Hempel Corporate Responsibility Report 2011

Corporate Responsibility Report 2011

Ethical Behaviour | Our People | Community Engagement | Procurement | Health & Safety | Environment 

Contents 

Introduction to the 

Hempel Corporate Responsibility Report 2011 02 

How we work with Corporate Responsibility 03 

Ethical behaviour 04 

Our people 06 

Community engagement: 

Our corporate social responsibility08 

Employee volunteering 11 

Procurement 13 

Health & Safety 14 

Environment 16 


Introduction to the 

Hempel Corporate Responsibility Report 2011 

I am proud to introduce our Corporate Responsibility Report. 

Since its creation in 1915, the Hempel Group has been 

at the forefront of companies who acknowledge that their 

responsibilities lie far beyond financial achievements and 

numbers on a balance sheet. In recent years, our customers, 

suppliers and employees have expressed an increasing 

interest in knowing more about our work within Corporate 

Responsibility. We have therefore published our first 

consolidated report as a way to provide our stakeholders 

with a better picture of the key values that drive us as 

we conduct our business. 

We believe our coatings contribute to a better world through 

increased protection and fuel efficiency, but we also know 

that our activities involve chemicals. So we must focus each 

and every day on reducing our environmental impact and 

creating a healthy and safe workplace for everyone directly 

or indirectly involved in our products. We meet these goals 

by providing quality training to our employees and through 

innovative research into new technologies – all without 

compromising the high level of product performance 

rightly expected by our customers. 

Our global presence, with activities in most parts of the 

world, has been possible because our business is based on 

the respect of each individual and every culture. 

All Hempel employees are connected through our Code 

of Conduct and our common fundamental values of Quality 

and Service. These principles support our underlying 

standard of ethical behaviour, which we believe is essential 

for a more transparent business and a better world. 

A company like ours cannot be a part of the greater 

global society without also being an active player in local 

communities. In Hempel, we believe that everyone deserves 

a fair chance at a proper education, as access to education 

is a crucial step in overcoming poverty and building a solid 

future for individuals, families and even countries. This is 

why the Hempel Foundation invests heavily in schools and 

education programmes in areas of the world that 

are especially in need. 

I hope you will enjoy this journey through our current 

and future initiatives within Corporate Responsibility, and 

that this report will give you the confidence that we are 

a valuable coatings partner. 

Pierre-Yves Jullien 

Group President and CEO 

2 Corporate Responsibility Report 2011

Ethical Behaviour | Our People | Community Engagement | ProcuREment | Health & Safety | Environment 

How we work with Corporate Responsibility 

The Hempel Group is committed to conducting business in a socially 

responsible manner and with respect for our environment and communities. 

Supplying coatings to the Decorative, Protective, 

Marine, Container and Yacht market segments, Hempel 

has 24 factories, 48 sales offices and 10 R&D centres all 

over the world. We strive to create a safe and inspiring 

workplace that also engages with the local community. 

Our Corporate Responsibility work also aims to foster a 

closer dialogue with our stakeholders, customers, suppliers 

and employees. By discussing our ambitions within Corporate 

Responsibility, we hope to build even stronger relationships 

based on exceptional business practices and ethics. 

In 2011, we established a governance structure, including 

a steering committee headed by the CFO, to ensure 

commitment from top management and alignment with our 

business strategy. At the same time, we also went through a 

process to structure our work within Corporate Responsibility 

and to ensure we cover all aspects of our business. The 

process involved representatives from top management and 

included workshops and training sessions. As part of the 

process, we analysed our business and identified six focus 

areas within Corporate Responsibility for Hempel: ethical 

behaviour, our people, community engagement, procurement, 

health and safety, and the environment. 

This Corporate Responsibility Report gives an overview of our 

efforts in each of our six focus areas. 

As part of our One Hempel – One Ambition strategy, we acquired Crown Paints 

in 2011. Crown Paints will publish its own Sustainability Report for 2011 and is 

therefore not included in this report. 

About the Hempel Foundation 

The main purpose of the Hempel Foundation 

is to own, secure and provide a sound 

economic basis for the continued existence 

and development of the business carried 

out by the Hempel Group worldwide. 

