As 2021 wraps up, I have been reflecting on a year that has turned out far differently from what any of us could have imagined. At Orbia, we are still navigating serious challenges stemming from a pandemic that continues to rage around the world. We have lost 53 of our own over the past two years, each of whom is one too many, and had our hearts break for their loved ones. We have found ourselves tested, and are still being tested by strained global markets and sociopolitical divides.
But through it all, our team has risen to every challenge and shown up for each other and our many stakeholders. Because of them, I have seen what resilience looks look like and how courage, responsibility and commitment always lead to results. And Orbia has seen record performance year-to-date.
I feel profound appreciation for what we’ve learned in 2021, and what I’ve personally learned, stepping into a new role. I believe the most important takeaway is the value of working as “one Orbia” to solve the world’s toughest challenges, from urban and rural resilience to water and food security; data connectivity to human health. By integrating our material supply chains and sharing our assets, we met demand, expanded capacity and pursued sustainable growth. In our businesses, we made great strides enabled by our global functions.
In our Polymer Solutions business (Vestolit and Alphagary), we expanded our capacity to bring clean water, safe sanitation and health essentials to customers worldwide.
In our Building and Infrastructure business (Wavin), we expanded our offerings in segments including stormwater management and indoor climate solutions for urban and rural resilience.
In our Precision Agriculture business (Netafim), we extended our end-to-end precision irrigation offerings, moved into turnkey greenhouse solutions and secured new contracts across India to help our customers scale up growing more with less.
In our Data Communications business (Dura-Line), we invested in large-scale conduit and fiber projects to improve connectivity around the world.
In our Fluorinated Solutions business (Koura), we broadened our portfolio in the next-generation refrigerants, propellants and energy storage technologies that will drive a decarbonized future.
And as the world woke up to the necessity of a net-zero agenda, we doubled down in making sustainability our bottom line, with our objectives and growth strategy in alignment.
Looking around the bend to 2022 and beyond, we can imagine a world that runs on renewables, in which reuse is the rule, where the places we love and call home are preserved for our children and their children. To make this vision real means investing more capital and ensuring that our investments squarely contribute to decarbonization. This is exactly what we will do. We are positioned to grow substantially over the next year and in the decade to come. Whether partnering to innovate lithium-ion battery chemistry technologies or pursuing AgTech solutions for enhancing precision agriculture; advancing polymer recycling technologies or transforming waste into value, we will keep demonstrating that success doesn’t have to come at a cost.