Corporate sustainability

 

 

Respecting the environment and with the long-term goal of contributing to sustainable development, Styropan implements an Environmental Management system certified according to the ISO 14001: 2015 standard. The system ensures that at all stages of the production process of its products, the use of natural resources is minimized, the burden on the atmosphere is reduced as much as possible and significant amounts of energy are saved.

In parallel with the Environmental Management system, recycling is an integral part of the strategy in the direction of environmental protection. Either by recycling the polystyrene foam that results from the creation of thermal insulation boards and re-introducing it with the appropriate techniques in the production unit or by acting as a collection point for used polystyrene products by third parties (individuals, companies, cooperatives) to be recycled as raw material for the production of new Styropan polystyrene products.

Being committed to contributing to sustainable development and reducing the environmental burden of plastics, Styropan is a member of the Operation Clean Sweep program.

Operation Clean Sweep® (OCS) is an international program designed to prevent the loss of plastic granules (pellets, flakes and powders) during handling by the various entities in the plastics value chain and their release into the environment.

More specifically, Styropan applies the required practices at all stages of its production process, from the receipt and unpacking of raw materials to the distribution of final products in the form of thermal insulation boards and packaging boxes in the network of its partners, so that to minimize the leakage of plastic micro-substances into the environment.

 

 

In Styropan production unit, the energy forms used are heat and electricity. Many years before we have replaced the use of petrol for heat with natural gas that emits a lot less CO₂

 

The electromechanical equipment has been ameliorated and we have limited the reactive power to a bare minimum to consume less electricity. We have replaced old and energy-intensive machinery, wherever possible, with modern technology and low energy consumption devices. The production facilities and the administration buildings are designed so that they take full advantage of the natural light and limit the need for electricity to produce light.

 

In order to have the least amount of energy requirements for heating and cooling, the administration building has been upgraded by applying an external thermal insulation system and all shuttering have been replaced with new energy-efficient ones with low thermal loss capacity.

The goal for the future is to have at least a percentage of the electricity used to come from renewable sources such as photovoltaic devices or geothermal sources.

Product shipping to our company’s customers is scheduled on a daily basis, in a way that the least possible distances are covered and avoid aimless fuel consumption and pollutants emission. This is also supported by the fact that polystyrene sealing materials are generally very light (98% of the mass is air) and their shipment does not require lots of energy/fuel.

 

 

 

Styropan aims for zero impact as far as use of sources is concerned to manufacture its products.

Within this framework, constant research for possibilities of use of our products, raw materials with less impact to the environment and replacement of existing ones such as the use of raw materials that come from the recycling procedure of other products, is carried out in our research and development lab.

 

Another subject of research and development in our company is the creation of innovative products, that must meet the technical specifications required by using the least possible amount of raw materials. During the production procedure, any wasted material coming from products cutting, is collected and recycled. There has even been a comprehensive research concerning the wasted material collection so that different collecting devices are used according to size, aiming to minimize the use of energy during this process.

 

In addition, the packaging material of the products is a polyethylene plastic film, designed with the least possible thickness, so that the products are transferred and packed safely while avoiding the use of excess plastic material which is fully recyclable after dumping it.

At the same time, the water used to produce steam during production is recovered through cooling and condensation of up to 80%. Our goal is to increase this percentage and reach a point where the whole amount of water is collected and reused so that we do not contribute to the reduction of water reserve available.

 

 

The manufacturing procedure in Styropan does not produce any wastes except for air pollutants due to natural gas combustion. There are no other liquid or solid wastes as we apply an integrated recycling procedure of product wastes. Polystyrene products manufacturing is a clean and eco-friendly process, compared to other industries. The final product, whether it is expanded or extruded polystyrene, can be recycled. The same applies to polyethylene plastic film which is used for packaging the products.

 

 

Human resources are the most vital part of our company. Our goal is to eliminate any possibility of accidents at work or conditions that are bad for our staff’s health. The staff is trained for proper and safe use of machinery, all production points that must be taken care of or ameliorated in terms of safety are studied and recorded, so that we may prevent accidents. Our company’s general principle is “We only produce safely”.

 

There are strict orders and guidance from the administration to the staff to follow this principle. For example, in case of malfunction, the machine’s operation is turned off and any initiative to turn it on is strictly forbidden, until it is checked and operates again by the equipment maintenance manager.

 

In addition, all workers are encouraged to be constantly alert about safety issues and report anything that may be a cause of accident to the administration in order to avoid it by taking the necessary measures. As a result, there has never been an accident at work since the company’s establishment in 1982.

 

 

 

Styropan is a company that is particularly sensitized to any issue concerning the local community where it is located. For this reason, apart from creating new job opportunities (70% of the staff are residents of the nearby communities of Agchialos, Nea Mesimvria, Sindos, Evosmos), it aims to be a company that contributes to the regional development and supports such initiatives.

 

Some of these actions are:

• Provision of free technical support to any citizen that wishes to make changes to his home that aim to save energy.
• Visits by schools or technical educational institutes that get informed about the products we manufacture, the way they are produced, the advantages offered, the way they must be used and the recycling process.
• Initiatives for construction or amelioration of the regional infrastructure such as the construction of water sewer pipe that prevents the streets from floods.
• Sponsorships to aid student actions concerning learning and developing new technologies, such as the Centaurus Racing Team of the University of Thessaly.