Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Guided by our purpose to responsibly produce essential ingredients for a sustainable future, we recognise that our ability to deliver on this depends on investing in, protecting and empowering our workforce.
With more than 2,500 employees spanning our production sites in the US and Türkiye, at our London headquarters, and throughout our global supply chain network, we are committed to creating an inclusive, safe and development-driven culture for all.
Like all companies, we are only as strong as the commitment from our employees and contractors. Maintaining and improving a safe and inclusive environment, where our colleagues feel valued, is essential.
Zero
high consequence accidents by 2028
50%
of middle and senior management to be female by 2050
Safety
A safe and healthy work environment is integral to employee satisfaction and productivity, making health and safety critical to the smooth running of our operations, and the number one priority for WE Soda.
We continue to ensure our safety practices are best in class. Our employees should go home safe and healthy every day, and we are striving for zero high consequence injuries across our sites as soon as possible.
Our main target to demonstrate the success of the Safety Excellence Journey is to ‘‘achieve zero high consequence accidents within three years’’. To enable this, our key health and safety beliefs are:
We lead by example.
We go beyond compliance, doing what’s right, not just what’s required.
All operating risks can be controlled.
All injuries and occupational illnesses can be prevented.
We hold ourselves and others accountable
Case study
Job Safety Analysis
In Q2 2023, we launched our "Safety Excellence Journey" in partnership with international safety consultants dss+, to improve safety culture and practices at our operating sites.
Improved Job Safety Analysis and enhanced Permit to Work processes are leading to a reduction in injuries associated with high risk activities, such as condensate cleaning. In H1 2023 six lost time injuries were associated with this activity.
After introducing new processes and training operators, there have been no injuries associated with this activity over the last ten months.
Towards a more inclusive workforce
We foster an inclusive and purpose-driven workplace where employees are empowered to innovate and grow.
Our people are central to our success, and we invest in their development while upholding the highest standards of integrity, diversity and wellbeing.
We recognise that the success of our business depends on the strength, creativity and diversity of our people, hence our headline target of 50% of middle and senior management to be female by 2035. We will continue to integrate diversity and inclusion into our business strategy, ensuring that our policies and practices reflect both our values and the expectations of our stakeholders. These are some of the actions we will consider:
Eliminate bias in talent processes
We are committed to creating a “fair playing field”; organisations must actively remove bias from hiring, performance and promotion systems.
Develop and sponsor high potential women
We are focused on actively developing and advocating for women in the leadership pipeline.
Cultivate an inclusive culture and flexible work environment
We will look to create an organisational culture with supportive policies essential for the retention and advancement of women.
Skills and progression
It is crucial that our staff feel there are opportunities for upskilling and progression.
We are expanding and enhancing our training programmes and talent development plans, to ensure both that our existing staff feel valued, and to incentivise prospective talent. To align with our key material areas, our site and operational plans focus on maintaining a safe and inclusive environment, where our colleagues feel valued.