Segezha Group ("Segezha Group" or "the Company", MOEX:SGZH, a Sistema Company), a leading Russian vertically integrated holding company in the forest industry performing a full cycle of operations from logging to advanced wood processing, completed the certification procedure ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 between February and April of this year, in line with the Company's Sustainability Strategy.

External recertification audits were carried out at both the management company in Moscow and at the Group's key assets, namely: Segezha Pulp and Paper Mill, Sokolsky Pulp and Paper Mill, Segezha Packaging Segezha Woodworking Plant,
Lesosobirsk Woodworking Plant #1, Sokol CLT, S-Dok, Kipelovo Woodworking Plant, Vyatsky Plywood Plant and Giprobum.

These audits were conducted by "TMS RUS", the Russian affiliate of Germany-based TUV Nord, a leading global firm for the certification of management systems.

In 2020, while developing an integrated management system (IMS), the preparation needed to secure accreditation by TUV Nord was carried out by a number of internal teams specialising in quality, environment and occupational health and safety.

The implementation of IMS requirements across Segezha Group assets has given rise to an official IMS policy within the Company, which sets specific goals and tasks aimed at boosting efficiency and improving the documentation and implementation of key elements of the IMS (processes, risks, external audits and ensuring compliance with international ISO standards).        

Elena Sofienko, Head of Methodology and Business Processes at Segezha Group, said: "IMS efficiency is an important indicator for the Group, and ensuring consistently product quality, reducing our environmental impact and guaranteeing a safe work environment are all key priorities. Thanks to our systematic, process-based and risk-orientated approach, all based on ISO standards, our work is becoming more transparent, predictable, efficient and better structured for our employees. International certification gives us important advantages, boosting the trust of interested parties (consumers, partners and investors), opening up new opportunities and markets, and therefore allowing us to keep developing."

Environmental management certification for Segezha Group assets is part of the Group's HSE Strategy, approved by the Board of Directors in December 2020.

Vyacheslav Mutyev, Segezha Group's Environmental Director, said: “Our environmental protection work is in line with national and global "green" agendas, with international certification providing a useful way to get employees involved in work that makes a positive contribution to environmental causes. The ISO 14001 certification also provides the company with credibility, as this is recognized and well respected by the international professional community.”

Throughout 2021, Segezha Group will continue to systematically develop and maintain its IMS, receiving more international accreditation for the Group's work in quality, environment, and occupational and industrial health and safety.

IMS is an integrated management system developed and implemented across Segezha Group's assets. It complies with three key international standards: ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001.