“Bees kept at Spolana produce
top-class honey and act as ‘living sensors’ regarding environmental quality. We
are pleased about this fantastic award, as it also attests to our long-term
care,” said Piotr
Kearney, Spolana’s executive.
The contest, annually
attended by dozens of beekeepers from across the country, evaluated honey’s
physical and chemical qualities, labelling, and overall aesthetic impression. A
jury of experts gave the maximum number of points to the floral honey from the
beekeepers in Neratovice in three out of four categories. They received 98 of
100 points.
The company has eight bee
colonies. Children from the local primary school helped the beekeepers harvest
the honey this year, too. During the honey harvest, the beekeepers informed
them about the beekeeping procedures and showed them practical examples of
beekeeping tools and other curiosities from the world of bees.
“Healthy bee colonies with nearly a
zero-death rate, which is not a matter of course these days, and the joy we
feel about the true children’s interest during the honey harvest is an
acknowledgement of all the work behind beekeeping. With my colleagues, we
regard beekeeping as a beautiful and meaningful hobby having a positive effect
on the body and soul and giving joy to others in this delicious honey,” says Lukáš
Karlík, a beekeeper and director of the Energy and Water Management Plant at Spolana.
Spolana is also active in
other environmental initiatives. It cooperates with the Czech Anglers Union and
the environmental centre in Kralupy on fish releases into the River Elbe. The
company is also involved in the protection of peregrine falcons, which
regularly nest on its site. Spolana production’s environmental impact has gone
significantly down in recent years. The production site’s surroundings,
especially the final sedimentation tank, are a sought-after stronghold for many
protected and endangered animal species. The site’s cleanliness is also
vindicated by the presence of Eurasian otters, common teal, common kingfisher,
and salmon trout, which are highly sensitive to the quality of the environment.
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 Benzina network
in the Czech Republic and the ORLEN network in 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 PKN 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