Social Impact > Operating with excellence
Operating with excellence
QHSE policy
We treat safety as a fundamental requirement and focus on both safe processes and safe behaviors: stable and incident-free operations are essential to delivering our products. Our responsibilities cover employees, contractors, the environment, and the communities near our sites.
Our approach is guided by our Quality, Health, Safety, and Environment (QHSE) policy. We:
Deliver safe, reliable, and durable products that meet agreed specifications
Comply with relevant laws and regulations
Use our QHSE systems to identify and manage risks and apply lessons learned
Safety programs
We run two ongoing programs to improve safety performance: Safety First and Zero Leakage.
The Safety First program, introduced in 2022, aims to strengthen safety awareness and encourage collaboration across our sites. In 2024, we focused on improving participation in safety training, refining target groups, and gaining clearer insight from training data. The next step is to evaluate the effectiveness of these sessions.
A key element of the program is integrating safety into everyday activities. Employees are expected to take ownership of safety in their roles. It is not treated as an additional task but as a routine part of how we work. We promote awareness of risks and encourage proactive action to prevent unsafe situations.
The Zero Leakage program began in 2023 to enhance process safety. It uses structured data collection on all chemical spills, including minor ones, to identify areas for improvement. Over the past year, we focused on leakages that occurred during system start-up and shutdown. A new method was introduced where one shift creates work instructions for shutting down specific parts of an installation, and another shift reviews them. This helps us apply the operational knowledge of multiple teams.
Health and safety data
We report annually on the following indicators:
Total Recordable Rate (TRR):
The number of recordable workplace injuries and illnesses per million hours worked
Lost Time Injury (LTI) frequency rate:
The number of LTIs per million hours worked
Illness rate:
The percentage of reported illnesses among employees during the year
In 2024, our TRR dropped from 6.8 to 3.9. The LTI frequency rate improved from 1.5 to 0.9. The illness rate declined from 7.7% in 2023 to 7.0% in 2024.
Vitality Month
In September 2024, we organized a Month of Vitality focused on supporting employee well-being. Activities included a vitality market, sports sessions, and webinars on maintaining a healthy work-life balance. These initiatives were open to all colleagues, including shift teams, and aimed to promote practical ways to support health both at work and beyond.
Social Impact > Fostering Integrity and Ethics
Fostering Integrity and Ethics
Over the last 12 months, we continued to strengthen our approach to integrity and ethics. These efforts were guided by the 24 chapters of our Code of Conduct.
During Ethics Month in October, we highlighted key principles such as Accurate Records and Fair Disclosure, Fair and Transparent Transactions, and Safe Workplace Culture. Activities included discussion sessions and “Inspiration Boosters,” which encouraged active participation and reflection on workplace dilemmas and learning from mistakes.
Building on the foundation laid in 2023 with the introduction of our Integrity and Ethics Policy and Sustainable Procurement Policy, we launched a formal Speak Up Policy in 2024. This policy outlines when and how to raise concerns, emphasizing open dialogue while recognizing that direct conversations are not always possible. It also explains available reporting channels, including HR business partners, counselors, the Ethics Committee, the Complaint Committee, and the Speak Up system. We also clarified what employees can expect after speaking up, including how their concerns will be handled and the rights of everyone involved.
Our learning program continued with both mandatory and role-specific training. The Code of Conduct and Information Security e-learnings remained a requirement for all employees, while topics such as export control, competition law, and anti-bribery were delivered to targeted groups. To strengthen information security efforts, a phishing awareness campaign was also launched and executed in 2024.
Sandra Gaarenstroom
L&D Manager
“Participation in mandatory training increased to approximately 90%, and we will continue working to improve this further.”
In June 2024, we submitted the annual Integrity and Ethics Report to the Teijin Aramid Board. The report included an overview of reported concerns, insights on social safety, and follow-up actions needed to translate policy into everyday practice.
To support open communication, we maintain strong working relationships with employee representative bodies such as the works councils and labor unions. We also organize informal engagements, including management roadshows and site-level discussions. In addition, we gather written feedback through the annual Employee Engagement Survey and individual conversations during the yearly performance assessment cycle.
Social Impact > Diversity and inclusion
Diversity and inclusion
We believe that innovation thrives in a respectful, inclusive environment. Our goal is to foster a workplace where all employees feel they belong and are supported to contribute meaningfully. By creating space for a wide range of perspectives, we aim to strengthen our contribution to the energy transition and the development of more sustainable materials.
This commitment is part of how we live our PURE values: Passion, Unity, Respect, and Excellence.
1. We are building teams that reflect a range of cultural backgrounds, ages, appearances, experiences, and ways of thinking.
2. We create opportunities for employees to contribute by encouraging open communication, recognizing individual input, and reinforcing respect in daily interactions.
3. We are taking targeted steps to improve representation in production and leadership, with a focus on increasing participation in areas where women remain underrepresented.
The latter effort is supported by practical initiatives, including the launch of the Teijin Aramid Female Leadership Network for women in global leadership roles. As part of the roadmap, Teijin Aramid Women’s Network sessions are being held at several sites to build local networks where female colleagues can connect and support one another.
During these sessions, participants discussed the meaning of diversity and inclusion, the challenges women may experience in male-dominated environments, and actions that can contribute to a more inclusive workplace where everyone can contribute and develop, regardless of gender or background.
In 2024, women held more than 10% of top-level positions at Teijin Aramid, a figure that continues to grow each year. This progress reflects our ongoing commitment to improving gender diversity in leadership. While there is still more to achieve, we are actively supporting this shift through leadership development programs and mentorship, helping build a more inclusive and balanced organizational culture.
International Women’s Day
In 2024, we marked International Women’s Day by raising awareness of gender equity across the chemical sector. At Teijin Aramid, we continue to foster inclusion as a foundation for greater diversity in gender, culture, and lived experience.
Our focus remains on increasing the number of women in our workforce and in decision-making roles. This supports our goal of creating a more representative and resilient organization.
YoungTeijin network
YoungTeijin was founded by young professionals at Teijin Aramid to support collaboration and professional development. In 2024, several sessions took place as part of this effort, including the Young Professionals Program. This 1.5-year training initiative was developed in partnership with Learning & Development to support early career growth.
Social Impact > Supporting local heritage through volunteer work
Supporting local heritage through volunteer work
In October 2024, members of the Information Management team participated in a volunteer activity at the historic cemetery in Velp. The initiative brought team members together to carry out site maintenance while contributing to the preservation of local heritage.
Following a short introduction and guided tour by the site coordinator, the team completed several tasks, including pruning trees, painting fences, cleaning a monument, and maintaining gravesites. The activity offered an opportunity to work together outside the usual environment, reinforcing collaboration and shared purpose.
