Our Stories & Events

A few months ago, a cross-functional team at the Monument Bayport facility spent countless hours together in a conference room working their way through an intensive EcoVadis questionnaire. Led by Rick Caines, they explored and addressed every avenue needed to demonstrate the site’s commitment to sustainable practices in its operations, supply chain, and product offerings.

Thanks to the team’s tenacious approach – and the help of an excellent consultant – Monument Bayport was awarded EcoVadis Bronze status within a month.

We’re purposefully kicking off this sustainability feature with a tangible win. Here’s why…

We all know that sustainability has been a buzzword for decades. But for ample reasons (such as increasing regulations, global pacts, consumer demand, and simply because it’s the right thing to do!), Sustainability is so much more than a buzzword. It’s the future of just about every industry – including ours.

And to get to that future, we need tangible actions and wins.

To spark action, big companies are setting high-reaching sustainability goals. As an example, most major airlines have committed to increasing their use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) over the next decade – with the ultimate goal of carbon neutrality. These high-reaching sustainability goals are inspirational and commendable, but they will rely on the shared commitment of everyone in the supply chain to make them possible.

As with many big challenges, success will require transparency and a continuous improvement mindset.

“As a growing player in the supply chain for many industries, a top focus for Monument is to fully understand our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and sustainability practices and performance, so that we can clearly articulate that information to our customers – who need it for their own ESG and sustainability goals,” said Adam Pingel, VP Operations. “Right now, we can share a high percentage of that data for our products, but to get to 100%, we need to collaborate even more with our downstream partners.”

Monument’s recent win with the Bayport site’s Bronze EcoVadis certification proved to be a worthy investment of our time and resources to boost both data transparency and continuous improvement efforts.

“Going through the certification process illustrated that we’re already doing many of the right things,” said Adam. “But more importantly, the EcoVadis rating process has provided a framework to identify areas for improvement – and we are applying those learnings not only at Bayport, but also at all of our Monument sites.”

Monument Kallo Team Leads the Way!

Adam is quick to point out that the Monument plant in Antwerp (Kallo), Belgium is already ahead of the curve – and has held EcoVadis Silver status since 2018.

“We are proud of what we have accomplished so far to deliver big wins in ESG and sustainability for our European customers and the communities we serve,” said Leen Props, Quality Assurance Coordinator. “We are confident that we can reach Gold status in the near future, but the biggest reward will always be applying creativity and innovation to delivering big wins in this global commitment.”

“Our European customers have relied on our Kallo team for many years to provide in-depth ESG and sustainability data – and we’re seeing that trend quickly pick up speed in the US,” said Adam.

So, Monument is picking up speed as well – and the Bayport win is only one stepping stone in this important journey. And to help expedite that journey, our Kallo team members have been eagerly sharing ESG and sustainability best practices with their US colleagues.

“Sustainability is a much more comprehensive call-to-action today,” said Paul Raymond, CEO. “It’s not just about planting trees to combat carbon emissions or any one set of initiatives and changes. Sustainability and industry-leading ESG practices must be a cornerstone of our business plan and our growth portfolio. This will mean ongoing dialogue and best-practice sharing among our Monument teams, as well with our suppliers and customers to drive opportunity and growth.”

“It’s an exciting time to work in the chemical industry,” added Adam. “Sustainable innovations in our industry are going to drive sustainable innovations across industries – construction, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, transportation, electronics, and more. We have countless opportunities ahead to support our customers in delivering positive change in every industry – and in turn, provide a more sustainable future for the world.”

And we can’t think of a bigger win than that! More tangible successes on this journey to come…

Shout out to Rick Caines, Gloria O’Bannon, Stacy Johnson, and Avjit Dugal for their incredible efforts in the Bayport EcoVadis certification process!