The Hempel Foundation also supports 

charitable projects of a cultural, 

humanitarian and scientific nature around 

the world, especially if they help meet 

the world’s environmental and poverty 

challenges. To make this contribution as 

effective as possible, the Foundation 

focuses on two key issues: 

the education of children in need, 

and research into environmentally 

sustainable solutions for 

the coating industry. 

3

Ethical behaviour 

Conducting business in a responsible manner, with respect 

for our individual employees and the communities in which 

we operate, has always been a priority for Hempel. 

While we ensure compliance with all relevant laws and 

regulations in the countries where we have a presence, 

mere compliance is not enough. With this in mind, 

we have launched a number of training programmes and 

other initiatives to make certain our ethics standards 

are met in all areas of our business. 

We have policies in place that cover communication, 

business ethics, management responsibility and health, 

safety and environment. 

Internal audits 

Internal audits are an important part of our commitment to 

ethical business behaviour. Not only do they ensure safe 

operations and proper working conditions, they also support 

our awareness of all the legal requirements surrounding the 

use and sale of our products. 

Each year, we carry out an extensive internal audit programme 

that ensures compliance with our company’s standard 

procedures and financial requirements, as well as our HSE 

Management requirements and other legal aspects. In 

2011 alone, we conducted more than 25 individual audits of 

Hempel companies within the Hempel Group. Each region also 

conducts its own internal audits of Quality and Environment. 

The audit reports are sent to our Executive Group Management 

Team along with quarterly reports demonstrating 

follow-up results. 



Code of Conduct and Business Ethics 

Our Code of Conduct describes how Hempel conducts 

business. A copy is given to all of our suppliers along with 

a request that they respect these guidelines when doing 

business with us. Our Business Ethics policy provides further 

guidance for all employees and includes guidelines regarding 

gifts and entertainment. The policy also covers conflicts of 

interest as well as our anti-bribery clause. 

We also provide each of our employees with a copy of our 

Code of Conduct and our Business Ethics policy when they 

join Hempel. To ensure these guidelines and policies are 

understood and adhered to, we developed an online training 

programme and test that covers both documents. Any 

employee that does not pass the test is required to retake 

it. This training programme has already been rolled out to all 

office and management staff in the Americas region, with a 

100 per cent completion rate. Over the course of 2012, the 

programme will be rolled out to the other Hempel regions. 

Anti-bribery policy 

As stated in both our Code of Conduct and our Business Ethics policy, 

Hempel is determined to avoid any form of corruption or bribery. 

The payment or acceptance of a bribe is fundamentally inconsistent 

with Hempel’s values and our high standard of honesty in 

business relationships. 

Competition law 

As part of our efforts to ensure competition law compliance, 

a number of important markets were audited in 2010 and 2011. 

These markets were subsequently provided compliance training that 

was based on an analysis of current sales, trends and Hempel’s 

position in the relevant product markets. 

In addition to the audits, European employees of the Hempel Group 

also took part in webinar-based training sessions to improve their 

understanding of competition law. Similar training sessions and audits 

are planned for the years ahead, and the programme will be expanded 

to cover the Americas, Middle East and Asia Pacific as well. 

5

Our people 

In order to achieve our vision 

and One Hempel – One Ambition 

strategic objectives, we need the 

right people on our team. Success 

in our competitive global market 

hinges on providing an attractive 

work environment that enables our 

people to grow professionally while 

making a difference for our customers. 

In Hempel, we offer our 5,000 

employees the support they need to 

realise their professional goals and 

reach their full potential. 

Recruitment 

Recruiting a considerable number of new employees in 

both mature and emerging markets is an important step in 

supporting our ambitious growth strategy. This past year, we 

implemented a best practice process and assessment tools 

for global recruitment, and we developed and implemented 

a new employee orientation e-learning programme. This 

programme provides a common introduction to Hempel in 

multiple languages, helpings us integrate new employees 

faster and more effectively throughout Hempel’s organisation. 

Performance and development 

To support the performance and continued growth of both 

our employees and our company, annual performance and 

development reviews are mandatory for all Hempel employees. 

The employee performance evaluation process includes 

goal setting, performance measurements, feedback and 

recognition. The aim is to recognise achievement, evaluate 

progress and support the continued development of 

each employee. 

