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Imerys

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Imerys S.A.
Company typeSociété Anonyme
Euronext: NK
CAC Mid 60 Component
ISINFR0000120859 Edit this on Wikidata
IndustryMining
Founded1880 (1880)
Headquarters
Paris
,
France
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
  • Alessandro Dazza (CEO)
  • Patrick Kron (President, Chairman of the Board)
ProductsSpecialty minerals
RevenueIncrease €4.590 billion (2018)[1]
Increase €562 million (2018)[1]
Increase €357 million (2018)[1]
Total assetsIncrease €7.594 billion (2018)[1]
OwnerBelgian Securities BV (53.91%)
Blue Crest Holding SA (4.86%)
Others (41.00%)
SubsidiariesCalderys
Websitewww.imerys.com

Imerys S.A. is a French multinational company which specialises in the production and processing of industrial minerals. It is headquartered in Paris and is a constituent of the CAC Mid 60 index.

Imerys has operations in over 40 countries and over 16,000 employees.[2] It extracts and processes rocks and minerals for of customers in the manufacturing and construction industries.

Groupe Bruxelles Lambert is the largest shareholder of Imerys.

History

The company was founded in 1880 and for many years was known as Imetal.[3] It was founded by the Rothschild family, combining a few of their many subsidiaries in the metals and mining industries.[4]

The group's original activity was mining and transforming nickel. Its original name was Société Penarroya—Le Nickel (SLN). In the 1970s, the Group diversified and expanded its business. A holding company was created under the name of Imetal.

In 1980 Imétal absorbed the Société Mokta El Hadid, which was renamed Compagnie française de Mokta (CFM).[5]

Since 1997, the company has transformed into a producer of speciality minerals, under the impetus first of Patrick Kron, who has since become the chief of Alstom, and then Gérard Buffière.

Business organization and operations

Locations

Imerys’ headquarters are located in Paris. Imerys is based in over 40 countries and has 230 industrial sites[citation needed]. The group operates across the Americas, Europe Middle East Africa (EMEA) and Asia-Pacific (APAC).[citation needed]

The company's North American Operations are headquartered in Roswell, Georgia,

Other major offices are located in Kifisia, Athens, Greece, Shanghai, China and Nagpur, India.

Innovations & awards

The Imerys china clay works in Bugle, Cornwall, United Kingdom

Imerys has developed a new diversification and acquisition strategy that puts the onus on innovation,[6] by increasing R&D capacities, for instance producing more lithium-ion batteries (predicting a surge in the electric vehicle market) and storage products for renewable energies.[7] [8]

In 2017, Imerys Minerals received the Natural England Award for Landscape-scale Restoration in the Biodiversity Category, recognition for a large-scale project recreating close to 2,000 acres of lowland heathland in Cornwall.[9] Imerys is bidding to develop one of the ten eco-towns proposed for construction in England. Planned for the site of former china clay mines in Cornwall, the project has the provisional title St Austell and Clay Country Eco-town. [citation needed]

In 2019, the group launched over 100 new products.[7]

IMA Europe Awards

In 2012, S&B Industrial Minerals S.A. (now Imerys Greece) was awarded the IMA-Europe 2012 Recognition Award for their project illustrating “how the company has succeeded in reducing overall energy consumption by exploiting Milos island climate conditions for bentonite pre-drying”.[10]

In 2014, Imerys Filtration won the Industrial Minerals Association award on Innovation for its product ImerPlast, a mineral-based solution which they claim enhances the recycling rates for polymers.[10]

The IMA 2014 Recognition Award on Public Awareness, Acceptance and Trust was granted to Imerys Minerals Ltd in the UK for their project “Building Trust with Communities”.[10]

In 2016, Imerys Filtration won the same award for ImerCare P-Scrub™, an environmentally friendly perlite-based alternative to plastic microbeads.[10]

In 2018, Imerys Filtration won the Industrial Minerals Association Innovation award for Imergard WP™, its malaria-fighting perlite-based innovation.[10]

Minerals

Imerys is the leading world provider for many minerals[citation needed] and has acquired a large portfolio of over 30 mineral resources.[citation needed]

Corporate social responsibility

In the twenty-first century, Imerys started multiplying initiatives to increase efforts in corporate social responsibility (CSR) both internally and across the world.

