SHEQ—more than just a management system

Setting the standards worldwide in safety, social responsibility, health, environmental protection and quality, Cognis continues to lead the way.

Advanced management system
Progress in this field is constantly monitored by an integrated management system that acquires the relevant data from all the production sites and ascertains compliance with the corresponding codes of practice. It is a scheme that has engendered considerable success: in 2001,Cognis became the first specialty chemicals company to achieve worldwide certification to both ISO 9001 (Quality Management Systems) and ISO 14001 (Environmental Management Systems).

Certified by DQS
In 2001 the DQS (German Organization for the Certification of Management Systems) also provided Cognis with an outstanding reference, confirming that the SHEQ management system of the company, which incorporates all its sites worldwide “goes beyond the requirements of ISO standards“.

Audited by independent experts
This recognition brings with it some serious obligations. Hence, Cognis involves carefully selected independent experts in its regular audits. Their specialist knowledge serves to further augment the continuously growing internal expertise at the company. This can often result in a further tightening of the already exemplary company standards that apply in this domain.

Uniformly high standards worldwide
On the other hand, the uniqueness of this position also brings company-specific benefits in the marketplace: our customers—often themselves globally aligned—can thus rely fully on Cognis products worldwide, satisfying uniformly high criteria.

For more information please download our
Sustainability Report 2008