Corporate Social Responsibility

Targeting sustainable industrial activities goes further than taking simple “green” and often short-term actions to reduce a carbon footprint.

At Baikowski, it goes from common industrial good practices to real efforts for a positive impact in the long run, whether it is from an environmental or local perspective.

On this page you’ll find what we’have been doing so far to cut gas and water use, treat and valorize effluents, advance to low carbon alumina prodcution and more…

What measurable results summarize our progress so far?

• Water (USA): >60% reduction per unit of production (2003–2020).
• Water (France): ~20% reduction per tonne in 2024.
• By-products: BiNa® (sodium bisulfite, ISO 22000 since 03/2023), Sulcabaï (calcium sulfate).
• Waste recovery: ~90% of non-hazardous industrial waste.
• Programs: ADEME low-carbon energy-mix study (2022); France 2030 selection for ABC “Low Carbon Alumina” (2024).
• Electrified route development: microwave oven installation (2025)
• GHG emissions:  reduction of more 25% achieved  between 2015 and 2021
• Local roots: Poisy plant in France (1954); ~130 local jobs today.

What is Baikowski’s strategy for natural gas reduction?

To bring our products to high temperatures and thus turn them into high-end materials, Baikowski uses kilns working with natural gas. Being aware that our activities require an important use of this resource, we are closely monitoring our consumption and taking action to reduce it gradually :

• Product mix evolution: This strategy led us to the production of other types of fine oxides aside from aluminum oxide. Manufacturing these higher value-added products turns out to be less energy-consuming than alumina production and comes together with a decrease of production volumes of more standard alumina.
• Furnace upgrades: In addition to this trend, we focus our efforts on optimizing our facilities continuously. That is why we invested in a new technology of burners for our furnace a few years ago. These are heat self-recovery burners, enabling to reduce smoke spillage while reinjecting captured energy back into the system.

Discover our environment and energy policy

Baikowski captures and retreats its gas emissions and effluents through two separate mechanisms that are feeding each other; the STEL and the Sox.
These two tailor-made facilities are not only a mean to reprocess our gas & liquid effluents to neutralize them, but also to recycle them with by-products : sodium bisulfite and calcium sulfate.

What is BINA (Sodium Bisulfite) and where is it used?

• The Sox mechanism enables us to process the gas produced while manufacturing high purity alumina.
• We obtain a by-product that is currently sold for water treatment or as a bleaching agent: the bisulfite.
• Since March 2023,  we can also adress  the agri-food market thanks to the ISO 22000 certification and in particular the sugar market.

What is Sulcabai (Calcium Sulfate) and how is it used in agriculture?

• We have been developing a custom-made facility to process liquid effluents coming from our manufacturing process. It gives the ability to neutralize the effluents and it goes even further; we create an upgraded by-product: the calcium sulfate!
• Our Sulcabaï (in French, sulfate de calcium Baikowski) is used in agriculture for fertilization and aeration of the soil. It brings many benefits; for instance, it helps for desalination and takes away soda from saline soils. We produce about 1,2 tons of Sulcabaï for 1 ton of alumina being produced.

How much non-hazardous waste do we recover?

We make sure that we separate and recycle waste as much as we can. Indeed, around 90% of non-hazardous industrial waste are recovered at Baikowski.

• Founded in 1904, Baikowski arrived in Annecy in 1919 due to its proximity to the hydroelectric equipment essential to its development and due to watchmaking industry (Swiss & Savoyard) booming at that time.
• In 1954, the plant in Poisy was created and is employing today about 130 people locally. The company’s future sustainability is secured through responsible actions toward residents and employees, coupled with the intelligent management of resources and the effective treatment and recovery of all industrial waste and emissions.

Discover our history

How did we reduce noise?

Baikowski® has  reduced noise emissions for both employees and local residents by simultaneously implementing several noise reduction projects:

• We installed a custom-made silencer on the gaseous effluent treatment fan and added a variator to the cooling towers,
• Within the plant, we fitted cowlings on vacuum pumps.

Which Local Long-term projects are underway ?

In the spirit of long-term, inclusive development with its environment, Baikowski is working with local authorities on various subjects:

• Solar panels deployment, as part of the governmental plan “climate, air, energy 2050”.
• Soft mobility (since 2017): active in the local corporate mobility plan (2–3 meetings/year with the conurbation).

• In 2022, following the call for application “Expedite the industrial transition” launched by The French Agency for Ecological Transition, ADEME, Baikowski® has been taking part in the experiment consisting in the opportunity study of the low-carbon energy mix of its Poisy production site.
• In 2024, Baikowski®’s ABC (Alumine Bas Carbone/ Low Carbon Alumina) project has also been selected as a winner of the France 2030 call for projects! This project aimed at creating a new, fully electrified process that can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

This approach is in line with Baikowski’s goal to take an active part in the development of sustainable technologies for the future.