The following section presents non-financial reporting items and information which pertains to Corporate Social Responsibility actions that are implemented and are published by ATTICA, a subsidiary of MIG group, according to Articles 151 and 154 of Law 4548/2018. 

During 2021, the following events took place: 

ATTICA group

Responsibility and Sustainable Development (including Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) issues) hold a significant position in the ATTICA group's business model and greatly affect business decision making. We realize that the way in which we perform our operations and make decisions affect a wide range of individuals, groups and organizations - our social partners, with whom we keep on-going contact and communication. In particular, Responsibility and the related actions have constituted a priority to ATTICA group since 2006, when we actively coordinated developing actions aimed at benefiting society and social partners.

ATTICA group was the first passenger shipping company worldwide that issued and continues to issue a Corporate Responsibility Report based on the GRI Standards guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative. Through this Report, we are trying to meet the expectations of our social partners in a two-way communication framework, presenting our progress in respect of the essential areas of our operations, in line with initiatives and actions, implemented in order to ensure the responsible operation of ATTICA group.

In particular, ATTICA group has adopted an integrative approach regarding the Responsibility related issues, at all the hierarchy levels. The Chief Executive Officer has overall responsibility for Responsibility and Sustainable Development issues at the Board of Directors level. At Top Management level, the Chief Administration & Transformation Officer is responsible, while as far as the coordination level is concerned, the Responsibility Team is in charge of planning, coordinating and implementing the Strategy for Responsibility and Sustainable Development, while at the same time cooperating with the other departments for implementation of the Corporate Responsibility and Sustainable Development Action Plan.

ESG MODEL

Our main commitment is to operate responsibly throughout our entire business operations and harmoniously collaborate with our Social Partners in order to generate mutual long-term value. In this context, we have developed a Sustainable Development Policy that describes our principles regarding sustainable development and management of social and environmental issues as well as the governance issues (ESG) regarding 3 main pillars (Governance, Social, Environment) and 5 Units (Management, Society, Employees, Customers, Environment).

MATERIAL ISSUES

ATTICA group through a materiality study, identifies, evaluates and prioritizes the most significant issues related to the actual or potential impact its operations can have on each of the aforementioned focus areas, taking into account, inter alia, the interests of important stakeholders, in order to organize ESG issues more effectively and manage them in a meaningful and systematic way.

ΕSG – EMPHASIS OF MATTERS 2021

ENVIRONMENT

• We are investing € 21 m for the construction of 3 state-of-the-art Aero Catamaran vessels, which will be launched in 2022 on the Saronic routes to replace older technology vessels. This investment will continue to reduce environmental footprint, through lower fuel consumption and reduced emissions of gaseous pollutants as a result of lighter construction materials used (carbon fibre), as well as installing solar panels to meet lighting and electricity needs of onboard hotel services.
• We have defined as flagship regarding the Environment actions aimed at decontamination of seabeds and protection of the environment. The first action was implemented in Naxos in 2021 with the participation of 31 volunteers employees of ATTICA group - and 29 volunteers from the Aegean Rebreath organization and the Naxos Wildlife Protection Association, in collaboration with the Municipality of Naxos and the islanders themselves. Volunteer divers collected and classified 2,811 items as follows:

• 1,100 plastic bottles and glasses,
• 5.5 plastic bags,
• 500 aluminum cans,
• 150 glass bottles,
• 50 large tires and other items made of rubber,
• 40 kg nets.

• We replaced 2 gasoline vehicles with 2 purely electric vehicles and converted a gasoline vehicle to LPG.
• We use refurbished electronic equipment, and in 2021, the relevant supplies for our offices and vessels include a total of 116 devices and 42 electronic equipment peripherals.
• We were the first passenger shipping group in Greece that applied biodegradable Seasmiles BIO-PVC cards, and in 2021, we collected and recycled over 210,000 plastic cards, corresponding to approximately 1,156 kg of plastic.
• In 2021, the water consumption index is 0.051 m3 / passenger compared to 0.058 m3 / passenger in 2020.