SustainAgility and commitment to sustainable development goals

Imerys launched the Group program SustainAgility in 2018 to drive engagement and contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, aimed internally for its teams and externally, at both local and global levels. The program’s goals are structured around three main areas and six pillars: “Empowering our people” (safety & health, human capital), “Caring for our planet” (environmental stewardship, climate change) and “building the future” (business conduct, product management).[citation needed]

CSR Reporting

Imerys’ program SustainAgility follows a number of reporting principles outlined by the group’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program. The group CSR program is based on frameworks such as the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) Sustainability Reporting Guidelines (“Core” option), the United Nations Global Compact, the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Guidelines (OECD), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 26000 and the International Labor Organization (ILO) Fundamental Conventions. (Imerys CSR Reporting Principles, 2019)

EcoVadis

On 4 September 2020, Global business sustainability assessor EcoVadis awarded Imerys a platinum label, the highest recognition possible “for its continuous improvement efforts in corporate social responsibility”.[11] (Imerys press release)

Commitments and partnerships

In order to enforce environmental stewardship, the group implemented environmental management systems (EMS) at Imerys sites and has formed environmental and scientific partnerships.

French Museum of Natural History and Act4Nature

As a major French player, Imerys has made biodiversity preservation a priority in its roadmap and implements initiatives to integrate biodiversity into its mining projects.

On 28 May 2018 Imerys signed a convention for collaboration, research and expertise with the UMS 2006 Patrimoine Naturel,[12] and other organizations the National Museum of Natural History, France, the French Agency for Biodiversity (now the French Office for Biodiversity) and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).[13] The partnership of three years is meant to help Imerys structure a global plan for diversity preservation.[14]

The convention centers around “the knowledge and conservation of biodiversity” and relies on four main pillars: site analysis and identification of best practices, sharing expertise, methodology and tools, participating in and supporting innovation, and highlighting research findings, which includes raising awareness and informing personnel.[13]

The UMS Patrimoine Naturel offers its scientific expertise, support, advice and methodological tools to support Imerys in the development of an action plan and commitment project that is aligned with the objectives of the National Biodiversity Strategy (SNB) and Act4Nature.[14] The aim of this program is to develop and deploy methodological tools to characterize and assess biodiversity on Imerys sites in France and abroad, in order to ensure that biodiversity is taken into account during all phases of a mining project.[14] In October 2020 the program was officially renewed, taking effect in June 2021 for another three years.[15] (Imerys press release)

Since 2018, Imerys has also joined Act4Nature international, an initiative launched on 10 July 2018 by the Entreprises pour l’environnement (EpE), the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)’s Global Network partner in France.[16] The group has committed to taking concrete measures to integrate efforts to preserve biodiversity in their operations, over the period 2020-2024.[17] [15] (Imerys’ commitments to Act4Nature international)

UN Global Compact

On 10 April 2020, Imerys reaffirmed its commitment to the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. (Imerys press release)

The SustainAgility program is designed to directly address 9 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and Imerys publishes an annual UN Global Compact Communication on Progress. (Imerys Communication on Progress 2020)  

Carbon Disclosure Project

In 2019 Imerys was recognized by the Carbon Disclosure Project and received a score of B for the group’s efforts on Climate Change.[18] The group affirms this grade is higher than the european average and the mining industry average (both grade C).[19] (Imerys Carbon Disclosure press release)

Science Based Targets

Imerys has joined the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), which “mobilizes companies to set science-based targets and boost their competitive advantage in the transition to the low-carbon economy.”[20] Imerys has made a commitment “to reduce scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 36% per million Euros of revenue by 2030 from a 2018 base year. IMERYS also commits that 71% of its suppliers by spend will have science-based targets by 2023.”[21]

A summary of these goals are outlined in the Imerys Environmental Charter published on 17 February 2020. (Imerys Environmental Charter)

Imerys Talc America worker lockout

After Imerys Talc America in Three Forks, Montana unveiled plans to phase out union workers' retiree insurance, seniority, and overtime clauses, and to alter work rules and classifications, Boilermakers Local D-239 union workers did not ratify a new contract. In response, Imerys ordered 35 union workers off the property at 7:00 pm 2 August 2018.[22] The mill's union president, Randy Tocci, stated that the company brought in employees from other sites around Montana to run the mill in Three Forks, crossing picket lines. U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) issued a statement admonishing Imerys to "get back to the negotiating table."[23] On 9 August Montana Governor Steve Bullock stood with the unionized plant employees for more than an hour, offering his support and expressing hope that the parties would return to negotiations.[24]

