Making sustainability a part of their everyday life - report Pureco ESG

100% is a Hungarian-owned international company that has been designing, developing, manufacturing and implementing sustainable and affordable water management solutions, products and technologies for over 18 years.

The sustainability approach is part of the company's everyday life, which is why they decided to produce their first ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) report, formalising their daily efforts and activities.

"We are proud that over the past decades we have been able to implement many projects that have made people's everyday lives healthier. And through our export work in developing countries, we have improved the living conditions of local communities, making a significant contribution to their health and poverty reduction. Two of our innovations have also been included in the list of technologies that contribute to the acceleration of the UN Sustainable Development Goals."

 - in the report, which also shows that their sustainability strategy and the pillars on which they operate are in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and that they have set their commitments accordingly. Their targets include achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

(The two innovations mentioned above can be found here and here.)

As a pioneer among domestic water industry SMEs, Pureco completed its first voluntary ESG summary by May 2023, which was prepared as part of a tender announced by the Budapest Stock Exchange Zrt. (BÉT) in January 2023 entitled „Participation in the ESG Pilot Advisory Programme”. The document, which must be updated and expanded once a year, can also be read on their website.

Their report highlighted the wide range of activities they are involved in, with major water projects in Africa and Asia in the last eight years alone, including the construction of drinking water and wastewater treatment plants. Presenting and quantifying the data in a single report and measuring their carbon emissions was a complex task. This required a number of colleagues to compile it, but also a lot of information from partners and competitors. At the same time, compliance with the ESG requirements will also give them a competitive advantage, as the stormwater, drinking water and wastewater treatment technologies and products they offer will be valued by other companies, as they will provide sustainable and affordable environmental tools.

E as environmental protection

Their in-house designed water treatment solutions guarantee the highest technical standards and quality.

"We strive to make our built-in products as long-lasting as possible, easy to maintain, environmentally friendly and low in chemicals"

- they wrote.

In addition to developing sustainable and affordable solutions, they strive to minimise environmental impact: their latest developments aim to use recycled materials in the 100%.

They are now also measuring their own energy use and GHG emissions, which they plan to reduce in a number of ways. By applying a life-cycle cost approach, optimising energy use in product manufacturing, a sustainable raw material sourcing strategy, and long-life solutions at all times, they contribute to protecting the environment and reducing environmental impacts.

S, as a society

They are regularly involved in supporting local communities - both at home and abroad. This is how they have been able to work in Ghana, among other places, to shape the mindset of the next generation. As a first step towards education in Ghana, they worked with the Zoomlion Foundation to create their Pipe-it-up Ghana board game, which was produced and distributed in 1,000 copies. The aim of the game is to teach children aged 10-14 about the cornerstones of water treatment, water consumption and sanitation.

They also place great emphasis on the health and training of their employees. To this end, they not only provide their employees with premium quality workwear or even home office facilities, but also offer additional training opportunities in addition to the annual mandatory health and safety and fire training.

Their performance is also reflected in the loyalty of their staff, with an average length of service of eight years and a third of employees having been with the company for more than 10 years.

"In 2022, we had an extremely low turnover rate of only 4% and no accidents at work. Both of which we are very proud of," they added.

G as corporate governance

Pureco's transparent corporate governance is based on a comprehensive set of policies, covering topics such as data management, security, IT security, general cost management and even personnel management. As highlighted:

"Our aim is to develop our products and services and shape our corporate culture according to the principles set out in the ESG framework. We believe that by doing so, we will contribute to a more sustainable and ethical world in our everyday lives, where competitiveness and efficiency are balanced with environmental and human values."