At its IV Quarterly Meeting 2025, Esseco Industrial took stock of a challenging year for…
Lower emissions, increased use of renewable energy, greater environmental transparency, and investments in safety and training. These are the main goals achieved by Altair Chemical in 2024, the year covered by its third Sustainability Report, which marks the completion of the company’s first three-year cycle of voluntary ESG reporting (2022–2024). Altair Chemical is a chemical company specializing in the production and marketing of potassium and sodium chloride electrolysis derivatives, hydrochloric acid, and organic chlorine derivatives, and is part of the Esseco Industrial holding.
“This Report tells the story of concrete, measurable results, not statements of intent,” says Roberto Vagheggi, CEO of Altair Chemical and General Manager of Esseco Industrial. “We operate in an energy-intensive and complex sector, but we have demonstrated that even in industrial chemistry it is possible to reduce environmental impact, invest in people, and improve processes without losing competitiveness.”
Altair Chemical operates in a “hard-to-abate” industrial sector, characterized by highly energy-intensive processes, through two production facilities located in Pieve Vergonte (Verbano-Cusio-Ossola) and Saline di Volterra (Pisa).
From an environmental standpoint, in 2024 the share of electricity from renewable sources reached 58% of total consumption, an increase of 72% compared to 2022. Scope 2 emissions (location-based) decreased by 26%, while total Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions (market-based) recorded a 30% reduction. These results are complemented by the recovery of hydrogen generated through electrolysis and its partial use for the sustainable generation of steam, thereby reducing methane consumption, as well as by the reuse of CO₂—also captured from cogeneration exhaust gases—in the production of potassium carbonate, further cutting emissions.
In the field of circular economy, the company was ranked among the Top 10 Italian organizations at the Sustainable Development Award – Ecomondo 2024 thanks to its ferric chloride project, which enables the valorization of industrial by-products by transforming them into chemical solutions for water treatment.
The Report also highlights significant achievements in terms of employment and safety: 99% of employees are on permanent contracts, with an average of 43 hours of training per employee, while in 2024 a 5% wage increase was applied following the renewal of the chemical-pharmaceutical collective labor agreement. The company also completed the UNI EN ISO 45001:2023 certification process, the international standard for occupational health and safety management systems, certifying the adoption of structured procedures for accident prevention, worker protection, and continuous improvement of operating conditions across all company sites.
From a governance perspective, Altair Chemical has strengthened its ESG framework through its adherence to the Responsible Care program, the adoption of a Supplier Code of Conduct, and the achievement of the EcoVadis Silver Medal, placing the company in the top 15% of businesses globally assessed for environmental, social, and ethical performance.
Finally, the sustainability journey is complemented by a continuous commitment to the local communities in which the company operates, through social, educational, and sports initiatives, collaborations with schools and local organizations, and community give-back projects, with the aim of strengthening the link between industrial activity, social cohesion, and sustainable development.
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