Training 

Hempel Academy is our global centre for training and 

development. Based in Copenhagen, Denmark and Shanghai, 

China, the Academy develops and delivers training 

programmes for both employees and customers. The 

training offerings include paint technology, management, 

leadership, communication, finance, and sales and marketing. 

These programmes draw on Hempel’s position as a global 

organisation and our instruction methods incorporate 

e-learning, webinars, classroom training, seminars, 

workshops and personal, one-on-one coaching. 



Developing leadership talent 

Our talent programme prepares tomorrow’s leaders, fosters 

innovation and helps us attract, develop and retain the right 

people. To strengthen our pool of future leaders, the Hempel 

talent programme Explorer – Next Generation was launched 

in 2010. The programme is designed to develop general 

leadership skills as well as nurture specific competencies 

and expertise. More than 50 Hempel employees were 

accepted into the programme in its first year alone. 

Taking care of our people 

In 1954 J.C. Hempel established the Employee Foundation to provide 

financial support for people connected to Hempel (employees or 

relatives of employees) who are in special need of assistance. 

Hempel’s Employee Foundation helps those associated with Hempel 

who are suffering hardships primarily due to catastrophic illness, 

death of a family member or other similar tragic circumstances. 

Young talent 

In Hempel, we offer young, talented people opportunities to 

develop their competencies through trainee programmes in 

our main markets. For example, our China trainee programme 

admits up to 16 young graduates per year and opens the door 

to careers within sales, technical service and supply chain 

management. Each position provides a structured training 

programme over 18-24 months and valuable on-the-job 

experience that prepares participants for a career within 

the Hempel Group. 

In addition to our local trainee programmes, Hempel also 

collaborates with AIESEC (the world’s largest student-run 

organisation) to offer international internships that give 

young people hands-on experience and skills. 

In 2011, Hempel developed a new global HR system that will help streamline our HR processes 

and give us better global reporting capabilities. This new HR system was implemented in the 

Americas region in 2011 and will be rolled out in the rest of Hempel during 2012. 

7

Community engagement: 

our corporate social responsibility 

A company is an integral part of a community. And while 

all companies contribute by paying taxes and creating jobs, 

Hempel’s global reach enables us to play a larger role in 

society. Through the Hempel Foundation, we support cultural 

and humanitarian projects around the world, with a specific 

focus on the education of children in need. 

Education of children in need 

As one of the most viable pathways out of poverty, an education is the key to lasting, 

positive change for many children. And yet for millions, a formal education is well 

beyond reach. That is why Hempel supports initiatives to help teach disadvantaged 

children, who urgently need a foundation for learning in order to build a better future 

for themselves, their families and their communities. 

Children enrolled in the following education programmes supported by the Hempel 

Foundation receive a quality education that includes community outreach, parental 

involvement, teacher training, new textbooks and modern learning materials. In 2013, 

we plan to expand the number of projects in order to give even more children around 

the world access to a quality primary education. 



Pune, India 

Despite India’s growing prosperity, 

millions of the country’s children 

lack access to proper education. The 

Hempel Foundation is supporting three 

schools in Pune, a city located 150 

km east of Mumbai. The schools are 

in one of the city’s less-developed 

areas, and the improvements include 

the development of new materials for 

teaching and learning, repairs to the 

buildings and upgrades to the facilities 

and classrooms. The project also helps 

familiarise teachers with innovative, 

effective new teaching methods. 

West Bengal, India 

India’s brick-making industry employs 

millions of unskilled labourers, many 

of whom are children. These children 

have no access to playgrounds, health 

services or education. The Hempel 

Foundation is therefore building two 

new education centres for the children. 

Set to open in April 2012, the centres 

will provide warm food, healthcare and 

comprehensive pre-education. The goal 

of the project is to help the children 

learn as many necessary basic skills 

as possible, enabling them to enter the 

local education system and hopefully 

get a chance at a much brighter future. 

Alto Molócué, Mozambique 

The Hempel Foundation is providing 

support to two schools of 700 children 

each in Alto Molócué, Mozambique. 

