“We had supported bee colonies on Spolana’s site since
2018 when one of our colleagues came up with the idea to use the
non-manufacturing part of our land for this purpose. We have ten bee colonies
now. Besides delicious and healthy honey, this wonderful hobby also benefits
children who attend honey harvesting each year,” says
Piotr Kearney, an executive at
Spolana.
Beekeepers at Neratovice-based
Spolana have kept bees for seven years. The quality of their honey is best
attested to by the repeated gold medal awards presented by the accredited
laboratory of the Bee Research Institute. The acknowledgements go primarily for
the outstanding honey quality based on tests in many categories, e.g., the
overall aesthetic impression and physical and chemical properties.
“During honey harvesting, we showed the children the
traditional beekeeping procedures and tools used to harvest honey. Healthy bee
colonies, as we have here at Spolana, are not a commonplace now. Besides
high-quality honey, we are delighted by the long-lasting health of our bees,” comments Lukáš Karlík, a
beekeeper and director of Energy and Water Management at Spolana.
At the end of last year, local
beekeepers opened a Honey Trail for visitors interested in beekeeping and honey
harvesting. It starts at the fourth gate of Spolana’s production site (Libiš
bus stop, Spolana 4) and continues across the Černínovsko natural reserve to
the municipality of Libiš.
Spolana’s commitment to
environmental initiatives extends beyond beekeeping. The company partners with
the Czech Anglers Union and the environmental centre in Kralupy to restock the
Elbe with fish. It also provides protection for peregrine falcons that
regularly nest on the company’s site. In recent years, Spolana’s production
activities have significantly reduced their environmental impact. The area
around the production premises, particularly the final sedimentation tank, has
become a sanctuary for many protected and endangered animal species. For
example, the site’s cleanliness is attested to by the presence of Eurasian
otter, common teal, common kingfisher, and Old World beaver, i.e., species that
are highly sensitive to the quality of the environment.
![01_Med-ze-Spolany-2024.jpg](/En/media_/news/PublishingImages/01_Med-ze-Spolany-2024.jpg)
SPOLANA s.r.o. is one
of the largest chemical manufacturing companies in the Czech Republic. The only
manufacturer of PVC and caprolactam also produces ammonium sulphate and
sulphuric acid. It currently employs over 700 people. Spolana has been owned by
the ORLEN Unipetrol Group since 2016. The ORLEN Unipetrol Group is the largest
refining and petrochemical company in the Czech Republic. It focuses on crude
oil processing and production, distributing and selling fuels and petrochemical
products – mainly plastics and fertilisers. It is one of the major players in
the Czech and Central European markets in all these areas. The ORLEN Unipetrol
Group includes refineries and production plants in Litvínov and Kralupy nad
Vltavou, Paramo in Pardubice, Spolana in Neratovice, and two research centres
in Litvínov and Brno. ORLEN Unipetrol also includes the ORLEN network of
filling stations in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. ORLEN Unipetrol
is one of the largest companies in the Czech Republic in terms of turnover. It
employs almost 6,000 people. In addition to its business development, ORLEN
Unipetrol is proud to be a socially responsible corporation. Therefore, it pays
equal attention to initiatives focusing on cultivating and supporting
sustainable development, education, local communities, and the environment. In
2005, ORLEN Unipetrol became part of the Orlen Group, the largest oil processor
in Central Europe.
Contact
details:
Pavel Kaidl, spokesperson, telephone: +420 225 001 407, +420 736 502 520,
email: pavel.kaidl@orlenunipetrol.cz