[IR - Business model]

Business model and our values

We want Grupa Azoty Group’s operations to stimulate growth of the Polish chemical sector and related industries.

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We want Grupa Azoty Group’s operations to stimulate growth of the Polish chemical sector and related industries. We are the leader of research and development initiatives in the Polish chemical industry, and our activity is creating opportunities to reduce the trade deficit in chemicals. By harnessing innovation, we are changing the Group’s revenue structure by moving towards high-margin and low-tonnage chemicals.

We are building our brand in a balanced way, based on innovation, knowledge, responsibility and professionalism. Our operations in 2020 were underpinned by the business model presented below. In 2021, the business model and the strategy were updated. 

Grupa Azoty Group’s mission – based on Grupa Azoty Group Strategy for 2013–2020:

Create value for Grupa Azoty and the national economy by delivering safe, useful and innovation-driven chemical products

Grupa Azoty Group’s vision – based on Grupa Azoty Group Strategy for 2013–2020:

Deploy state-of-the-art, comprehensive chemical industry solutions that meet stakeholder expectations



We manage the Group conscientiously 

Broad product portfolio 
Grupa Azoty Group's core business areas:

  • Agro Fertilizers
  • Plastics
  • Chemicals
  • Energy
  • Other Activities
  • OXO alcohols
  • Titanium white
  • Melamine
  • Speciality low-tonnage products

Products manufactured by the Grupa Azoty Group find their applications in virtually all segments of the economy.

Leader at home

The Grupa Azoty Group is Poland’s largest chemical producer.

TOP 1 among:

  • manufacturers of mineral fertilizers (No. 1 in Poland, No. 2 in the EU)
  • manufacturers of polyamide (No. 1 in Poland, No. 3 in the EU)
  • manufacturers of OXO alcohols (No. 1 in Poland, No. 4 in the EU) and plasticisers (No. 1 in Poland, No. 5 in the EU)
  • manufacturers of titanium white and melamine (No. 1 in Poland, No. 3 in the EU)

Top EU producer

We are the first CEE company featured in the ICIS Top 40 Power Players 2015, which lists 40 most influential senior executives in the chemical market.

We stand among the top European manufacturers of chemicals and polyamide 6 and belong to the elite group of producers that are fully integrated in terms of raw material supplies.

TOP 2 among:

  • manufacturers of nitrogen fertilizers

TOP 3 among:

  • manufacturers of melamine
  • manufacturers of compound fertilizers
Learn about our activities/value creation
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People are the foundation of the Grupa Azoty Group's business, so we invest on an ongoing basis in developing their skills and qualifications and building a working environment conducive to innovation. Our products raise the quality of life, ensure food security, and promote sustainable agricultural production, therefore we see continual improvement of the Group's portfolio as a priority.


We focus on delivering stable and predictable financial performance and managing risks, including non-financial (ESG) risks. The scale of our business gives us potential to have a wide impact on the economic and social environments in which we operate and thus drive their positive and sustainable growth.


We manage our Group conscientiously – our investments and expenditure translate into tangible benefits:

  • growth of financial capital,
  • growth of manufacturing capital  in the form of products, services and high-quality delivery processes,
  • growth of human capital quality
  • growth of the organisation's intellectual capital,
  • growth of natural capital,
  • growth of social and relationship capital.
Safe chemicals
Our efforts and expenditure:
Our performance and benefits to the environment:
  •  We ensure safety and high quality throughout the production cycle All our products come with appropriate instruction manuals and data sheets that facilitate identification of the product and the possible hazards related to its application
  • •We manage quality, environment and safety based on recognised ISO standards, including: ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 14004, ISO 45001 and applicable industry systems
  •  In each case we prepare chemical safety reports based on the EU REACH Regulation
  •  We operate the Product Stewardship Programme as a member of Fertilizers Europe
  •  We mitigate negative environmental impacts through pro-environmental investments, including in flue gas desulfurisation, industrial wastewater treatment, and reduction of water and electricity consumption
  • No fatalities
  •  Reduction of N2O emissions in the manufacture of nitric acid following upgrade of the catalytic and catchment gauzes: in 2020, the emissions were 0.2 kg N2O/t HNO3 at Grupa Azoty S.A., 0.58 kg N2O/t HNO3 at Grupa Azoty Kędzierzyn, and 0.77 kg N2O/t HNO3 Grupa Azoty Puławy
  • In 2020, our water abstraction volume decreased by 0.4%, while the product output was on the rise
  • In 2020, Grupa Azoty Kędzierzyn worked on implementing the adopted ‘steam policy’, which will result, among other things, in reducing the steam requirement in technological processes of ammonia and hydrogen production and, as a consequence, lower emissions of pollutants from combustion processes at the company’s CHP plant
  • A project was launched to construct a dry slag collection unit at the Grupa Azoty S.A. Power Centre; After it is completed, the hydraulic conveyor system will be decommissioned, the consumption of electricity and water will be reduced, and the Company will be able to discontinue slag storage and to recover dry slag for use in road construction


