Market

Why is it material?

Our products meet the fuel needs of all domestic customers in industry, transport, shipping, aviation, etc. Our products are available for retail and wholesale in both the domestic and the international markets. All our products are closely linked to three parameters: safety, quality and availability. The core objectives of the targeted improvement of the competitiveness of the Group’s commercial activities are the implementation of best operation practices for safe product management and the delivery of high-quality innovative products, on a competitive value-for-money basis, offered through an extensive petrol station network with full geographic coverage.

Our approach

Our products are fully adapted to the evolving engine technologies and the changing European legal framework.

The Group, respecting the fundamental principle of the European REACH Regulation on the effective management of the risks posed by chemical substances, has aligned its activities with the provisions of the Regulation. The Group also effectively implements and promotes the substantial application of the European CLP Regulation on the classification and labeling of chemicals. The products’ extensive Safety Data Sheets contain an annex with exposure scenarios for human health and the environment per intended use, as well as the recommended risk management measures to downstream users. Best operational practices for safe product handling with respect for the environment are implemented at the Group’s facilities.

Product quality is assured across the entire supply chain via constant controls, while at the petrol stations any customer can assess fuel quality through the spot test kit.

EKO S.A. continues its collaboration with the Fuels and Lubricants Technology Laboratory of the National Technical University of Athens for fuel quality checks at the petrol stations. Customer complaints regarding product quality are forwarded to the Group’s responsible Quality Experts for investigation and response.

All physicochemical analyses of the products are conducted in accredited chemical laboratories and the implemented Quality Management System is certified.

Our ambition

Our goal is to gain the trust of our customers in every refill and we achieve this by ensuring the quality of our products, with constant quality controls throughout the supply chain, from the refinery to the point of delivery to the customer. We implement strict operating standards in all our facilities and petrol stations for the safe management of our products, with respect for the environment. We aim, through a defined framework of cooperation, to secure a network of suppliers and partners, throughout the supply chain, implementing the respective practices of responsible product management.

A Quality, Health & Safety and Environment Management System (QHSE MS) is implemented in all of the Group’s facilities with the aim of understanding all stakeholders’ needs and expectations, as well as achieving continuous improvement.

The Group has incorporated the concept of Responsible Product Management into its Management System – an approach to managing the impact of products throughout their life cycle – in order to achieve the sustainability goals that it has set, as well as those of its suppliers, distributors and customers.

Respecting the fundamental principle of the European REACH Regulation on the effective management of risks posed by chemical substances, the Group has aligned its activities with the provisions of the Regulation:

• We cooperate with other industrial partners in the REACH Consortia and the international organizations in which we participate in order to successfully complete all the Regulation’s phases (registration, evaluation, authorization), with full implementation of the European rules on competition.
• We revise our registration dossiers for those substances for which changes to chemical safety reports or/and hazard classification arise on the basis of new toxicological and eco-toxicological data, or whenever required through decisions by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).
• Our products’ Safety Data Sheets (SDSs)  have been updated in full accordance with the REACH and CLP Regulations. For our products’ safe use we apply the recommended risk management measures included in the human and environment exposure scenarios of the SDSs annexes and we encourage downstream users to implement the corresponding proposed measures for their purposes.
• When designing lubricants, we implement all REACH and CLP Regulations requirements for their safe use, classification, labelling and packaging.

The best operational practices for the safe management of products, with respect for environment, are applied at the Group’s facilities. This entails the implementation of strict waste management procedures at all operation stages, including storage, treatment, recycling, recovery and disposal of waste at the end of the products’ life cycle.

All products of HELLENIC PETROLEUM refineries (liquefied petroleum gas, gasoline, diesel, kerosene, fuel oil, bitumen) meet the specifications set by National and European Legislation. According to the Group’s Quality Policy:

• Detailed and continuous laboratory inspections take place at all stages of production, from receipt of raw material (crude oil) to the products’ final storage in tanks, at the chemical laboratories of the Group’s Industrial Facilities, certified in accordance with ISO 17025. The Group’s Industrial Facilities are certified according to ISO 9001: 2015.
• At EKO’s fuel storage and distribution facilities, quality controls are constant, at all stages of operation, from receipt of fuel from the refinery to final delivery to the customer. Chemical analyses take place at each facility’s chemical laboratory. All EKO fuel storage and distribution facilities are certified for Quality Management in accordance with ISO 9001:2015. The scope of the Quality Management System includes receipt, storage, quality control of fuel, transport and delivery to customers (petrol stations, industry, aviation, bunkering) of liquid fuels.
• The Company Owned Manager Operated, CALYPSO, petrol stations are also certified for Quality Management, according to ISO 9001: 2015.