Before the project began, the 

schools in this impoverished region 

were in extremely poor condition 

and classrooms contained up to 80 

pupils. The lack of adequate teaching 

materials, high absentee rates and 

poorly trained teachers added to the 

appalling situation. Our initial efforts 

have focused on educating the teachers 

in basic competencies, establishing 

professional school management, 

reducing the number of children in each 

class, providing new teaching materials 

and books, building a school library and 

launching reading clubs. 

Shanghai, China 

Due to China’s economic growth, 

cities such as Shanghai have seen an 

enormous influx of migrant workers 

and their families. The local school 

systems have had difficulties handling 

the increase in enrolment, and so a 

number of private schools are being 

established to help educate the migrant 

children. Unfortunately, the schools 

lack sufficient resources as the parents 

are often unable to afford tuition. 

The Hempel Foundation is therefore 

supporting five of these migrant schools 

to help these children get a proper 

education. More than 10,000 migrant 

children are benefitting from this project. 

9

Chengdu, China 

On 12 May 2008, a massive earthquake 

hit China’s Sichuan province. The 

catastrophe claimed the lives of nearly 

87,000 people and left thousands of 

children orphaned. The SOS Children’s 

Village in Chengdu took in many of the 

earthquake orphans, and the Hempel 

Foundation immediately provided 

financial assistance to the Village. Today, 

the Hempel Foundation continues to 

support one of the family houses that 

is home to eight children and their SOS 

mother. The house provides the children 

with a good home and the opportunity 

for a quality education. 

Lujan, Argentina 

Argentina’s economic collapse in 2001 

left many impoverished. And although 

recovery has been rapid, many families 

are unable to provide their children 

adequate opportunities for a better 

future. The Hempel Foundation is 

therefore supporting one family house in 

the SOS Children’s Village in Lujan, near 

Buenos Aires. The home gives eight 

orphaned or socially vulnerable children 

a caring environment, a comprehensive 

education and, most importantly, a 

fresh start in life. 

Battambang, Cambodia 

Cambodia’s modern history has been 

shaped by war and political unrest. 

Since peace finally came in the late 

1990s, the country has been struggling 

to rebuild its school system. The 

Hempel Foundation provided a donation 

to help construct a new school in 

Battambang and today the Foundation 

co-funds the school’s daily operations. 

The school opened its doors in 2009 

and is now filled with 500 children who 

are eager to learn to read and write. 

Johannesburg, South Africa 

In 1989, the first Vuleka School was 

established to help black children learn 

English so that they could go on to 

study in comprehensive English medium 

schools. Today, Vuleka Schools provide 

a high quality primary education that 

enables most students to be awarded 

scholarships for high school and, 

hopefully, university. A good education 

gives hope to underprivileged black 

children, as it is a vital step in finding 

a good job and building a better future 

for themselves and their families. The 

Hempel Foundation supports the Vuleka 

School in North Riding, Johannesburg 

and its 193 pupils. 

10 



Community engagement: employee volunteering 

At Hempel, we believe 

corporate responsibility is 

about more than our policies. 

So to stress the importance 

of taking an active role in 

our world, we encourage our 

employees to volunteer their 

time to the causes that 

mean the most to them. 

Volunteering not only 

helps out people in need, 

it’s also a unique learning 

opportunity that fosters 

personal development and 

greater social awareness 

among those who generously 

give their time. 

Here are a few examples of how some of our employees have generously volunteered 

their time and energy to make a positive impact in 2011: 

Mozambique 

Six employees – one from each 

of the regions in Hempel and one 

from Crown Paints – spent a week 

volunteering in Mozambique. The 

group experienced first-hand 

how a school project sponsored 

by the Hempel Foundation is 

helping disadvantaged children 

obtain a good primary education. 

During their visit, the volunteers 

taught English and Spanish, 

built a volleyball court and gave 

presentations of their home 

countries. They also introduced the 

children to games from their home 

cultures – a novel experience for 

these children who have never 

left their local community. 

China 

Many outdated computers that 

companies take out of service are 

still well-functioning. So Hempel 

China’s IT department came up 

with a plan to make good use of 

old computers to help children 

in need. The IT professionals 

travelled from all over China 

to Chengdu to donate some of 

Hempel’s old computers to the 

region’s SOS Children’s Village, 

which the Hempel Foundation is 

already supporting. The team also 

volunteered their time to help set 

up the machines and teach the 

children how to use them. 

