Product stewardship
We work tirelessly to manage and minimize all possible adverse effects of our products on people and the environment, across the entire value chain.
Safeguarding our people and the planet
Leading by example
Our operations
At DSM we take our responsibilities seriously - whether it’s looking after our 23,000 people, or the planet we all share.
Our people
Safeguarding, nurturing and developing our increasingly diverse 23,000-strong workforce is a top priority for DSM. In fact, today our employees represent around 100 nationalities (a huge transformation from 2001 when nearly half our people were Dutch).
Safety
At DSM we aim to continue reducing the Frequency Index of Recordable Injuries - which is based on the number of fatalities, lost or restricted workday cases or medical treatment cases per 100 DSM employees and contractors in one year. The goal is to reduce frequency by 50% or more by the year 2020 compared to 2010 (an index score that is less than or equal to 0.25 in 2020, compared to the 0.57 achieved in 2010). In 2018, the Frequency Index of all DSM Recordable Injuries improved from 0.36 to 0.33, with the majority of our sites being injury-free.
Helping with this are our Life Saving Rules; our Safety, Health & Environmental (SHE) policy; various ongoing process improvements and competency training; and the day-to-day fostering greater safety awareness.
Health
We also invest heavily in the health of people – through our Vitality@DSM global employee health management program, which addresses the importance of healthy lifestyle choices. So far more than 15,000 DSM people worldwide have benefitted from Vitality@DSM, which in turn helps them benefit society.
Inclusion & Diversity
For a science company like DSM, diversity of backgrounds, experiences, cultures and opinions is essential if we want to achieve our united purpose of creating brighter lives for all. There are many aspects of inclusion & diversity that matter to DSM, including age, nationality, culture, ethnic background, gender and religion (to name but a few).
Our Environmental Footprint
Responsibility for our operations covers some 200 DSM sites and offices in nearly 50 countries (and even extends to our suppliers, customers and end-users - for example through our Brighter Living Solutions).
DSM is committed to being transparent about its sustainability performance. The company has set ambitious sustainability aspirations company-wide. Our new target, announced in 2018, is a 30% absolute reduction of our scope 1 + 2 emissions by 2030 versus our 2016 baseline. This is below a 2°C pathway.
We will achieve this target through a wide-ranging number of actions across all our operations, including:
- renewable electricity: 50% of purchased electricity to be sourced from renewables by 2025, increasing to 75% by 2030
- energy efficiency improvement: an average year-on-year improvement of at least 1% until 2030.
DSM’s progress towards other environmental footprint reductions targets is published in the company’s Annual Report.
Key environmental indicators 2018
The table below shows DSM’s footprint for key environmental indicators in 2018.
Divestments are reported to the last full year with DSM. Acquisitions are reported at the latest in the year following the first full year after acquisition, due to the required alignment of reporting processes and systems.
- Greenhouse Gas
- Energy
- Waste
- Water
- Emissions and Various
| (x million tons) | 2018 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|
| Total CO2e emissions (Scope 1 and 2) - Market based | 1.23 | 1.50 |
| Total Scope 1 CO2e emission | 0.76 | 1.03 |
| - Direct fuels Scope-1 CO2e emissions | 0.73 | 0.99 |
| - Non-fuel Scope 1 CO2e emissions | 0.03 | 0.04 |
| Total Scope 2 CO2e emissions | 0.47 | 0.47 |
| (in TJ) | 2018 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|
| Total (net) primary energy consumed | 20,800 | 23,400 |
| Total electricity purchased | 3,910 | 3,870 |
| - Purchased non-renewable electricity | 2,300 | 3,040 |
| - Purchased renewable electricity | 1,610 | 825 |
| Total electricity self-generated | 1,600 | 1,910 |
| - Non-renewable electricity self-generated | 1,590 | 1,900 |
| - Renewable electricity self-generated | 15 | 12 |
| - Non-renewable electricity, exported | 546 | 673 |
| - Renewable electricity, exported | 0 | 1 |
| Non-renewable fuel consumption | 11,900 | 14,800 |
| - Coal consumed | 1,080 | 3,780 |
| - Diesel/gas oil consumed | 255 | 190 |
| - Natural gas consumed | 9,770 | 9,980 |
| - Other non-renewable fuel consumed | 798 | 805 |
| Renewable fuel consumption | 285 | 294 |
| - Biogas consumed | 128 | 118 |
| - Biomass consumed | 0 | 0 |
| - Other renewable fuel consumed | 157 | 176 |
| Total heat purchased | 2,570 | 1,630 |
| - Non-renewable heat, purchased | 2,540 | 1,630 |
| - Renewable heat, purchased | 28 | 0 |
| Total heat self-generated | 7,480 | 8,970 |
| - Non-renewable heat self-generated | 7,280 | 8,740 |
| - Renewable heat self-generated | 208 | 225 |
| Total heat exported | 715 | 769 |
| - Non-renewable heat exported | 662 | 722 |
| - Renewable heat exported | 52 | 46 |
| (in tons) | 2018 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|
| Recycled waste (%) | 83% | 85% |
| Total process related non-hazardous waste | 110,000 | 123,000 |
| - (Land)Farming | 60 | 610 |
| - Landfill | 17,900 | 15,800 |
| - Off-site incineration with heat recovery | 7,660 | 6,390 |
| - Off-site incineration without heat recovery | 3,190 | 5,210 |
| - Off-site recovery | 80,700 | 95,400 |
| Total process related hazardous waste | 81,800 | 66,500 |
| - Landfill | 2,830 | 2,600 |
| - Off-site incineration with heat recovery | 24,700 | 19,600 |
| - Off-site incineration without heat recovery | 8,980 | 3,910 |
| - Off-site recovery | 45,300 | 40,400 |
| Non-process related waste | 26,900 | 8,420 |
| - (Land)Farming | 40 | 10 |
| - Landfill | 5,940 | 1,890 |
| - Off-site incineration | 200 | 980 |
| - Off-site recovery | 20,700 | 5,540 |
| (x 1000 m3) | 2018 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|
| Total Water Use | 114,000 | 114,000 |
| Total Water Consumption | 22,100 | 23,400 |
| - Ground water consumption | 7,290 | 7,390 |
| - Potable (tap) water consumption | 9,940 | 11,100 |
| - Surface water consumption | 4,850 | 4,960 |
| COD (x 1000 tons) | 2,240 | 2,680 |
| (in tons) | 2018 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|
| VOC | 4,880 | 6,680 |
| SO2 | 90 | 270 |
| NOX | 510 | 750 |
| Number of non-monetary sanctions | 6 | 4 |
| Total monetary value of fines (€) | 23,500 | 128,000 |
Related links
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Stakeholder engagement
With its scientific resources and knowledge DSM has a unique opportunity to influence and shape the sustainability agenda, but we cannot do it alone.
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Brighter Living Solutions
DSM’s Brighter Living Solutions are profitable products and innovations that have a measurably better impact on the planet and people.