Therefore, at the Group, we ensure the quality of our fuel throughout the supply chain with constant quality controls at all stages.

According to consumer surveys, fuel quality is considered the most important selection criterion when it comes to refuelling. Τhe EKO GUARANTEE program is the first integrated fuel quality and quantity control program, which applies constant checks from the refinery to the customer’s fuel tank. This program enables consumers to perform in situ fuel quality checks via spot test kits available at the petrol station.

HELLENIC FUELS & LUBRICANTS S.A. continues its collaboration with the Fuels and Lubricants Technology Laboratory of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) for its petrol stations’ fuel quality and quantity control.

The fuel quality and quantity controls, carried out by NTUA’s mobile laboratory units, constitute part of the EKO GUARANTEE program. Two mobile laboratory units, operated by NTUA personnel, conduct unannounced fuel quality and quantity controls at EKO’s petrol stations. During every quality check, fuel samples are further tested in detail at NTUA’s Fuels and Lubricants Technology Laboratory. Fuel quantity measurements are conducted using certified volumetric beakers. Following the quantity check, the station’s pumps are marked with the quality assurance seal.

For more information regarding the EKO GUARANTEE program.

For BP fuel stations, since 2011, an integrated fuels’ quality assurance system has been developed in collaboration with NTUA. Two mobile laboratory units, manned by NTUA’s personnel and equipped with special equipment for on-site quality control of the fuels’ basic characteristics, visit BP petrol stations without prior announcement every year.

In 2019, NTUA carried out a total of 2,934 unannounced on-site quality and quantity fuel checks at EKO and BP fuel stations. A total of 4,325 fuel samples from nozzles were analyzed for quality.

Customer complaints regarding the quality of our products are forwarded to the responsible Group Quality Experts for investigation and response. All physicochemical analyses of products are conducted in accredited chemical laboratories. In 2019, 303 incidents were investigated and 49 customer queries regarding the fuel quality of petrol stations were addressed.

At the HELPE Group, we offer innovative, high-quality products with a competitive value/money ratio through an extensive network of petrol stations with full geographic coverage. Furthermore, we offer our products to commercial customers, industries and resellers. EKO S.A. has eight fuel storage and distribution terminals throughout Greece, and three LPG storage, distribution and bottling facilities in the prefectures of Thessaloniki, Attiki and Rethymno.

Through its subsidiaries, the Group is active in the markets of Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro and North Macedonia. In parallel, exports are directed to all significant markets in SE Europe. The Group’s marketing company has a strong presence in the Greek market through the EKO and BP brands.

In Greece, the Group has a network of more than 1,700 petrol stations. The following table presents the “product mix”, in 2019, in the domestic and international markets where the Group’s subsidiaries are active.

The Group has a large and diverse supplier base, with over 12,000 active suppliers, for the purchase of materials, equipment or services. The list includes multinational companies but also local large, medium and small-sized enterprises. The Group’s suppliers are important business partners who contribute to the achievement of its business targets. They contribute to its competitiveness and Sustainable Development, affecting not only its financial performance but also its relations with all other stakeholders.

Over 12,000 active suppliers

The main objective for the Group’s Procurement is to develop and maintain a broad and reliable supply chain, aiming to:

• optimally cover the Group’s supply needs,
• promote healthy competition and equal opportunities,
• cultivate synergies and long-term relationships,
• maintain absolute transparency and meritocracy,
• implement a strict framework of procurement ethics,
• create multiple supply options to ensure security of supply and minimization of business risks,
• adopt and promote sustainable business practices in environmental, social and economic issues in order to maximize positive impact,
• support local communities by selecting local suppliers, wherever possible, as this contributes to both local development and the realisation of the Group’s goals.

In order to achieve all the above and develop a network of collaborators that applies sustainable development practices that are at least equivalent to those of the Group, we follow a defined cooperation framework, which includes a Code of Conduct, a Procurement Manual, policies and procedures promoting health and safety, commitment to environmental rules/ regulations and responsible work practices with respect for human rights, and a supplier evaluation procedure.

For all the above reasons, our partners are selected and evaluated both upon registration in our suppliers list and during our cooperation with them, based not only on business criteria but also on sustainable development criteria. Furthermore, all contracts with our suppliers incorporate a supplier “compliance clause” with the principles of the UN Global Compact (in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption).

Product advertising and promotion

All activities related to advertising and promotion of products fully comply with the code of conduct of the Hellenic Advertisers Association and the Hellenic Association of Advertising-Communication Agencies (also see indicator 417-3). All marketing executives participate in training programs and seminars in order to be informed about best practices and new regulations.