Poland 

When Hempel opened a new 

factory in 2011 in Poland, our 

employees also wanted to make 

a positive impact on the local 

community. Their project, called 

“Hempel – the World of Paints”, 

taught the children about paint 

and allowed them to experiment 

with its physical properties. They 

learned how substances behave 

when mixed together and how to 

achieve the best results with paint. 

While broadening the children’s 

horizons, the project also showed 

them that the knowledge they 

gain from school is applicable 

in everyday life. A great success, 

the employees have now run the 

project several times. 

Argentina 

Employees of Hempel Argentina 

volunteered their time at the local 

SOS Children’s Village in Lujan. 

Another project supported by the 

Hempel Foundation, the Children’s 

Village is home to orphaned and 

underprivileged children from the 

region. Our volunteers spent the 

day working side by side with the 

children as they painted the jungle 

gym on the playground. This was 

a project about community and 

family, and some of the Hempel 

employees even brought along 

their own children and spouses to 

help out and join in the activities. 

11


Procurement 

Each Hempel product is made from raw materials sourced from around 

the globe through multiple suppliers. As we work with key raw material suppliers 

to develop and produce high quality products, we also strive to foster solid 

relationships built on outstanding business practices and similar business ethics. 

Supplier policy 

As a baseline when building a 

sustainable business relationship, 

we expect our key raw material 

suppliers to adhere to the standards 

defined in our supplier policy. 

The policy outlines our expectations 

related to quality management and 

safe operations in terms of the 

environment as well as employees. 

Also included in the policy is our 

expectation that business is 

conducted in a manner that does 

not compromise Hempel’s 

Code of Conduct. 

Supplier agreement 

All key raw material suppliers sign our 

supplier agreement. The agreement 

commits the raw material supplier 

to upholding our supplier policy and 

meeting international standards for 

labelling and packaging as well as 

for the safe storage, handling, and 

transport of dangerous goods. 

The agreement also includes standards 

for health, safety and environment. 

We ensure that all raw materials used 

in our products meet legal requirements. 

For example, all raw materials used 

in Europe are subject to REACH 

compliance. This ensures compliance 

not only through the commitment of our 

suppliers, but also through a rigorous 

internal qualification and approval 

process for all raw materials used 

in our production. 

Supplier dialogue 

Our key raw material suppliers are 

our business partners, so we establish 

a mutually beneficial partnership that 

is built on continuously developing 

materials and incorporating corporate 

responsibilities. In order to build a 

common understanding of corporate 

responsibility and to learn from each 

other, we have introduced dialogues 

with selected suppliers on this 

subject and related issues. In 2012, 

we will further educate our buyers 

and category managers within 

corporate responsibility topics, 

enabling us to extend our dialogue 

with even more suppliers. 

We currently assess compliance 

to standards and policies through 

a questionnaire. 

Corporate Responsibility Report 2011 

13

Health & Safety 

Hempel has long been committed 

to ensuring the health and safety of 

our employees and customers. 

Our work practices and the products 

and services we develop all support 

our role as a responsible company 

with an integrated approach 

to health, safety and 

environmental management. 

Our Group Health, Safety and Environmental policy along with 

our training programmes establish a solid framework that 

enables us to improve working conditions and reduce the risk 

of accidents and incidents. We also promote the use of safer 

materials when developing new products and we are ahead 

of schedule in our efforts to implement a new international 

standard for safety labels on all products. 

Health and safety forms an integral part of all of our activities 

related to the production and handling of raw materials and 

products in our factories and warehouses. 

Training 

Training is an important part of our health and safety activities. 

With an aim to increase awareness and minimise risks, our 

2011 training programme covered accident prevention, fire 

prevention and forklift operation. The accident prevention 

and fire prevention training programmes are offered by Group 

Compliance Management to managers and workers in our 

factories and warehouses. In 2011, a total of 103 people were 

trained in accident prevention, and 106 were trained in fire 

prevention. 

