BUSINESS: 381 PRACTICES
Heracles Group is Greece's largest cement producer and has been serving the market for more than 100 years. The Group is operating in the industry of cement production and marketing, aggregates and concrete in Greece and in more than 20 countries.
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Strengthening the transparency in the way of operation as well as the information of the interested parties of the company.
The public to whom this practice is addressed includes residents and authorities of local communities, licensing authorities, interested organizations from civil society, as well as any other social partner interested in the environmental performance of the HERAKLIS Group.
The heracles-footprint.gr digital platform is constantly in operation.
The operation of the HERAKLIS Group is characterized by the highest environmental standards as well as by transparency and two-way communication with the social partners.
In this context, HERACLES Group proceeded to enrich the digital information platform heracles-footprint.gr by adding new data, such as monthly measurements of dioxins and furans of the combustion waste gases of the rotary kiln.
In this way, transparency and two-way communication between the HERAKLIS Group and its social partners is further strengthened, while full compliance with the environmental standards and limits provided for by legislation is demonstrated in the clearest way.
The said digital information platform functions as a digital communication space for the gaseous emissions of the factory in Volos. At the same time, this platform offers the possibility of comparing the data with the limits included in the environmental licensing by the Ministry of Environment & Energy.
On the same platform, the results of the determination of dioxins and furans in the waste gases of the rotary kiln of the Volos factory are made available to the public. The monthly samples are taken by the internationally recognized continuous sampling system Dioxin Monitoring System installed for the first time in the Greek industry and sent sealed to the ISO 17025 accredited laboratory of NCSR DIMOKRITOS for measurement.
It is worth mentioning that the Dioxin Monitoring System operates according to the strictest, international Quality standards (MCERTS, EPA Method 23A-US EPA Environmental Technology Verification Program ETV) fully satisfying the requirements of the European dioxin sampling standard (ΕΝ 1948-1).
The heracles-footprint.gr Platform is automatically updated on a daily basis by the digital system for monitoring the production activity of the factory.
The main objective of the development and enrichment of this digital platform was to immediately inform the representatives of both the licensing and control authorities. With open access to the social partners, the HERACLES Group proves once again its continuous commitment to the development of two-way communication channels, valid and transparent information. This is an innovative initiative that is implemented for the first time in both the Greek and European cement industry.
With a long-standing commitment to invest in innovative practices related to both environmentally friendly operation and informing social partners, the HERACLIS Group is a pioneer in the cement industry and applies this good practice at the Volos factory.
The Volos factory was founded in 1924 and is the largest unit of the HERACLIS Group with a capacity of 4 million tons of cement per year. Automated processes, strict controls and production flexibility allow the plant to supply 7 types of cement, clinker, solid fuels and aggregates to the domestic and international market.
At the HERACLIS group we are committed to operating using our resources efficiently and prudently, improving the reliability and life cycle of our products, while reducing the impact on the environment. To this end, we improve the CO2 emissions from our production facilities, optimize our energy footprint, while at the same time systematically controlling and limiting the emissions of gaseous pollutants resulting from our activity.
Through the operation of the digital platform heracles-footprint.gr, the HERACLES Group gives the opportunity to the local community as well as representatives of both the licensing and control authorities to easily and quickly monitor the overall picture of the gaseous emissions of the factory in Volos. At the same time, it offers the possibility of comparing the data with the limits included in the environmental licensing by the Ministry of Environment & Energy.
The platform has attracted more than 1,500 visitors in 2,500 Sessions, while the average number of pages per visit was 2.38 pages and the average duration of a visit was 1 minute and 31 seconds.
The digital platform heracles-footprint.gr covers the gaseous emissions of the factory in Volos, while it can be accessed from any point digitally via the internet.
The development of the heracles-footprint.gr digital platform was carried out to meet the needs of the company's stakeholders for immediate information regarding the factory's gaseous emissions. In addition, it is noted that the samples for measuring the content of dioxins and furans in the combustion waste gases of the furnace are sent sealed to the ISO 17025 accredited laboratory of NCSR DIMOKRITOS for the measurement of their content in dioxins and furans.
The update and control of the correct operation of the http://heracles-footprint.gr digital platform is carried out by company employees, while at the same time employees and executives have the possibility of immediate and easy information regarding the gaseous emissions of the factory in Volos.
The benefits for HERACLES Group from the development of the digital platform heracles-footprint.gr are significant, as all social partners are provided with the possibility to easily and quickly monitor the image of the factory's gaseous emissions. This has the effect of increasing trust between the company, the local authorities and the local community as a whole. The results of all the measurements of the company's gas emissions prove that the factories are operating well below the limits allowed by law.
At the same time, this action highlights HERACLIS Group as a leader in the cement industry in the field of transparency, as it is the first company to develop such a platform.
