Innovation and continuous improvement
The Saras Group is committed to the protection of the environment, occupational health and safety by means of dedicated investments and a solid system of organisational and management policies, which are the cornerstones of our sustainable operations and are certified under the best international standards.
The Sarlux production philosophy has long been innovation driven; this includes a focus on the implementation of environmental policies and on boosting the environmental performance of products and production cycles. This involves both implementing regulatory tools and joining voluntary environmental certification schemes, in line with national and EU recommendations and standards, and with international best practices.
The pillars of the Group’s performance are the skills and high professional standards of our people, and the deployment of modern digital technologies and process innovation along the supply chain. Together, they have made the Saras Group one of the leading refineries in the Mediterranean basin.
Certifications, management systems and protocols: a long history
The Sarlux refinery has an ISO 14001 certified Environmental Management System (EMS) in place since 2004. In 2007, the facility also obtained OHSAS 18001 certification for its Safety Management System (SMS), in 2020, the system was migrated to the new ISO 450001 standard.
Subsequently, the two systems were integrated with each other and with the Major Accident Prevention System (SGS-PIR), required by the national Seveso Directive (ref. Legislative Decree 105/2015), to boost the synergy of their shared features and introduce performance measurement and the planning of improvement objectives and targets.
Today, the HSE (Health, Safety & Environment) management system is a comprehensive framework (for major accident prevention, occupational health and safety and environmental protection) that has matured fully over the years and is the main management approach for achieving continuous improvement at the industrial facility.
In addition, since 2008, the Group’s Sarroch facility has been registered with EMAS, the European Commission’s Eco-Management and Audit Scheme.
As required by its EMAS registration, since 2009 Sarlux has published an annual Environmental Statement. This is one of the key tools of our constant dialogue with internal and third-party stakeholders, facilitating an open and transparent relationship with the local community, public agencies and our own workers, who play an active role in the effective implementation of our environmental policies.
In addition to EMAS registration, in 2009 the Sarroch plant was the first in Italy to obtain the Integrated Environmental Authorisation (IEA), which combines all environmental permits. This was last renewed by Decree 0000263 of 11.10.2017 of the Ministry of the Environment.
In 2018, in line with our continuous improvement approach, we continued to strengthen corporate safety culture, consolidating the Behaviour-Based Safety protocol – BBS across all operating organisations and areas of the Sarroch production site.
The concept was to create a unified management scheme to promote safe behaviours and consolidate the ‘zero incidents’ goal.
Continual plant performance improvement also involves the challenge of energy saving and energy efficiency.
Sarlux has implemented an Energy Management System (EMS) compliant with UNI EN ISO 50001:2011 to raise its energy performance and reduce consumption, emissions and costs.
In 2018, our EMS was certified by RINA and IQNET as compliant with ISO 50001:2018.
Since the early 2000s, the Saras Group has certified the quality of its products under the ISO 9001 management system, and has promoted environmental protection and health and safety at work through dedicated investments and a solid group-wide framework of organisational and management policies, which form the cornerstones of its sustainable action and are certified under the best international standards.
The Group’s core values, rooted in its history include: ensuring safety and respect for the environment, creating sustainable value, developing innovation and actively engaging with the local community.
Technological innovation and the #digitalSaras programme launched by Sarlux exploit the potential of Industry 4.0 and mark a further step forward in environmental management.
Some FAQs about certifications we are asked in meetings with university and high school students
Why does Saras have so many certifications?
By implementing Environmental, Safety and Energy Management Systems we have an integrated dynamic view of the production system. This approach promotes active engagement in the processes to optimise efficiency in the use of natural resources.
What is certification for?
Certification by an independent body ensures we maintain continuous improvement as a dynamic process, instead of having a static picture; importantly, it also verifies our compliance with legal requirements. It stimulates process innovation to achieve ambitious targets.
Does being certified mean being sustainable?
Definitely, and it is a ‘way’ of working. Systematising all production factors and all the interacting elements, such as the environment, safety and people, requires an integrated vision, where overall betterment can only be achieved via the improvement of each individual factor.
Does the company incur costs to obtain the certifications?
Saras invests in safety and the environment, technological innovation and staff training; this enables us to be a certified company.
As Sarlux operates in a territory, Sardinia, with a precious and sensitive ecosystem, and in an industrial sector requiring the utmost attention to sustainability issues, our daily actions consistently focus on protecting the health and safety of site workers and the local community, and on safeguarding the environment and natural resources.
The Saras Group is one of the main European oil refining operators, and is also active in the electricity generation sector. Directly and through its subsidiaries, the Group sells and distributes petroleum products on national and international markets. In addition, the Group produces and sells electricity through its subsidiaries Sarlux Srl (IGCC plant) and Sardeolica Srl (wind farm). The Group also supplies industrial engineering and research services to the oil, energy and environmental sectors through its subsidiary Sartec Srl.