Compliance with legislation
People → Ensuring regulatory compliance Given that companies in the chemicals, plastics and life sciences industry are operating in a heavily regulated environment, essenscia organises various training sessions in different areas of expertise. Some specific training sessions are also addressed to public authorities. In 2020, essenscia provided at least 10,800 training hours to 2,155 employees of 593 companies. Due to the […]
Product Stewardship
People → Advocacy for a risk-based and science-based approach to product safety Product stewardship is about manufacturers and downstream users – companies or individual employees who use chemicals – committing to minimize the environmental, health and safety impacts of their products throughout the product life cycle, using a risk- and science-based approach. Actions range from […]
Life-long learning
People → Investing in people, investing in the future Programmes aimed at upgrading employees’ skills are crucial to enhance the sector’s human capital and contribute to employee satisfaction. Continuous vocational training facilitates the continued employability of an ageing workforce, and is vital for the success of a highly innovative and skills-based sector such as the […]
Community engagements
People → Long-lasting partnerships with local communities Engagement in local communities is an important element of sustainable development and of Responsible Care. It is about building long-lasting partnerships with the local communities in which the chemicals, plastics and life sciences industry operates. It is in everyone’s interest to work with them, invest in them and […]
Anti-trust and anti-corruption compliance
People → Working together while respecting competition law The objective of EU competition law is to protect competition in the market as a means of enhancing consumer welfare. The key principles of competition law are included in Articles 101 and 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and in Articles […]
Process safety
People → Process safety: a strategic priority for the sector Process safety is of prime importance in the chemical and life sciences industry. This requires an effective process safety management system that enables the identification, elimination, reduction and mitigation of risks resulting from operations. Since the ‘80s, the sector has been committed to Responsible Care, […]
Occupational Health
People → Risk prevention as a top priority According to statistics gathered by the Federal Agency for Occupational Risks, the number of employees in the industry who have been officially declared to be potentially affected by an occupational illness is low. In 2019, 59 declarations were made in the chemicals and life sciences sector – […]
Accidents at work
People → Safety at work better than industrial average Safety is a top priority for the chemicals and life sciences sector because of the nature of its operations. The industry invests heavily in safety training for its workforce and its subcontractors. This ongoing attention to the issue pays off, with the number of workplace accidents […]
Mobility
People → Commuting: a daily challenge An important factor influencing employee satisfaction is how easy it is to commute to work, with lack of mobility becoming a growing concern for many employees as well employers. Public transport (train, bus, metro, tram) is used by just 2% of the sector’s employees, compared to the Belgian average […]
Social climate
People → Serene social climate contributes to competitiveness A country’s social climate can be gauged by different indicators such as rates of absenteeism, the number of days lost to strikes, employee satisfaction levels and workforce retention. Over the period 2009-2019, the whole of the chemicals and life sciences sector recorded an average of 22,737 […]