Our sustainability

– It’s about contributing to a more sustainable society in everything we do

Building blocks for a fossil free everyday life

96 percent of everything that is manufactured needs chemicals. They are found in all everyday products around us from the paint on the wall, to our clothes and children’s toys. The absolute majority of the chemicals used globally today are made from fossil raw materials. Sekab offers the chemical industry green alternatives on the way to an absolutely necessary transition. Our chemicals are building blocks needed to manufacture sustainable end products such as lacquers, paints, glues, plastics, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, cleaning products and packaging.

 

Sekab as part of a sustainable society

Sekab is a green chemical company and a part of High Coast Innovation Park in Domsjö, outside of Örnsköldsvik. Our research and development are prominent, and at the same time, we are taking our knowledge all the way to finished products and methods.

Certified and verified company

Sekab’s biobased chemicals help our customers phase out unsustainable products and processes. We are part of a green industrial revolution that is fundamentally changing how we produce goods and services. We create value for owners, employees, customers, and society by driving development towards a sustainable society and increasing the use of renewable raw materials and sustainable products.

We are a part of the Science Based Targets initiative, a global body that offers a methodology and framework that guides companies to set science-based emissions targets to contribute to limited global warming in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement. The initiative is a collaboration between the UN’s Global Compact, CDP, the World Resources Institute and the World Wide Fund for Nature.

For reduced dependence on fossil raw materials

Sekab is a chemical company with a full focus on sustainable business – both literally and figuratively. With over a hundred years of experience and ambitions as an active challenger, we are an important part of the necessary  transformation in the industry.

In our production facility at the High Coast Innovation Park in Örnsköldsvik, we refine and convert large quantities of bioethanol into chemical products such as acetaldehyde, ethyl acetate, acetic acid, and various blending products every week. We usually deliver in bulk volumes.

Our chemicals are green building blocks used in a range of industrial processes and products. Paints, pharmaceuticals, perfumes, cleaning products, windshield washer fluid, varnishes, and inks are some examples of the end result of our chemicals.

Our research and development is outstanding. In that work, the demonstration facility Biorefinery Demo Plant is a unique and important asset, as is our investment in developing technology that makes it possible to produce ethanol from forest residues.

Business model

Making the map greener

Sekab’s bio-based chemicals and fuels help our customers phase out unsustainable products and processes. We are a part of a green industrial revolution that is fundamentally changing how we produce goods and services.

We create value for owners, employees, customers and society by driving the development toward a sustainable society and increasing the use of renewable raw materials and sustainable products.

How we work

HELA Sekab

At the end of 2021, we adopted the strategic platform HELA Sekab. In 2022, this has been implemented and taken further.

A successful Sekab rests on four cornerstones: 

Sustainability  

Sustainability should extend through all of Sekab’s activities. Our ambition is to be the world’s greenest chemical company. Our view on sustainability is based on the UN’s global goals in Agenda 2030. Sekab’s bio-based products contribute to a more sustainable world and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Sekab should also work for social sustainability by being a good employer and a responsible and present actor in our local community. 

Efficiency  

Sekab is a company with endless possibilities but limited resources. It is therefore important that Sekab does its utmost to constantly prioritize what is most important and be as efficient as possible in our tasks. One way to achieve this is to constantly challenge ourselves and our work methods. 

Profitability  

Sekab operates in a highly competitive market. To prepare Sekab for the future, the company’s profitability is a fundamental factor. Profitability provides opportunities for development, investments and to move forward, while our owners receive a return on their investment. 

Attractiveness 

Sekab’s most important asset is our employees. Sekab should therefore be an attractive employer and partner for our customers and other stakeholders. Sekab’s attractiveness is based on successful collaborations and a strong value base, built on commitment, trust and creativity. 

Looking ahead

In 2023, work with HELA Sekab will continue. We are updating our goal documents and key figures. All activities, business
and processes will be permeated by our four cornerstones:

Sustainability  |  Efficiency  |  Profitability  |  Attractiveness

Values

Our values are an incredibly important part of the HELA Sekab aspect of attractiveness. They help us gather around, live and realize our vision. Three selected characteristics which permeate our actions, our hiring process and our inter­actions are: Commitment, creativity and trust.

Commitment

Sekab’s employees are committed

  • We value transparency
  • We help one another
  • We have fun at work together

Creativity

Sekab’s employees are creative

  • We are solution-oriented
  • We are curious and responsive
  • We work together for continuous improvements

Trust

Sekab’s employees have trust

  • We respect one another
  • We communicate clearly
  • We create a safe workplace together

How we work

Global goals and principles provide structure

Sustainability is not just a part of our company, it is the core of our entire business. Our sustainability work is based on the UN’s global goals in Agenda 2030. These goals help us sort out the sustainability aspects of our operations and take an even better comprehensive approach. In our sustainability report, the global goals provide structure by linking the seven selected goals where we can make the biggest difference to our four focus areas.

Our green chemicals are produced and sold from our facility in Örnsköldsvik. We manage our operations with the support of the environmental standard ISO 14001 and the quality standard ISO 9001. These help us both in our internal work and in describing our offering to external parties.
In 2022, Sekab joined the globally leading evaluation system EcoVadis. In our first year, we were awarded the gold status, which only five percent of all member companies achieve. Work has started during the year to connect to further independent systems, such as the Science Based Target Initiative.
Our certifications and ambitions are realized in a number of controlled documents, where the corporate-wide environmental, safety, and occupational health policy is the primary one.

Sekab also operates according to the environmental standard ISO 14001 and the quality standard ISO 9001.

Most important sustainability issues

A materiality analysis has helped us to map the most important issues for the company and stakeholders in terms of sustainability. The analysis included both internal and external stakeholders (board/owners, employees, customers and suppliers) and the results of the analysis laid the foundation for developing Sekab’s sustainability report.

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