Our Vision for Sustainability

Sustainability 2017 is Johnson Matthey’s long term vision for sustainability. It sets out the direction and our aspirations for what we want to achieve in the future.

We have two major business drivers for our vision. Firstly we must design and manufacture our products using fewer, less damaging resources per unit of output. By saving resources, from the major spends like energy, raw materials and water through to things we take for granted, like stationery, we are making Johnson Matthey a more sustainable company, reducing our impact on the planet and saving money at the same time.

Secondly, we must develop improved, more efficient, more durable products for our customers. We must also further develop our existing products to make them more efficient in use. This will enhance our customers’ performance and reduce their sustainability footprint and at the same time will improve our competitiveness.

Sustainability is a Way of Working

Building sustainability into our business planning and decision making is an important step in achieving our vision and from February 2008 sustainability became part of our budget review process for all our businesses. During the next year, businesses will be working towards their plans and setting appropriate targets. We expect this process to evolve over a number of years and will be working very hard to refine our measures of performance so as to monitor our progress against the business level targets and group targets in the vision.

Sustainability is a team game and we are working hard to engage with employees and provide them with the knowledge and tools they need to deliver the vision. Although Sustainability 2017 is a corporate vision it will be implemented locally within each business in a different way with engagement across their functions and with their customers. The corporate vision is important but our businesses will need to lead on how they will make their own contribution.

Our people are a key part of our sustainability goals and for Johnson Matthey’s sustainability vision to be effective we must continue to have the best interests of our people at the centre of what we do. Our people must trust that we are doing everything we reasonably can to ensure they go home in at least as good a physical and mental condition as when they come to work. Their development, health and wellbeing underpin our aspirations to become a more sustainable business. Sustainability is also important to the communities in which we are based. We are seeing that their concerns about the sustainability of communities and ways of life are the same as those that we have about being a sustainable business. Engaging in community sustainability issues is an integral part of making ours a more sustainable business.

Johnson Matthey in 2017

Since its foundation as a precious metals assayer in 1817, Johnson Matthey has continued to develop new technology, demonstrating its ability to maintain world leadership by adapting constantly to the ever changing needs of its customers and society. It has evolved into a world leading speciality chemicals company and today, many of its products make a positive contribution to the environment and society as a whole.

Sustainability is one of today’s major challenges for society and for business. It is a complex area but is the right thing for responsible businesses to pursue. If we are successful in realising our Sustainability 2017 Vision, the best accolade we will have is that Johnson Matthey is in excellent shape to begin its third century as a leader, an innovator and a contributor to society in everything we do.

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