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MYTILINEOS GROUP
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2011 |3
The vast majority of the employees of MYTILINEOS
Group, which today number more than 2,500
people, share the same belief: That our business
excellence and growth must be governed by the
moral values and principles that keep our alliance
with society, with people and with the environment
unbroken.
Therefore, sustainable development has always
been –and still remains– key to our effort to
be the largest independent energy producer in
Greece and a strong and competitive European
Heavy Industries Group in the sectors of Energy,
Metallurgy and Construction.
In the difficult economic juncture that Greece is
facing, the Group's contribution is commensurate
with its size. We assist in the efforts to bolster
up the Greek economy, we support the Greek
society, and we strive to protect the environment,
employment and the application of best business
practices in the market.
In order to be successful in this role and to continue
our contribution, we have set ourselves short- and
long-term strategic priorities that translate our
values to actions and commitments along four key
action lines – market, employment, environment
and society.
In this spirit, we established a Corporate Social
Responsibility Committee, whose purpose is to
lay down the key directions for CSR action across
all Group Companies, within the framework
of a uniform policy on responsible corporate
citizenship. In parallel, we are also investing in our
constructive dialogue with all stakeholder groups,
through the organisation of Open Dialogue Forums
that will help us remain always in contact with the
needs of our local communities.
In particular, during 2011 our subsidiaries
organised Open Dialogue Forums, to positive
response and large attendance. Through these
Forums, METKA, ALUMINIUM and PROTERGIA
engaged in constructive dialogue with their
Stakeholders for the second year in a row.
It is of course inevitable that the crisis which is
hitting our country would hamper our business
and social outreach activities, and would make our
way forward more difficult. The lack of liquidity, the
new special taxes and the “freeze” of investments
not only create obstacles to entrepreneurship, but
are also hindering the efforts to support Greece’s
social capital.
In spite of this negative climate, in 2011
MYTILINEOS Group remained dedicated to its role
as a responsible social partner, continuing with a
tradition of social contribution and active presence
which now spans more than twenty years. This is
not without difficulties and obstacles; at the end of
the day, however, our successes and their positive
impact give us the strength to carry on.
Despite the economic adversity, MYTILINEOS
Group in 2011 generated a “social product” with
a value of €287 million, allocated to investments,
employee benefits, sponsorships, dividends and
the payment of taxes.
More specifically, in 2011 our total social
contribution stood at nearly €1.2 million, in
response to social as well as cultural needs of
the local communities where we operate. Of
special importance was our continuing support
of the particularly sensitive group of children with
a disability, as for the second year in a row the
Group was the exclusive financial supporter of
the Creative Activities Centre for children with a
disability, established and run by the Municipality
of Amaroussion.
Furthermore, combining entrepreneurship with
social contribution, we signed a pioneering
Memorandumof Understanding with the Municipality
of Orchomenos, within whose boundaries our
Company is developing three wind farms. With this
unique agreement, the first ever of its kind in Greece,
we undertook to carry out public benefit projects
and to support cultural activities in the Municipality.
In parallel, last year the Company donated
technological equipment to schools in Greece’s
periphery, thus offering valuable assistance to
local educational institutions.
MYTILINEOS Group approaches the subject of
environmental protection with equal sensitivity,
as demonstrated by the fact that during 2011,
a very difficult year, the Group increased its
environmental expenditure by 50%, carrying out
some €13 million of environmental investments.
In this context, in 2011 we delivered on our
promise to permanently discontinue the disposal
of the bauxite residues of ALUMINIUM in the
Corinthian Gulf. This was made possible through
a series of technologically innovative investments
which allow the disposal of residues on land.
Finally, it is with the same responsibility and
sensitivity that we treat our Group’s most
valuable asset – our employees. The health and
safety, training and professional development
of our employees in an environment of equal
opportunities, is for us a key priority, and is
demonstrated by the fact that during a particularly
difficult year such as 2011 the average number
of training person-hours per employee stood
at 31.5, with the Group’s total expenditure for
training standing at €1.5 million.
I would like to assure you that despite this
negative climate which the Group is facing because
of the Greek crisis, there will be no deviation in
our objectives for Sustainable Development. Our
constant pursuit of business excellence and the
significance that we accord to people, to society
and to the environment will remain our beacon
into the future.
Evangelos G. Mytilineos
Chairman of the Board & CEO
MYTILINEOS Group of Companies
Message from the
Chairman
