The year of 2020 was, without a doubt, one of the most challenging years we have faced as a Company, industry, and society, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced us all to adapt to substantial change in the face of extraordinary circumstances. However, despite the barriers, significant progress was made. That’s why this year I am especially proud to share with you Trinseo’s 2021 Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility Report, which highlights the progress we’ve made with our sustainability initiatives.
In recent years, we’ve seen that the world has truly rallied behind sustainability, contributing to a groundswell of initiatives aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, establishing a circular economy, and protecting the wellbeing of our people and the planet. Amidst all this progress and the sometimes-competing priorities, it can be challenging to know where to focus one’s sustainability efforts to have the most impact possible. That’s where we believe sustainability reporting comes into play.
Our annual Sustainability Report allows us to put context around our sustainability efforts, so we can focus on those that will be most influential for our stakeholders and that help advance global and industry priorities. With each report released over the years, we have strived to expand and refine our disclosures to best reflect global priorities, address areas our stakeholders care most about, and align ourselves with sustainability reporting best practices.
We took a significant step forward a few years ago when we adopted the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines for public sustainability reporting, and with our 11th annual Sustainability Report, we made several new additions within this vein. This includes expanding our disclosures to incorporate those that align with the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and reflecting on how our efforts ladder back up to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
At Trinseo, our Sustainability Report is not simply another corporate reporting requirement where we’re only striving to check off the box. Rather, alongside our 2030 Sustainability Goals, it serves as a roadmap for our future – synthesizing and focusing our sustainability efforts so they will have the most impact possible. At Trinseo, this includes our efforts to build a sustainable product portfolio, minimize our impact on climate change, increase supplier responsibility, improve the sustainability of our operations, and establish a sustainable workforce.
We are constantly transforming as a Company and striving to be a leader in advancing innovative, sustainable solutions. With the expansion of our Sustainability Report, we are further embedding sustainability into our business strategy and everything we do at Trinseo. Looking back at our progression as a Company over the past decade and the impact we have made thus far, I am certain we will, in 2030, we will be sharing in our Sustainability Report that we achieved — and hopefully even surpassed — our Sustainability Goals.