The forklift operation training programme material was 

developed in response to a number of accidents, incidents and 

near-misses that happened while operating forklifts. In 2011, 

15 of our factories and 19 of our warehouses conducted this 

training – in all, more than 500 employees took part. 



Direct causes of accidents 

60 

Number of accidents 

19.1 

Number of accidents 

per 1 million factory working hours 

17% 

10% 

13% 

38 

32 

27 

28 

33 

24 

20 

24 

23 

10.7 

12.0 

11.0 

9.9 

13.7 

10.2 

8.5 

10.6 

9.2 

17% 

9% 4% 

17% 

13% 

2002 

2003 

2004 

2005 

2006 

2007 

2008 

2009 

2010 

2011 

Accidents 

We keep detailed records of all accidents that occur in our 

factories so that we can investigate and analyse the causes. 

Over the years, we have achieved significant improvements 

thanks to awareness, training and preventive measures. 

An accident is defined as an on-the-job injury that results in at 

least one day’s absence. In 2011, 23 accidents were reported 

by our factories across the Group. When we compare the 

number of accidents to our total working hours, the level is 

quite low for our industry. But every accident is one too many, 

so we do our best to learn from these accidents and prevent 

their reoccurrence. 

Three of our factories accounted for 70 per cent of all 

accidents in 2011. These factories are now receiving special 

attention and guidance. 

Product safety 

We depend on more than 800 different chemicals to produce 

our assortment of products. Each of these chemicals has a 

unique profile, and some are safer to handle than others. As 

stated in our Group HSE policy, we actively work to integrate 

environmentally sustainable technologies and the use of safer 

materials in the development of new products and solutions. 

With this in mind, our R&D team takes a cross-functional 

approach to replace, reduce or eliminate the chemicals we 

consider least safe or most restrictive to use. 

2002 

2003 

2004 

2005 

2006 

2007 

2008 

2009 

2010 


Safety communication 

The way we communicate how to work safely with Hempel 

products is gradually changing to a new system called GHS – 

Globally Harmonised System for Labelling and Classification of 

Chemicals. The United Nations-endorsed system is intended 

to support international efforts concerning the safer and more 

environmentally-responsible management of chemicals. 

This improved safety labelling system is being gradually 

adopted by countries all over the world. We have already 

implemented GHS in China – well before national regulations 

have required us to do so. 

Safety First campaign 

In a continuous effort to reduce risks and ensure workplace safety, 

Hempel Singapore launched a Safety First campaign focused on 

reporting and learning from near-misses. It kicked off in November 

2011 with a training session for 30 production and warehouse 

operators and managers. The campaign includes our new definition 

of near-misses as well as information on how to report a near-miss 

and why it is important to report these issues. 

The Safety First campaign will be rolled out in all of Hempel’s 

factories in Asia Pacific during 2012, followed by our sales offices 

and warehouses and the rest of the Hempel Group. 

Hempel Singapore has the longest running record 

for days without accidents: an impressive 1159 days 

(as of 31 December 2011) – more than three years. 

Machinery ● ● Other 

Handling/lifting ● ● Transport/traffic 

Moving object ● ● Hazardous substance/spill 

Slip/trip/fall (same level) ● ● Fall at height 

Indirect causes of accidents 

13% 

3% 

13% 

11% 

10% 47% 

3% 

Procedure not followed ● ● Other 

Inadequate training/instruction ● ● Carelessness 

Unsatisfactory conditions ● ● Inadequate personal 

Inadequate equipment ● protection 

Part of body affected 

17% 

7% 4% 

10% 

10% 

7% 

21% 

14% 

10% 

Eye ● ● Other 

Head/face ● ● Toe/foot/ankle 

Back/neck ● ● Leg/knee 

Arm/elbow ● ● Chest/abdomen 

Finger/hand/wrist ● 

15

Environment 

At Hempel, we are committed 

to taking responsibility for protecting 

the environment through our policies 

and our actions. For us, responsibility 

is about complying with all relevant 

laws and regulations in the countries 

in which we operate, continuously 

improving our environmental 

performance and supporting 

research into environmentally 

friendly technologies 

and solutions. 

Our Group Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) policy 

requires us to integrate sustainable technologies into 

the development of new products. This also benefits our 

customers by helping them reduce their carbon footprint. 

