Solvay released its annual integrated report and solidarity fund report. The annual integrated report reflects the Group’s progress in its integrated management journey and provides a comprehensive and integrated view of Solvay’s economic, environmental, and societal performance for 2021. It also details the Group’s 2021 performance review, governance and risk management practices.

Solvay delivered on and exceeded its commitments in a challenging environment marked by inflation, logistics issues, and the global urgency to tackle climate change.

The Group improved its organic growth and continued to deliver a strong financial performance by:

1. Achieving strong growth in volume and price with continued cost discipline
2. Delivering record EBITDA of €2.4 billion and class-leading EBITDA margins of 23.3%
3. Delivering record net profit of €1 billion and record ROCE at 11.4%
4. Investing €736 million for future growth, while maintaining capital discipline and coherence with strategic imperatives
5. Sustaining its strong cash generation, with an 11th consecutive quarter of positive cash flow generation
6. Further improving its balance sheet, by reducing debt and pension obligations by €884 million
7. Simplifying its portfolio

With the G.R.O.W. strategy and Solvay One Planet roadmap as a compass, Solvay took bold actions in 2021 to strengthen leadership positions, reallocating resources to growth and sustainable businesses. This included:

1. Accelerating the development of innovative solutions for now and the future, by further investing in the growth platforms dedicated to battery materials, thermoplastic composites and green hydrogen
2. Expanding its capacities, by establishing a new manufacturing facility for thermoplastic composites in the US and announcing an investment to increase its PVDF production in Europe, among other initiatives
3. Reinforcing its bio-based seed care portfolio through an acquisition and launching a joint venture in South-East Asia to serve booming demand in semiconductors, among others
4. Developing new biosourced solutions for home and personal care

Solvay raised the bar on sustainability, taking actions to move toward becoming a low-carbon and more inclusive company:

1. Creating an ESG Committee in Solvay’s Board of Directors, to help guide strategic priorities and ensure that the Group executes on its commitments
2. Announcing a plan to achieve carbon neutrality before 2040 for all businesses except soda ash, and before 2050 for its soda ash business, supported by a value-creating investment program of around €2 billion
3. Accelerating the energy transition in its plants, with 36 projects underway across the globe
4. Engaging with its suppliers, calling on 400 of them to sign up to the Science Based Targets initiative, to help reduce emissions along the value chain
5. Partnering with customers and key players to create circular businesses, including developing sustainable tire technology with Bridgestone and Arlanxeo and working on recycling solutions for advanced materials with Mitsubishi
6. Developing new non-fluorosurfactant technologies, which have enabled the Group to explore technological innovations that advance its sustainability ambitions while meeting customer needs
7. Launching Solvay One Dignity, committing to nine objectives and related action plans to drive more diversity, equity and inclusion at Solvay
8. Announcing the launch of Solvay’s first employee stock ownership plan

“Over the past three years, we have accelerated our journey to transform and simplify Solvay. We ascertained our culture, instilling a performance mindset throughout our Group. We set up ambitious sustainability objectives through our Solvay One Planet roadmap, raising the bar every year to meet our customers’ needs and contribute to building a better world. We got fit, we built efficiencies and we executed on our G.R.O.W. strategy,” said Ilham Kadri, Solvay CEO.

“Coupled with our solid and improving portfolio, this has produced strong results and cash generation, allowing us to deleverage our balance sheet and invest for future growth. We are now ready to change the game by creating two fabulous new companies, which builds on what Solvay has always been throughout history: Essential AND Special.”