Business globalization, including potential acquisitions in Europe and beyond, is one of the main goals of the new strategy for the Ciech Group. The six-year plan also includes increased use of patents, collaboration with startups in clean technology, and steering the business towards greener practices. “We have an ambitious goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 45% by 2029,” announces CEO Kamil Majczak. The new strategy is accompanied by a name change to better reflect the transformation undergone in recent years and to emphasize the company’s global aspirations. From June, Ciech will officially operate as Qemetica.
“The name change is a natural step in the evolution of our group and a reflection of our aspirations to be an innovative, global company,” says Kamil Majczak, CEO of Ciech, to Newseria Business. “In the last few months, two strategic events have occurred: the company now has a single owner, Kulczyk Investments, and we have transitioned to a private company, delisting from the stock exchanges in Warsaw and Frankfurt. This has also led us to strategically look to the future, to change and refresh our strategy. The name change is a clear step towards the future, showing that we are a company with global aspirations.”
From June this year, the chemical group will operate under the new name – Qemetica. As the CEO points out, the change is a natural continuation of the transformation conducted over the past few years, which organized the group’s structure and optimized its production and business processes. Ambitious plans related to sustainable development have also been implemented, including a long-term project for the energy transformation of the group’s most energy-intensive business, soda production. The largest investment plan in history was also realized, including the construction of a salt plant in Germany for approximately 700 million PLN. At the end of last year, full control of the group was taken over by the private, international investment house Kulczyk Investments, and in March, Ciech’s shares were withdrawn from trading on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. Resigning from the status of a public company allows it to react more quickly and flexibly to market fluctuations and changes.
The name change is also accompanied by a new strategy, which sets the directions and goals for the group for the next six years. In addition to increasing financial results, it includes greater use of intellectual property in creating new, innovative products. The goal for 2026 is 10 patents supporting its competitiveness. The company also plans to explore the European startup market for clean technology solutions and new businesses.
“These goals, set in key areas, are primarily about expanding the scale of the group’s operations and innovations, i.e., driving our competitive position by introducing new products or improving processes. This, of course, includes sustainable development, which is key for us as a company operating in the chemical industry. We are focusing on decarbonization, reducing emissions in our plants. We have an ambitious goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 45% by 2029,” emphasizes Kamil Majczak. “All this is also associated with the general goal of globalizing our business. We are considering potential acquisitions that could complement our presence outside Poland, beyond the European continent.”
In the new strategy for each of the seven business areas of the group – Soda, Salt, Agro, Foams, Silicates, Packaging, and Cargo – specific business goals have been set. One of the priorities will be an environmentally sustainable product portfolio, including low-emission soda and silicates and foams with a reduced proportion of petroleum-based raw materials in favor of more sustainably sourced materials. The Agro business will focus on international expansion and hybrid products for farmers, and new investments are planned in Packaging. Meanwhile, the goal in the salt business in the coming years will be to achieve a leading position in the Central and Eastern European market.
“We look at the development directions of each of our businesses and see new areas, new opportunities, and new product groups that we can add. Whether it’s in the salt business – specialized edible salt, or in the agro business – new, innovative plant protection products, or even the mattress business [last year, the foam mattress brand Snoovio, based on the know-how of Ciech Foams, debuted on the Polish market],” notes Ciech’s CEO. “However, we are not focusing only on organic growth. We are also considering possible acquisitions, business takeovers, which will allow us to enter new markets, introduce new products, and quickly increase the scale of certain businesses in the group.”
Ciech’s new business strategy – and from June, Qemetica’s – is also integrated with ESG goals. The group’s plans to achieve climate neutrality by 2040 also remain current.
“The chemical industry strives to be as sustainable as possible. In our case, this is primarily about the energy intensity and how efficiently we produce our products with the smallest possible carbon footprint. On the other hand, it also involves giving a second life to products and
materials. Hence, initiatives that reduce the use of harmful substances or allow them to be reused, like in our foam business, where we introduce new materials from recycling,” explains Kamil Majczak.
As he indicates, sustainable development and green transformation are particularly challenging in the most energy-intensive soda segment.
“Here, we need a lot of energy in the form of steam to produce soda, so we need to think about how to improve our production efficiency and how to change our energy sources and move away from coal, which we have in our Polish plants,” adds Ciech’s CEO. “At our plant in Germany, we already use gas, we have a thermal waste processing installation. Similarly, we are looking at new sources that are much more sustainable than coal, at our plants in Inowrocław and Janikowo. We have a biomass co-firing project that we will start this year. We are also considering installing a thermal waste processing facility; we are in the process of obtaining environmental approvals to build such an installation. These are projects that we will consistently implement to move away from coal at our plants.”
The name change from Ciech to Qemetica does not involve modifications to KRS or NIP numbers. It will take place gradually in May and June this year at various production facilities in Poland and abroad. However, it is already visible, including on the dedicated website qemetica.com and in a special spot that can be seen on the CIECH Group’s YouTube channel.
“The process of changing the name is very complex. This week we are announcing the change, showing the new name and new logo. However, it must be remembered that the name change also involves a series of formal changes, changes to the names of all companies in the group, changes in IT systems, marketing. It is necessary to inform our customers, contractors, and suppliers that we are changing, so it is a very complex process. We are preparing for all this to happen in June this year and for all these elements to synchronize at one moment,” summarizes Kamil Majczak.
