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Social responsibility

We act responsibly, taking into account the needs and interests of our employees, the local community, customers and interest groups.

For the natural environment

 

Our priority is to eliminate or minimise the negative impacts of our industry. We aim to demonstrate that a large industry can be responsible, eco-friendly, and use resources with maximum efficiency.

 

  • Production that adheres to all norms
  • We base our business activities on EU and Estonian climate policies and other regulations established until 2050
  • We actively address the residual pollution dating from the Soviet era in our immediate vicinity. Residual pollution from the past has left a mark on the oil shale industry as a whole. Thanks to a balanced approach and significant investment, modern production can be kept sustainable by adhering to heightened expectations, and we aim to set a good example.

For the community

We support selected activities to create special value in them. We support the sustainability and development of the Ida-Virumaa region and the improvement of the lives of its people. We focus on children and young people, striving to give them the opportunity to develop their talents, achieve outstanding results and experience success.

Our Biggest Initiatives

Five School Competition

A VKG initiative to advance and promote engineering education among young people. Estonia and Ida-Virumaa need good engineers in many different fields. Our group is interested in ensuring that future specialists receive a solid foundation in sciences at school. We are glad that, with our support, Ida-Virumaa’s students are able to participate actively and successfully in Estonia’s most prestigious science competition: the Five School Competition.

Jõhvi Ballet Festival

It is no exaggeration to call the Jõhvi Ballet Festival the biggest cultural event in the region, and it is still the only internationally renowned Estonian ballet festival. Taking place in Jõhvi, it grants all of us in Ida-Virumaa a rare opportunity to enjoy unique, world-famous ballet performances right at home. Virumaa has been known as the land of “Brown Gold” for a long time, but the festival has made us famous as a ballet area. The ballet festival knows no stereotypes! We are proud to be partnered with this event. The fruitful collaboration between the group and the festival’s organiser, the Jõhvi Concert Hall, has lasted for several years so far.

Promoting Charity among Employees

We offer our employees opportunities to take part in charities and involve them in various initiatives. We are a good partner to the local blood centre. The blood centre organises visits to VKG and its subsidiaries multiple times a year. We also take part in tree-planting and clean-up days.

Maintaining the Traditions of the Industrial Area

Chemical Scientists’ Day

A VKG-led folk party organised in collaboration with the region’s major chemical industry enterprises: Eastman Specialties and Novotrade Invest. The tradition dates back to 2000.

Miners’ Day

A time-honoured tradition we revived in 2011. One of the region’s most anticipated folk parties takes place on the last Sunday of August every year. It is our way of paying our respects to all the miners and inhabitants of the region. The Miners’ Day festivities have been organised in collaboration with Eesti Energia since 2014, and they have been hosted by the Kohtla-Nõmme Mining Museum since 2016.

Acknowledgements and reporting

Since 2012, VKG has been part of the Responsible Business Forum of Estonia. The goal of this association is to popularise and promote the concept of responsible business in Estonian entrepreneurship and at the national level. We are pleased to report that our contributions and developments have been recognised with the Responsible Business label.
Since 2010, and as the first company to adopt the practice in Estonia, we have published all our environmental, social and economic data as a Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development Report based on the principles and requirements laid out in the internationally recognised Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).