The Ranking leaders were selected by the Board of the ‘Green Index’ campaign, consisting of representatives of environmental protection institutions, organisations and experts.

The project submitted by the Grupa Azoty Group involved modernisation of the Technical-Grade Nitric Acid production unit, which contributed to reducing emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide. The alterations consisted in upgrading the unit’s structure and installing a new low-emission catalyst. The first changes were made in December 2018, the work was completed in June 2019, and the cost of the project totalled more than PLN 3.5m.

The result was GHG emissions savings of more than 63,000 tonnes of CO2 (expressed in terms of CO2 equivalent) in 2019. A comparison of this figure with the base period (2018) data shows that GHG emissions from the Technical-Grade Nitric Acid unit fell by approximately 53% relative to the base period. In 2020, CO2 emissions savings reached 98,000 tonnes, which means a reduction in the unit’s emissions volume of about 83% on 2018.

“On behalf of the Grupa Azoty Group, I would like to thank you for the distinction awarded to us in the first edition of the Decarbonisation Initiatives Ranking. It is a great honour for us to be among the companies that are actively involved in the green transition of Poland’s economy. The Grupa Azoty Group is consistently taking steps to reduce its carbon footprint and thus sharpen its competitive edge. The upgrade of the Technical-Grade Nitric Acid unit is one of many projects implemented by the Grupa Azoty Group, confirming that climate change and energy transition are of paramount importance to us,” said Tomasz Hinc, President of the Management Board of Grupa Azoty S.A.

The Decarbonisation Initiatives Ranking is a part of ‘Green Index’, an extensive campaign run by the PTWP Group, publisher of the wnp.pl website, addressed to those who take an active part in the green transition of Poland’s economy.

“The Grupa Azoty Group is taking a number of initiatives to meet the challenges presented by climate policy and the European Green Deal, with the project we submitted for the Decarbonisation Initiatives Ranking being a case in point. I would like to thank the PTWP Group for the award – the ranking they organise is an excellent example of showing appreciation for efforts made by companies that understand the importance of transition towards low- and zero-carbon technologies. We need as many projects of this type as possible, and we also need legislation that keeps up with the pace of the changing world as well as funds dedicated to decarbonisation projects,’” said Filip Grzegorczyk, Vice President of the Management Board of Grupa Azoty S.A. The ranking of decarbonisation initiatives includes implementations completed in 2019–2020, which were recommended by companies and institutions.