We protect what matters
Over the past year, we have formulated what we have used as a guiding principle ever since the company was established more than 100 years ago. That we protect what matters has been true for Trelleborg ever since the time of raincoats, since bike and passenger car tires were our main products. And it is truer than ever today, when our products and solutions are everywhere and protect people, the environment and infrastructure. They remove noise and vibrations, save energy and reduce emissions, and extend the service life of bridges, tunnels, pipe systems and buildings.
At the same time, our production naturally impacts the environment, for which we assume responsibility and wish to minimize in every way possible. This may involve climate impact, water consumption, emissions or waste management. The same is true for all resources used in our production process: We are to minimize all waste.
This is our clear vision: We are working as part of Excellence toward zero accidents, zero waste, zero late deliveries and zero complaints due to quality defects. These long-term targets on the horizon mean we must raise the bar and be better and more efficient on all relevant measurement points. In line with this and starting this year, we are also introducing into our reporting a ten-year follow up of key sustainability figures in order to monitor trends.
In terms of safety, we will intensify our efforts. Even if almost all figures are pointing in the right direction, we cannot be satisfied. For a company that always reports no fatal accidents, the two fatalities reported in 2018 are unacceptable. Trelleborg is to be a safe and very secure workplace regardless of where you work worldwide. We have therefore taken stock of similar risks everywhere in our production process in order to eliminate these. New tools and e-learning are being used to continue our global safety efforts – once again to protect what really matters.
Climate impact is being discussed everywhere following a year when its effects are increasingly visible in society. Trelleborg continuously monitors ongoing climate changes and measures and what these entail in the form of risks and business opportunities for our own operations and our facilities, and we are striving for continuous improvements. To highlight the current situation, we have added extra space in this annual report that explains general developments in climate work, where Trelleborg stands today and what we want to achieve moving forward. Such an important issue deserves to be clearly explained.
Peter Nilsson, President and CEO