Participation of Polski Koncern Naftowy ORLEN S.A. in the Responsible Care Programme

Description of the project
As a socially responsible company, PKN ORLEN pays particular attention to questions relating to environmental protection.

Among actions undertaken in this scope by PKN ORLEN, there are activities carried out under the Responsible Care Programme, initiated by the Canadian Chemical Producers’ Association.

PKN ORLEN is a member of the Responsible Care since 1997. In 2007 the Management Board President of PKN ORLEN signed the Declaration of Support to the Responsible Care Global Charter, which has been very welcomed by the UN Secretary General.

Five companies from the PKN ORLEN Capital Group also participate in the Responsible Care Programme.

Aims of the project
Responsible Care is the chemical industry’s global initiative under which chemical companies work together to continuously improve their safety, health and environmental performance, and openly communicate their activities.

Moreover, the underlying objective of the Programme is to change the negative image of products and manufacturing technology in chemical industry. Companies conducting such activities are frequently unjustifiably perceived as particularly detrimental for the environment.

Participants of the Programme achieve the above stipulated aims through specific declared actions to the benefit of:

• environmental protection;
• safety of conducted processes;
• protection of human health.

Location
Production Plant in Płock.

Results
By signing in 2007 the Responsible Care Global Charter PKN ORLEN, along with other chemical companies and associations from all over the world, undertook, among others, to act in accordance with sustainable development principles, and to harmonize actions carried out under the Reasonable Care Programme at the global level.

In October 2007 PKN ORLEN celebrated the jubilee of 10 years of participation in the Responsible Care Programme, as well as 15 years of its implementation in Poland. To sum up the activities of PKN ORLEN in this period in areas of the so called HSE triad (Health Safety and Environment): 92 different tasks were completed, half of which related to environmental protection, 9% to health protection and about 18% to process safety.

The year 2008 was another year in which PKN ORLEN actively fulfilled other tasks under the Programme. PKN ORLEN conducted the analysis of its activities, and provided to the Programme Office e.g. “RC Performance Indicators”, “Environmental database for 2007” and “Report on the execution of tasks in 2007”.
Results of declared and subsequently conducted activities in 2008 by PKN ORLEN in the area of the so called HSE triad are the following:

• in the scope of environmental protection: - 14 tasks completed and 8 other tasks in progress;
• in the scope of process safety improvement – 4 tasks completed and 6 other in progress,
• in the scope of health and health prophylaxis – 5 cyclic tasks completed.

Other tasks related to trade in chemicals and provision of continuous access for PKN ORLEN employees to current information in the scope of environmental protection. 

Advantages for beneficiaries

• Minimizing environmental impact.
• Improving the level of safety of employees at work.  
• Raising environmental awareness.
• Development of good management practices.
• Exchange of experiences by the Programme participants.

Scope of actions
Environmental protection, process safety, human health protection.

Term
Since 1997.

Partners
PKN ORLEN employees, local community, the Programme participants.