Ecological Policy

The Company operates in accordance with the requirements of the environmental legislation of the Russian Federation and generally accepted international principles and agreements. In addition, production processes are directly related to the Company's strategy in the field of technical development and social responsibility.

All projects that we plan to implement at the Company's enterprises are subject to expert and public discussion: we value both the opinion of environmental scientists and the support of the population.

Shchekinoazot sets itself the following tasks in the field of environmental protection:

• Rational use of natural resources
• Step-by-step reduction of pollutant emission into the atmosphere
• Consistent decline in volumes of substances released into bodies of water
• Proper arrangement of waste disposal sites to reduce the man-made impact on the environment
• Ensuring economic growth and the stable technical development of enterprises without damage to the environment
• Promotion of energy and resource-saving technologies and investment programmes
• Continuous environmental monitoring

To ensure the application of modern management methods, the Company has implemented an integrated management system that encompasses quality, ecology, occupational health, and safety. Annually, the Company's activities are certified in accordance with the requirements of the following international standards: ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and OHSAS 18001.

In 2018 certificates were issued by the BUREAU VERITAS Certification international company.

Given the geographical proximity of the Company to the world-famous Yasnaya Polyana Museum-Estate where Leo Tolstoy lived and wrote his masterpieces, Shchekinoazot pays a lot of attention to solving environmental issues and allocates significant funds for this purpose.

In 2010–2016 funds allocated to environmental protection exceeded RUB 507 million.

In 2016 we developed and approved a new Programme of Measures aimed at decreasing our negative environmental impact between 2017 and 2021. It contains 25 measures with a total budget of more than RUB 733 million.

In 2018 waste water treatment facilities for industrial effluents and storm water were commissioned. These facilities fully meet modern requirements for environmental protection. The project's budget is RUB 740 million.

This project has already provided the following benefits:

• Reduced load on existing industrial wastewater treatment facilities
• Significant decrease in the intake of river water
• Reduced amount of substances released into bodies of water

The Company uses a system of environmental monitoring and management of significant environmental projects and processes that allows professionals to continuously monitor the environment, assess the effectiveness of environmental protection measures, and prevent unwanted negative impacts in a timely manner.

According to the monitoring results, the emission of harmful substances into the atmosphere has been reduced by more than 25% over the past five years.