In conclusion, the Consultation highlighted the difficulties involved in raising the awareness of the supply chain in matters of Sustainable Development, either due to the size of the companies, or their limited exposure to external challenges and the lack of appropriate resources. However, it resulted in an optimistic result as all suppliers agreed that their self-assessment in social, environmental and labor issues is more of an opportunity than a threat, as it will help to highlight areas of activity that need improvement, to improve product quality. and their services as well as enhancing their extroversion and developing their competitiveness.
As Mr. Dimitris Stefanidis, General Manager of the Metallurgy Department of MYTILINEOS, emphasized in his greeting, the main goal of the Consultation is the substantial contribution of the company's suppliers in its continuous and responsible effort for the promotion and development of the business. Corporate Social Responsibility cannot be ignored beyond its compliance with the established rules but also the practices that govern the international standards that it follows.
The Consultation started with the Factory Manager Mr. Georgios Georgalas presenting the development course of the Metallurgy Sector in combination with the significant business investments with a direct friendly environmental impact that have been realized and have made MYTILINEOS one of the largest producers in Europe. and the only vertically integrated bauxite, alumina and aluminum plant in the European Union.
Mr. Panagiotis Kastritis, Head of Procurement, then spoke at length, analyzing the company's policies, rules and procedures in the field of procurement, the framework for ensuring equal opportunities, integrity and the company's respect for suppliers. but also the management axes of the suppliers, pointing out the continuation of the policy of the Metallurgy Sector for long-term and reliable collaborations on a win-win basis and the Hellenization of the markets.
The first part ended with the presentation of Mr. George Galanis, CSR Manager of MYTILINEOS, who focused on the importance and consequently the necessity of the Code of Ethics of suppliers in modern companies, presenting as an example the corresponding Code of MYTILINEOS. He then referred to the benefits of supplier self-assessment in social, labor and environmental issues as well as how this process enhances their competitive advantage, while analyzing the relationship of the supply chain with national and international modern sustainable development trends such as: Objectives of the OHE, the integration of the European directive for the publication of Non-Financial Data in the Greek legislation, the national strategy for the circular economy and the new GRI Standards.
The second part of the Consultation was entirely dedicated to the active participation of the company's suppliers and began with the distribution of suppliers in eight (8) working groups whose mission was to discuss and analyze, at the end submitting their views, two specific questions asked by MYTILINEOS. These issues concerned the position of the participants on: a) how they perceive their self-assessment in social, environmental and labor issues and b) the emergence of areas where there is room for improvement in cooperation with the Metallurgy Department of MYTILINEOS on the basis of mutual benefit.
The Consultation ended with the presentation of the results by representatives of the working groups as well as with relevant clarifications given by the representatives of the company. In total, all the proposals and interventions of the suppliers were recorded, with the aim of their most complete evaluation for their integration, as far as possible, in the existing practices of the Metallurgy Department of MNYTILINEOS.