On 6 October 2018, in response to the lockout, Tester introduced a bill called Prohibiting Incentives for Corporations that Kickout Employees Tax Act, or PICKET Act (S. 3544 ), that would raise tax rates and eliminate tax breaks for corporations while they are engaged in labor lockouts. The bill would also raise the income tax rate to the corporate tax rate prior to the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, from 21 percent to 35 percent, for the entire tax year. Deduction of wages and benefits for temporary workers during the lockout would also be prohibited under the Act, and certain tax credits for hiring replacement workers would be prevented.[25]

On 11 October 2018, the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers released a video on a website they created, http://www.WeWantToWork.org detailing the locked-out workers' issues and calling for Imerys Talc to go back to the negotiating table to find a fair solution and end the lockout.[26] On October 25, Imerys agreed to go back to the negotiating table, and an agreement to end the lockout was reached by the two parties. The union workers ratified a new three-year contract, reclaiming most of the benefits and work conditions from previous contracts.[27]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Imerys, [1], retrieved 13 March 2019
  2. ^ "Imerys annonce le rachat de 60% du groupe turc Haznedar". L'Usine Nouvelle. 11 August 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ Imerys: History Archived 2008-11-15 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Return of the Rothschilds:the great banking dynasty through two turbulent centuries, I.B.Tauris, 1995, Herbert R. Lottman, page 299
  5. ^ "Compagnie des Minerais de Fer Magnétique De Mokta-el-Hadid" (PDF), Entreprises Coloniales (in French), p. 194, 5 July 2015, retrieved 2017-08-14
  6. ^ "Imerys successfully builds on innovation and continuity following the IKO acquisition". www.foundry-planet.com. 2020-12-14. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  7. ^ a b Delamarche, Myrtille (23 March 2017). "Imerys, de la mine au labo". L'Usine Nouvelle.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ "IMERYS développe sa capacité de production de graphite". Capital.fr (in French). 30 September 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ Eyriey, Nick (2017-11-06). "China clay land restoration award for Imerys | Business Cornwall". Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Award | IMA awards". www.ima-europe.eu. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  11. ^ "Platinum rating from EcoVadis recognises ' continued sustainability improvements". resources.ecovadis.com. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  12. ^ "Un nouvel engagement en faveur de la Biodiversité entre le Muséum et Imerys". Patrimoine naturel (PatriNat) (in French). 2018-06-04. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  13. ^ a b "Imerys: signe une convention pour la biodiversité". L'Express. 4 June 2018.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ a b c "Convention de collaboration de recherche et d'expertise avec Imerys". Patrimoine naturel (PatriNat) (in French). 2018-08-17. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  15. ^ a b "16 nouveaux engagements d'entreprises pour la biodiversité – AFEP". afep.com. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  16. ^ "Launch of Act4nature to mobilize business action for biodiversity". World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  17. ^ "Entreprises engagées 2020". :: Act4nature :: (in French). Retrieved 2020-12-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  18. ^ "CDP". www.cdp.net. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  19. ^ "IMERYS a reçu la note B dans le classement du CDD". Capital.fr. 28 January 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ "About Us". Science Based Targets. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  21. ^ "Companies taking action". Science Based Targets. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
  22. ^ Hamilton, Emma (August 4, 2018). "Talc plant workers protest in Three Forks after bosses lock them out". KBZK.com. Cordillera Communications. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  23. ^ Loveridge, Melissa (August 4, 2018). "Union employees and Three Forks community picket talc plant after lockout". Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Pioneer News Group. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  24. ^ "Montana Governor Visits Locked-Out Union Workers". U.S. News & World Report. Associated Press. 2018-08-09. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  25. ^ Abby Lynes (2018-10-06). "Tester introduces corporate tax bill in response to Three Forks plant lockout". Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Pioneer News Group. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  26. ^ Wiser, Amy (October 11, 2018). "We Want To Go Back to Work". wewanttowork.org. International Brotherhood of Boilermakers. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  27. ^ "Three-month standoff ends with new contract". International Brotherhood of Boilermakers. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
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