Some of our recent innovations extend the lifetime of steel 

constructions, reduce the fuel consumption of ships and 

lower the energy and maintenance costs of buildings. 

We also have policies in place to ensure that our HSE 

management system monitors our environmental performance, 

and that we optimise our resources through recycling and 

reduced consumption. The energy we use in production and 

the generation of waste are two key areas in which where we 

are actively working to improve our environmental performance. 

The graphs in this section show the consolidated figures 

for all Hempel factories. 

ISO certification 

Our quality and HSE management systems are certified 

according to the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards. Due to 

our uniform processes and quality across our entire company, 

we received ‘Global’ certification in 2011. Now, instead 

of regional or standalone certificates, our new ISO 9001 

certificate covers more than 45 sites. In addition, our global 

ISO 14001 certificate covers more than 25 sites, and five 

sites are covered by a global OHSAS 18001 certificate. 



Total energy in kWh per tonne product manufactured 

Total waste kg per tonne paint produced 

hazardous waste other waste 

187 

183 

26.3 

161 

160 

145 

127 

131 

143 

139 

148 

22.2 

20.0 

17.2 

17.5 

17.0 

17.2 

16.4 

8.4 

8.1 

17.3 

17.0 

16.4 

16.6 

15.7 

13.7 

13.7 

15.7 

14.1 

16.7 

2002 

2003 

2004 

2005 

2006 

2007 

2008 

2009 

2010 


2002 

2003 

2004 

2005 

2006 

2007 

2008 

2009 

2010 


Energy consumption 

Thanks to energy saving efforts and a rise in production volume, our energy 

consumption per tonne of manufactured product decreased from 2002 to 2007. 

From 2008, our energy consumption has remained stable, but due to a decrease 

in total production volume, relative energy consumption has increased. 

In 2011, the opening of two modern, automated factories in Poznan, Poland and 

Guangzhou, China began to impact our energy consumption. Automation helps us 

reduce the risk of injuries that stem from manual handling, but it does lead to greater 

energy use. We are working to counteract these factors through energy saving 

initiatives such as optimising equipment usage in our production plants. 

Waste management 

Waste is an element of paint production that is impossible to avoid, but must 

be managed. Our intention is to reduce waste generation as much as possible and 

to increase the recycling of waste. Since 2002, Hempel’s waste generation is down 

by almost 50 per cent. 

We have made considerable reductions in “other waste,” which consists of materials 

that can for the most part be recycled (including packaging, metal, plastic and wood). 

“Hazardous waste” needs special disposal treatment, and each year more and more 

waste fractions are included in this category as a result of updated legislation. 

We have nonetheless kept pace with the industry in terms of our hazardous 

waste reduction efforts. 

In 2010, we changed our definition of waste to exclude waste that can be repurposed, 

which resulted in the large drop from 2009 to 2010. Waste management will continue 

to be a focus area for all of our factories in 2012. 

17

Global HSE Competition 

For the second year in a row, we held an HSE competition 

for our production units. Each factory was asked to submit 

a story that involved a safety or environmental improvement 

that reduced risk, improved efficiency or saved costs. 

Hempel Portugal was awarded first prize for its new 

cost-effective “clean-in-place” tank cleaning system that 

uses less solvent and requires less energy while improving 

the safety and working conditions of operators. 

Second place went to Hempel Bahrain for its waste water 

treatment plant that ensures a high degree of recycling when 

washing tanks used for waterborne paints. And third place 

went to Hempel Yantai for its implementation of several energy 

saving projects, including solar panels for heating water. 

HSE audits 

Audits are an important part of our Health, Safety & 

Environment (HSE) management system in our factories. 

They help ensure the safety of our employees and the 

uninterrupted supply of products to our customers, and 

they are a crucial part of our risk management efforts. 

In 2011, we conducted eight HSE audits of factories as well 

as HSE inspections of Hempel offices and customer sites 

where our coating advisers work. Through these audits, we 

monitor compliance levels compared with our own standards, 

the local legal requirements and, where relevant, the ISO 

14001 standard. Risks at each site are assessed and 

all unmitigated issues are addressed. 

