Business partners

In 2021, PKN ORLEN increased the availability of ORLEN IN YOUR PORTFOLIO, the first long-term programme for retail investors in Poland. Its purpose is to broaden the knowledge of retail investors about the capital market and safe investing. In 2021, participation in the programme increased by 4,000, to over 13,800 participants, and over 220,000 people used the educational section of the orlenwportfelu.pl website. The key activities implemented under the programme in 2021 included the third edition of the Investing Academy exams and completion of the second and commencement of the third Investing in Practice series. Most of the meetings and events were held online due to the pandemic. Under the programme, PKN ORLEN collaborates with six brokerages, which operate 60% of all individual investment accounts in Poland.

In May 2021, PKN ORLEN opened its own Research and Development Centre in Płock, built under the Petrochemical Development Programme. Worth around PLN 184m, the project is in line with the ORLEN 2030 business strategy objectives of increasing investment in research, development and innovation. For PKN ORLEN, the complex is a major step towards more effective development of new technologies and products, building its own know-how, and obtaining patents for innovative solutions. The key part of the complex is research and testing facilities, including the Modelling and Pilot Plant, with an area of almost 2,000 m2. The technologically and structurally advanced space enables flexible installation of research and pilot facilities with heights of up to 15 meters. This enables new technologies and solutions to move from the experimental phase directly to the testing phase in a close-to-real production environment.

The Research and Development Centre will also operate as a state-of-the-art platform for collaboration between PKN ORLEN and start-ups, inventors, institutes, and universities. PKN ORLEN’s partner network already includes all technical universities in Poland operating in the fields of interest to the Company, for example Warsaw University of Technology and its Płock branch, Gdańsk University of Technology, Warsaw University, Research Institutes and institutes of the Łukasiewicz Research Network.

Another vital objective of the project is to promote science and education. The educational trail located on the Centre premises focuses on science and the ORLEN Group’s operations. There are plans to engage students and young researchers in the implementation of research projects, giving them an opportunity to gain experience and acquire new competencies. In mid-2021, the ORLEN Skylight Accelerator programme was launched. It is addressed to young technology companies from all over the world that offer innovative solutions ready for pilot implementation, scaling or commercialisation as part of PKN ORLEN’s production, logistics and sales infrastructure, or in new potential areas of activity and areas where new revenue streams may be generated. Three accelerator rounds were initiated in 2021, with nearly 60 submissions received in response to challenges in PKN ORLEN’s key business areas from more than 220 startup companies operating in Poland and abroad. As a result, 11 startups received a positive recommendation for pilot implementations to be made in 2022. PKN ORLEN performs tests and implements ideas and products that are in line with the ORLEN Group long-term growth plans in the fields of new decarbonisation solutions and technologies, digitalisation, operational efficiency, sustainable development and circular economy, that serve business areas of the future, including energy generation, petrochemicals, refining based on alternative feedstocks, retail, and logistics. A breakthrough tool helping to step up proprietary technology development relying on Polish technology innovation ideas is the recently launched programme of collaboration with the National Research and Development Centre. Over the coming years, the programme will help acquire new technologies that will be scaled and implemented in partnership with Poland’s largest agency promoting scientific and technology projects and innovation-driven countries. All innovation and development tools allow for quick testing and implementation across various business segments of PKN ORLEN, with most of them used in the course of collaboration with top Polish universities and scientists that support delivery of the ORLEN Group’s strategic goals.

For more information, see `Suppliers`.

One of the priorities of the ORLEN Group’s CSR strategy across all areas: Society, Environment, Employees, Customers, and Business Partners, is to inspire a sense of responsibility by sharing best practices. In 2021, PKN ORLEN presented its activities in reports drawn up by its partners, at national conferences, such as the Development Vision Forum and the Economic Forum in Karpacz and during stakeholder meetings. PKN ORLEN and its stakeholders advocated for various CSR and sustainability initiatives in 2021,

• with PKN ORLEN’s experts actively participating in Circular Week 2021, a series of events promoting sustainable and circular solutions. Circular Week seeks to promote the idea of circular economy, support sustainable business models and establish partnerships between stakeholders. The fourth edition of Circular Week was held between October 11th and October 17th, bringing together over 3,000 participants from all over Europe. The event featured 50 expert panels, training sessions, meetings and webinars that presented solutions to key circular economy challenges: extended producer responsibility, food waste prevention, advancement of bioeconomy, challenges facing the fashion industry, and the future of recycled materials.
• An important incentive to act responsibly is education through play. In 2021, 3,000 copies of the educational family game Treasure Hunt were produced. The game acquaints players with PKN ORLEN’s pro-environmental initiatives and encourages pro-environmental behaviour. The winners receive wildflower seeds they can sow in their home gardens. Pop-up elements are an interesting addition to the game, with a PKN ORLEN service station equipped with rooftop photovoltaic batteries, wind farm, electric vehicle charging station and green landscape elements rendered as 3D shapes. The board also highlights the biodiversity of the area near the Płock production plant, including the endangered species PKN ORLEN helps to protect (the peregrine falcon and the local honeybee species).
• Tree for a Bottle – a waste collection event was held in Płock and Warsaw from September 21st to September 24th, where employees could drop off certain types of waste, like used batteries, expired drugs and electronic waste In exchange for a tree seedling as the symbol of the campaign, carried out under the Responsible Care Programme.
• ORLEN Foundation Volunteering Week – was held from June 14th to June 20th and comprised various environmental and animal protection initiatives, including a wildflower planting event, a riverbank cleanup, etc. The event provided a platform for sharing inspiration and experiences in employee volunteering. Volunteers invited to the studio talked about the ongoing and planned initiatives. The material is available on PKN ORLEN’s YouTube channel.
• Mr Carp Restocks the Vistula – a competition held with a slogan ‘The Flowing, Winding Vistula’. The competition is intended for pre-school and school children in three age groups, living in towns on the Vistula river (ANWIL S.A.).
• Safe on the Way Home – a meeting devoted to road safety was held with children in Municipal Kindergarten No. 10 in Płock in late September and early October of 2021. The project was carried out by ORLEN Serwis.
• A library for ORLEN Centrum Usług Korporacyjnych employees – an employee library opened at ORLEN Centrum Usług Korporacyjnych at the end of September 2020. It has been made as a simple book exchange, which is a perfect solution for those who want to swap books they have read for books they want to read. The programme was continued in 2021.
• In 2021, in partnership with the Municipal Police Headquarters in Płock and using the government innovation programme GovTech Poland, we commenced work on the pilot nationwide educational platform Safe Future on the Road, which will contribute to changing the attitudes of young driving test candidates from Płock and its neighbouring areas to safe driving and the knowledge of traffic rules. The project will enable future drivers to enhance their knowledge of safe driving rules, change negative attitudes and behaviours on the road and, ultimately, contribute to improving road safety.