SIKA launches the SPM Framework

With environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues becoming increasingly important, Sika is rolling out a new framework to integrate innovation and sustainability across its product portfolio. As part of its Strategy 2028, the company has developed a robust Sustainability Portfolio Management (SPM) system that provides a transparent, factual, and reliable assessment of its product portfolio, as well as insights into performance and sustainability. 

Strategic impact and recognition

Sika is one of the first companies in the specialty chemicals industry to develop and implement such a comprehensive framework. As a sign of recognition, the European Commission has endorsed Sika's SPM under the umbrella of Safety and Sustainability.

This approval is part of a broader response to a call-to-action from July 2023, which so far has resulted in the submission of 113 transition initiatives. The European Commission's Transition Pathway is a multi-faceted approach that aims to integrate green and digital transformations to increase the resilience and sustainability of the European chemical industry.

The launch of the SPM framework also addresses the global trend of the investors' demand for faster product evaluation, as well as increasing the customers' need for transparent and comprehensive documentation of ESG standards.

SPM in brief

At its core, SPM comprises key sustainability dimensions such as circularity, safety, and climate impact. By applying the SPM methodology, Sika is able to assess its products across defined market segments and against a consistent set of criteria, with the goal of demonstrating proven sustainability and performance.

The SPM methodology is externally validated for compliance with the chemical industry methodology for Portfolio Sustainability Assessments (PSA), provided by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. 

A four-step approach to sustainability

Sika's commitment to sustainability

Sika strives to achieve favorable sustainability ratings for all its products and innovations. These are grouped into clusters from A to F. Specifically, products within clusters A, B and C are designated as sustainable solutions, with cluster A items further highlighted as "More Performance - More Sustainable" through specialized branding. This framework enables Sika and its customers to strategically steer the product portfolio towards sustainable solutions, while minimizing products classified in lower clusters. This quest contributes to Sika’s innovation rate which reached 24.4% in 2023 (2022: 22.6%). 

Ana Carmona, Head Corporate Sustainable Products: “The effective implementation of the SPM globally demands an understanding of ESG principles but also a deep commitment to integrating these values into every facet of product development and lifecycle management.” Sika's Product Sustainability Expert Team has played a critical role in this transformation. Their global, regional, and local expertise has helped to position SPM as a central component of product sustainability and strategic expansion across Sika organizations worldwide.

Watch the video

Ana Carmona (Corporate Head of Sustainable Products), Maya Harris (Project Leader in Thermoplastics Systems), Laura Lopez (Corporate Market Development Manager) describe the SPM process and its benefits.

For additional information on Sika's SPM, including the detailed methodology paper, visit the download center of the corporate website: Sustainability Portfolio Management (sika.com)