HSE audits also enable us to identify and document 

best practices, which are subsequently shared all over 

the Hempel Group and help us improve our performance. 



Product development 

Our Research and Development team systematically works on new innovations and products to meet 

our customers’ increasing demand for energy-efficient products that incorporate sustainable technologies. 

This focus is also in line with Hempel’s own ambition to reduce our impact on the environment. 

These are three of our latest product innovations: 

EcoBoxcoat 

A series of products for the Container segment, 

EcoBoxcoat is set to replace the traditional solventborne 

system that has dominated the market for the 

past 30 years. The EcoBoxcoat system can be applied 

with the same equipment in the same factories as the 

solvent-borne system, so it does not require any major 

production changes or huge investments. 

The EcoBoxcoat system will not only reduce solvent 

emissions (VOCs) by nearly 90 per cent, it will also 

improve the working environment for the thousands of 

applicators who are applying the coatings. And it will 

significantly reduce the risk of fires. 

EcoBoxcoat is expected to perform on par with or even 

better than the existing traditional systems. 

Contex Thermoguard 

Launched in 2011, Contex Thermoguard is an innovative 

insulation coating that saves money and energy while 

improving comfort. 

Contex Thermoguard’s insulating hollow vacuum 

microspheres form a tight, interlocking matrix that 

reduces radiated, conductive and convective heat 

through the painted surface. The high reflectivity of the 

coating also deflects nearly all of the sun’s rays, and 

this drastically reduces the cost and energy required for 

cooling a home or a building. 

Contex Thermoguard is an excellent solution to reduce 

passive solar heating when applied to exterior walls. 

By lowering the indoor temperature by as much as 5˚C, 

Context Thermoguard saves electricity consumption 

and helps regulate the indoor climate. 

HEMPASIL X3 

Conventional antifoulings for ship hulls contain biocides 

that leach into the marine environment. Unlike these 

traditional coatings, HEMPASIL X3 is based on a blend 

of silicone polymers that forms a hydrogel microlayer 

between the paint surface and the seawater. This results 

in dramatically enhanced fouling release properties. By 

reducing hull friction, HEMPASIL X3 also improves fuel 

efficiency and subsequently reduces CO 2 

emissions. 

Since its launch in 2008, HEMPASIL X3 has been the 

recipient of five product awards, three of which were 

related to the product’s environmental profile and two 

of which were related to the innovative idea behind 

the technology. 

Results from comprehensive towing tank studies 

have been confirmed in practice on some of the world’s 

largest crude oil carriers, which saw an eight per cent 

reduction in fuel consumption. Based on these 

results, if the entire world fleet was given a coat of 

HEMPASIL X3, its carbon footprint could be reduced 

by 80 million tonnes. 

19


Research in environmentally sustainable solutions 

Hempel and the Hempel Foundation support research in environmentally friendly technologies, 

particularly in the area of surface protection. A long-term partnership with the Department of Chemical 

and Biochemical Engineering at the Technical University of Denmark is driving fundamental research 

and raising awareness of sustainable technologies. 

The partnership supports the following programmes: 

Hempel Student Innovation Laboratory 

The Laboratory supports bachelor’s and master’s 

degree students who are working on innovative, 

environmentally sustainable solutions in chemical 

and biochemical engineering. 

International Elite Master’s Programme 

This offers grants for living expenses and tuition to 

international students working on a master’s in chemical 

and biochemical engineering. Hempel employees act 

as mentors to guide the students as they learn to 

work globally with sustainable technologies. 

PhD programme 

Selected master’s students focused on expanding 

knowledge within the field of surface protection are 

offered an opportunity to continue in the university’s 

PhD programme. Projects include extending the lifetime 

of constructions, improving technologies within renewable 

energy, lowering the fuel consumption of ocean-going 

vessels and improving the environmental performance 

of coatings. All research is made public through 

scientific publications. 


HEMPEL A/S 

Lundtoftevej 150 

DK - 2800 Kgs. Lyngby 

Denmark 

Tel: +45 4593 3800 

Fax: +45 4588 5518 

E-mail: hempel@hempel.com 

www.hempel.com

Hempel Corporate Responsibility Report 2011

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