGB (German Commercial Code). PCC SE presents its non-financial\nreport as an integral part of the annual Group management\nreport. Unless otherwise stated, the performance indicators relate\nto the companies included in the scope of consolidation. No adjustments\nare made in respect of the previous year to reflect changes to\nthe scope of consolidation in the year under review.
      <\/br>\n\nThis non-financial report is based on the requirements of the German\nSustainability Code [DNK] and summarizes the key facts on\nthe five aspects specified, namely environmental issues, employee\nissues, respect for human rights, social issues and the fight against\nbribery and corruption.
      <\/br>\n\nIn addition, the general section of this non-financial report describes\nmeasures and initiatives of the PCC Group and individual companies\nthat demonstrate our Group\u2019s multifaceted commitment to our social\nresponsibility as a corporate citizen.
      <\/br>\n\nIn the following we provide a report on the guidelines, risks, measures\nand goals as well as the key non-financial indicators for each of\nthe five sustainability aspects mentioned. Our approach here is to\npresent the PCC Group as a whole; hence we refrain from mentioning\nindividual affiliates.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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      What do we mean when we talk about Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions?\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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