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Useful chemicals
Our efforts and expenditure:
Our performance and benefits to the environment:
  •  We have launched two new products: NovaTec and Tohumus1 , which not only contribute to the successful development of our sales channel, but also bring a range of benefits for both plants and the natural environment
  •  In 2020, we introduced uniform packaging for our fertilizers, which refers to elements necessary for sustainable agriculture and adds to our consistent message embodied in the slogan ‘Abundance is What Matters’
  • With the use of AgroCares scanners, our representatives can perform quick soil analyses for farmers, thanks to which only the necessary nutrients are supplied to the soil
  • We have expanded our soil monitoring and analysis services with the SatAgro  technology, giving farmers access to satellite tools to perform remote crop
  • Since 2015, we have been running a unique programme ‘Grounded in Knowledge’, as part of which Grupa Azoty Group has already reached almost 5,000 farms across Poland


Innovation-based growth in 2020
Our efforts and expenditure:
Our performance and benefits to the environment:
  •  In 2020, we developed our existing Research and Development Centres, commenced the construction of a new R&D centre in Kędzierzyn - Koźle, and established new units specialising in specific research areas
  •  Projects and research conducted by two own Research and Development Centres
  •  In 2020, the Group's total research and development expenditure represented 0.36% of its revenue


1 The installation was opened in 2021.

Value of the Grupa Azoty Group and its influence on growth of Poland’s economy
Our efforts and expenditure:
Our performance and benefits to the environment:
  • , The Group is among the largest consumers of raw materials in Central and Eastern Europe: in 2020, we spent PLN 5.4bn to purchase raw materials for production
  •  Approximately 60% is capital expenditure related to business development in 2020
  •  The Group is one of the largest employers – we have created more than 15,000 jobs
  •  We are building relations with our neighbours, including through employee volunteering and scholarships offered to students
  • [201-4] Significant financial assistance received from government (in PLN):

    20192020
    Government grants to finance property, plant and equipment
    71,606,394*
    11,839,023
    State aid related to operation within a special economic zone
    41,042,046**
    10,652,482
    Other government grants
    257,095,444
    315,935,956
    Tax credits for research and development projects
    1,159,400
    3,467,484
  •  Improved operating performance of the Grupa Azoty Group in 2020
    · Consolidated revenue of PLN 10,525m
    · EBITDA of PLN 1,322m
    · Consolidated net profit of PLN 355m
  •   [203-2] Amounts paid to the state budget, injected into the economy thanks to the operations of the Grupa Azoty Group's key companies (in PLN):

    20192020
    Property tax
    115,011,987
    116,423,235
    Forestry tax
    3,241
    3,280
    Tax on means of transport
    32,943
    32,636
    Agricultural tax
    3,823
    4,384


* The high amount of grants for property, plant and equipment received in 2019 was attributable to grants obtained by Grupa Azoty Kędzierzyn for the ‘Special Esters Demonstrator’ project and energy efficiency certificates.
** In 2019, the high amount of aid related to operations within a special economic zone followed from improved financial performance generated in the zone by Grupa Azoty Puławy.

About the Grupa Azoty Group
Table of contents
Strategy