Ensuring continuous progress for our planet and its people
At Solvay, we are essential chemistry, making progress possible for generations. We believe in science and we thrive on process innovation. Informed by and contributing to megatrends, our journey spans many sectors including feed and food, automotive, construction, consumer goods and healthcare, electronics, resources, environment, energy and industrial applications. And it’s our aim to continue being a reference player in our diversified end-markets.
We recognize the growing need for sustainable products which is why we focus on applications that help shape a future where everyone thrives. With a history that spans over 160 years of pioneering science, investing in process innovation and reinvention is intrinsic to our business. From our early days with soda ash to advancements in peroxide technology, we remain committed to continued innovation and to perfecting the science of essential chemistry for generations to come.
We’re not just adapting to a changing world; we’re looking to lead it, crafting a path to a sustainable future that others in our industry might follow.
Solvay's 2024 key figures
Our strategy: a leader in essential chemistry
Led by our Purpose, we have identified the core value drivers that make Solvay successful as a leader in essential chemistry - market leadership, cost leadership and sustainability. We engage four strategic levers that drive our decisions for resource allocations and for setting priorities. This helps us continue to meet our commitments, answer customers’ needs for more sustainable products, generate sustainable cash flow and strategically position Solvay for future growth.
Key to our strategy's success are two enablers: our skilled and engaged people, essential to our operations, and our new culture to support change; our new operating model with strong central governance.
These enablers are at the heart of the profound transformation we are driving throughout the Group to make it simpler, cost-efficient and sustainable and deliver the financial results we strive for: sustainable cash flows and attractive returns.
We focus our resources on four strategic levers:
Improving our competitiveness through operational excellence.
Developing process innovation to stay ahead of the competition.
Accelerating our energy transition to achieve carbon neutrality and meet customer needs.
Adding production capacity to support our business growth while capturing opportunities in fast-growing segments.
Solvay's Core Drivers
In all of our businesses, Solvay benefits from strong product know-how, expertise, and leading process technology strengthened by continuous innovation. This is integral to our performance as it supports our market presence and our cost-competitiveness. In addition, our mastery of the processes we use is critical in helping us produce essential products in the most sustainable and competitive way.
- Basic Chemicals (Soda Ash & Derivatives and Peroxides): these chemical intermediate businesses are focused on mature and resilient markets, such as consumer goods, healthcare, food, electronics and building & construction.
- Performance Chemicals (Silica, Coatis, Special Chem): these businesses offer a wider range of products that are subject to customization based on unique formulations and application expertise. They serve various markets like automotive, consumer goods and electronics.
Our solid position is primarily due to a combination of three factors:
- a well-balanced geographical footprint of both global and regional manufacturing plants close to our customers, providing a key competitive advantage,
- our balanced portfolio and close relationships with customers,
- our strong brand, linked to the quality and reliability of our products.
Our cost-competitive position and lower operating costs are supported by several factors that are related to our businesses and our legacy and culture:
- large-scale replicable processes,
- our proprietary technologies, reflective of our innovative heritage,
- vertical integration in the value chain of our main businesses, and
- our track record of continuous improvement and operational excellence, rooted in our legacy as a 161 year-old industrial company.
For Generations
Sustainability is deeply embedded in Solvay’s culture and operations. We are committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and reducing our impact on the planet, protecting biodiversity and saving resources, while meeting our customers’ requests for more sustainable and competitive products. In line with Ernest Solvay's heritage, we also continue to make social welfare and caring for our people and communities a priority.
In 2024, we defined our new sustainability roadmap, For Generations, that aligns with the new Solvay profile and strategy. This roadmap is structured around two pillars - Planet progress, focused on Climate and Nature, and Better life, addressing our People and Communities.
Our Purpose
