Protecting society and improving lives

Gender balance and diversity and inclusion

In 2024, we increased the number of women in senior positions from 39% to 41%. This is a leading value within our peer group.

As at 31st December 2024, the Board of Directors had 40% female representation. While appointments at all levels will continue to be made based on skill and ability, all forms of diversity are key to ensuring that we have the right mix of backgrounds, knowledge and experience to meet our future business needs.

Our approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) is rooted in the belief that embracing our differences is the key to innovation and collaboration. We are intentional about creating a workplace where every individual feels a sense of belonging, where diverse voices are heard and valued, and where everyone has an opportunity to develop and make a meaningful impact..  
Since launching our global DE&I roadmap in 2021, we have taken significant steps to build a more inclusive culture gathering richer diversity data, deepening our understanding of our culture, clearly defining it, and embedding KPIs (culture survey scores) that align with reward and recognition structures. 
 
We listening to our people, by actively listening to our people through our employee engagement platform, YourVoice, and fostering meaningful conversations across all regions, we empower our leaders with real-time insights to drive action and strengthen our People Positive culture. 
 
We Develop our people by advancing our talent and succession planning, helping to identify and nurture talent earlier in their careers. We're developing career path frameworks so our people can explore growth opportunities across the organisation and promoting balanced shortlists for all appointments and ensuring our global talent programmes are gender balanced. 
 
This all helps us to build structures that enable all our people to grow whether it’s through inclusive leadership development, flexible role design, or clearer career path frameworks. And we continue to invest in the future through STEM outreach, balanced shortlists, and talent development initiatives that ensure we remain a diverse, future-ready organisation. 
 
 We care for our people, demonstrated by continuing to lead The Big Conversation, supporting over 550 senior leaders in embedding Safety, Health, and Environment (SHE) as a core organisational value. We're fostering psychological safety, promoting open dialogue, and creating a workplace where everyone feels safe and empowered to bring their whole self to work.

Promoting healthy lives and wellbeing

Protecting against threats to global human health

Protection from potentially developing skin cancer

Increasing our positive impact

Supporting our local communities

We are committed to engaging with and supporting our local communities, and in 2024 our employees donated 4,202 hours through our 1% Club.

In 2023 our UK STEM outreach team developed a five-year strategy that focuses activity where it can have the greatest impact, prioritising deprived schools local to Croda sites. We partner with the University of York’s Centre for Industry Education Collaboration and its Children Challenging Industry programme, funding an advisory teacher to deliver science lessons in primary schools. STEM activities have also been taken up globally: for the last two years, our Atlas Point site in Delaware USA has supported six children from a local high school to attend a prestigious engineering summer camp at Bucknell University, Pennsylvania.

In 2023, Croda India developed and equipped a community for construction workers from other parts of the country and their families at our greenfield site in Dahej, Gujarat state. The goal was to create an inclusive environment that promotes physical and mental wellbeing, prevents ill-health and equips residents with lasting benefits and skills. Particular focus has been given to safety, with regular awareness and training, safety awards, motivational activities and recognition. Providing better working facilities and support has contributed to the project achieving 1 million safe staff hours at the construction site.

Sustainably improving one million lives by 2030: Croda Foundation

The Croda Foundation is an independent charitable company solely funded by Croda International. The Foundation’s priority impact areas include reducing hunger and poverty while improving livelihoods, improving access to healthcare and health provision and protecting and restoring ecosystems.

The Croda Foundation’s goal is to sustainably improve one million lives by 2030. In 2023, the Foundation achieved  this goal. Working with project partners and super-charged by additional funding accepted from Croda, it has now sustainably improved the lives of more than 22.8 million people, providing 46 grants across 23 countries. 

Croda Foundation has approved several milestones to be achieved by the end of 2026:
-450,000 people have increased income and skills to better support their livelihoods
-600,000 people have access to healthcare and clean drinking water provision that they didn't previously have
-30,000 trees planted

Croda Foundation’s mission aligns with the UN SDGs. The Foundation ensures that projects supporting the UN SDGs are charitable under English law and further the Foundation’s charitable purposes.