Argos ST's 2025 Sustainability Report: Results & ESG

Takeaways

In 2025, Argos ST increased solar energy self-generation by 122%, for a total of 4.82 million kWh.
Indirect emissions (Scope 2) were reduced by more than 40%, while total waste was down 35.4%.
The Group invested € 26.7 million in salaries and benefits and provided over 3,406 hours of training to colleagues.
Sustainability is an integral part of Argos ST’s business strategy, improving processes, extending the service life of components and creating value for customers, colleagues and communities.

Sustainability: a choice rooted in production

As an industrial group specialising in surface treatments, sustainability goes well beyond environmental issues. It is a question of responsible action, making processes more efficient, using resources properly, recognising the value of people’s skills and working to extend the service life of industrial components.

This is the vision underpinning the Argos Surface Technologies 2025 Sustainability Report, which has been compiled on a voluntary basis in line with GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards, providing a picture of the Group’s ESG performance and setting out its future development priorities.

For Argos ST, sustainability is an approach that shapes investment, organisation and production processes.

Extending the service life of components and reducing waste

Argos ST’s mission is rooted in the basic principle that improving the performance of surfaces means significantly increasing the service life of components for less frequent replacement.

Technologies such as chemical nickel plating, anodizing, cataphoresis and powder coating, plating treatments, metallization and polymer-based coatings protect materials from daily wear, corrosion and weathering, enabling more efficient use of resources and life-cycle extension.

This vision is reflected in the figures for 2025. Total consumption of materials fell by 28%, while waste produced by the Group was down from 5,507 to 3,556 tonnes, corresponding to a decrease of 35.4%. The drop in non-hazardous waste was particularly significant (-54.6%), alongside a decrease of 7.3% in hazardous waste.

Wherever technically feasible, Argos ST chooses the recovery of materials over their disposal. This includes a partnership with Circular Materials for the development of technology dedicated to recovering nickel from industrial waste, in addition to systems for the recirculation of water in plants where it is an essential production resource.

Energy efficiency: solid results and measurable goals

Energy efficiency is a key area of investment and continuous improvement for Argos ST. The goal is to establish increasingly efficiency production processes and progressively reduce dependence on fossil fuels through a series of actions including the adoption of low-impact technologies, optimisation of systems and constant monitoring of energy consumption. This approach makes it possible to better identify opportunities for improvement and target investment towards solutions capable of generating tangible, lasting benefits.

In 2025, Argos ST almost tripled the amount of certified renewable electricity purchased from third parties and increased the amount of energy generated by its own solar plants by around 122%, for a total of 4.82 million kWh. A large proportion of this energy was fed into the national grid, while for 2026, the Group is evaluating the introduction of storage systems to further increase self-consumption.

These investments contributed to a reduction of more than 40% in indirect emissions (Scope 2), offsetting the increase in direct emissions connected with increased production.

Even more significant than improvements in environmental performance is the approach adopted: every action is measured, monitored and feeds into a process of continuous improvement.

People: the true driver of growth

Industrial innovation is built on expertise, continuous professional development and safe working conditions.

On this basis, in 2025 Argos ST spent € 26.7 million on salaries and benefits for its colleagues, confirming their status as the main category for the distribution of economic value generated by the Group.

As at 31 December 2025, the Group has 427 employees, 97.4% of whom are on permanent contracts. The Group has issued 3,406 hours of training, with a particular focus on health and safety, technical skills and management systems.

Investing in people means strengthening the quality of processes, innovation capability and the continuity of expertise within the organisation.

Governance and responsibility throughout the chain of supply and production

Sustainability is not only a consideration for production plants, but involves the entire organisation.

All twelve sites included in the reporting scope for the 2025 Report implement certified quality and environmental management systems, while nine of the plants also hold occupational health and safety certification. Alongside this, in 2025 Argos ST strengthened integration of ESG criteria into its supplier-qualification processes, introducing assessments dedicated to environmental, social, organisational and governance aspects.

The Group supports this approach using the digital platform ESGeo, which centralises ESG data collection for more traceable, consistent and verifiable information.

An ongoing effort

The 2025 Sustainability Report documents the path so far, but above all highlights the direction that Argos Surface Technologies intends to take in coming years. Improving energy efficiency, increasing renewable self-consumption of energy, progressively reducing emissions, harmonising management systems across plants and increasing stakeholder engagement are goals that strengthen the Group’s ability to combine competitive business strategy, innovation and responsible action. This path confirms the desire to constantly evolve, tracking results and identifying new opportunities for improvement.

Read the 2025 Sustainability Report

This article summarises the Group’s key results for the period from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025.

For more details, download the full Argos Surface Technologies 2025 Sustainability Report.