A UNIQUE POSITIONING THAT SERVES MAJOR PLANETARY CHALLENGES
Now more than ever, our aim as an industrial firm is to use our expertise and innovation in materials science to support the transition towards a world that is more economical, more responsible, and more demanding. That is why we provide breakthrough solutions for our clients and help them offer innovative solutions to end consumers, in response to demand for lighter materials, the management of natural resources and new energies.
Arkema’s strategy is coupled with the aim of creating lasting value for all stakeholders, as embodied by our corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy. Within this framework, the Group has set itself the ambitious target of increasing the proportion of sales making a significant contribution to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals to 65% in 2030, compared to 50% currently. It has also defined a Climate plan in line with the Paris Agreement, with the aim of cutting its greenhouse gas emissions by 38% between 2015 and 2030.
In terms of safety, Arkema’s main commitment as a responsible industrial company was reflected last year by a record low accident frequency rate of 1.0 accidents per million hours worked. Our demanding commitments and progress in CSR have been recognized by the leading non-financial ratings agencies. I am particularly proud of our recent inclusion in the DJSI World index in sixth place in the Chemicals category out of 114 companies.
CONFIDENCE
Since the low of April 2020, we have capitalized on a strong recovery in China and our presence in the construction, decorative paints and batteries segments. At the end of the year, major industrial sectors such as automotive also began to see an upturn in North America, Europe and Asia. This allowed us to return to significant volume growth of 5% in the fourth quarter.
On the strength of our high-quality innovation projects and of our increased—despite the health crisis—sales and marketing and R&D budgets, we are confident about 2021, and enjoyed a very solid start to the year, following on from the progress already made in the fourth quarter of 2020.
In Specialty Materials, we are aiming to return this year to EBITDA close to pre-COVID levels at constant exchange rates, or an increase of 10% supported by brisk sales growth. We feel that the arrival of vaccines and stimulus plans will support a strong recovery and that we are in a favorable position to benefit from this dynamic.
This confidence in 2021 is reflected by our ambitious shareholder return policy. The Board of Directors decided to return to the 2019 level with a proposed dividend of €2.50 per share. A €300 million share buyback program will be launched for the first time after the sale of PMMA has been finalized.
TALENT SERVING THE COMMON GOOD
Since our IPO in 2006, the Group has continued to evolve, resulting in exceptional value creation for stakeholders. We owe this success above all to the talent and commitment of the men and women who work for the company.
Our vision is for a truly diverse group with a wealth of backgrounds, nationalities and skills, rallying all staff to the Arkema project. Diversity is an asset that we have decided to strengthen further within the Group, aiming to have women account for 30% of senior management by 2030 and non-French nationals to make up 50% of the workforce.
Together we will continue to write the Group’s amazing story. Individual talent only has meaning when it serves the common good.