SOCIETY

• According to a survey conducted in 2021 in our onshore personnel:
  • 87.9% of our people agree that our Group has created workplaces that promote health and safety.
  • 88.4% of our people agree that our Group has created a workplace that respects Human Rights.
• We trained 99 seafarers (7.1% of total marine labor) on Health and Safety matters, concluding 713 hours of training, while 103 Officers hold a Medical Care certificate and are trained on Emergency incident treatment.
• We trained 168 offshore employees on administrative, Health and Safety and Responsibility and Sustainable Development issues.
• We provided a total of 57,040 discount tickets, compared to 51,851 tickets in 2020, worth over € 1.3 m for athletic, cultural and educational activities, benefiting thousands of citizens who participated or attended the actions we supported.
• We organized the 1st Children's Festival in the Aegean ‘Bluestarino Festival’ devoted to protecting the marine environment, for the pupils of Cyclades and Amorgos, in collaboration with the Non – Profit Organization “Ta Vivlia Paizei”. The festival included educational workshops and 15 programs for children, teenagers and adults of smaller islands aiming to get in touch with culture and science. It also assisted young people to develop new skills and involved a total of 250 children and approximately 250 parents.
• We allocated 18.62% of our total costs to small and medium size suppliers (up to 50 employees).
• We were subject to 173 vessel inspections for protection measures against the pandemic, 52 for food hygiene and safety and 90 for Anti-Smoking Law’s implementation, with no non-compliance incident.

GOVERNANCE

• We designed the three-year Strategic Plan ESG 2021-2023 and the quantitative target for the ESG 2023 level have been included as a target in the official Performance Evaluation of the ATTICA group’s CEO (with weight 7.5% on the total variable remuneration) and Key Executives.
• We have established a Conflict of Interest Management Framework comprising policies, procedures and control mechanisms for the prevention, detection and management of existing and potential conflicts of interest between the BoD members and corporate interests.
• We have developed a Complaints and Investigation Procedure to ensure that each Social Partner can report - by name or anonymously – a potential violation of corporate policies, procedures or legislation, by mail, in a specifically established e-mail address or by filling in the Reporting Form to the Group’s Transparency Committee.
• According to a survey conducted in our on-shore personnel:
  • 88.9% of employees agree that our Group systematically addresses ESG issues.
  • 86.4% of employees understand the significance of the ESG criteria for the sustainable development of the Group.
  • 83.4% of employees understand the significance of adopting the best and most responsible practices in the daily operation of the Group.
  • 79.9% of employees agree that our Group does not tolerate incidences of corruption.

ESC RESPONSIBILITY & SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ISSUES

The following key non-financial issues are related to long-term sustainability and are essential to ATTICA group, our shareholders and our social partners. The most important actions of the group, taking into account the expectations of key stakeholders, are presented below as well.

ENVIRONMENT PILLAR

Our key commitment is to incorporate principles of sustainable development into our procedures and implement environmentally friendly business practices, aiming at minimizing the environmental impact that inevitably results from our operations. In collaboration with the Lloyds Register, ATTICA group conduct the strategic planning for decarbonization.

As part of this commitment, we assess the environmental issues we face each year and seek to minimize their impact on the environment. The most important of such issues are related to air quality & energy consumption, use of raw materials & solid waste, water consumption & liquid waste.

Air quality and climatic change

We seek to operate responsibly towards the environment and perform our activities in a way that reduces our environmental impact.

• We evaluate annually our impact on the environment, through the Environmental Management System that we apply, which is certified according to ISO14001.
• We have certified all of our vessels for the proper and systematic monitoring, recording and disclosure of carbon dioxide emissions according to the provisions of the European Regulation EU MRV 757/2015.
• We calculate the greenhouse gas emissions per energy source we use, most of which pertain to fuel oil (both for shipping fuels and on-board electricity generation) and electricity (for office operations) in order to identify areas where our environmental impact can be reduced.
• We take actions that reduce our impact on gaseous pollutants mainly from the operation of the vessels engines.
• We seek to reduce our impact on the ozone layer applying environmentally friendly refrigerants in our refrigerators and freezers, as well as through our cooperation with the suppliers that do not use refrigerants as materials which have a significant effect on the ozone layer.
• We strive to reduce noise pollution, since vessel docking and operation can be a potential source of noise. Indicatively, we ensure the use of machinery and mechanical equipment, which comply with the required standards on noise levels.
• We take action to raise awareness and facilitate active participation of our employees and customers in protecting the environment.

Raw Materials and Solid Waste

• We recognize that raw materials are not inexhaustible, but finite, and prioritize the use of natural resources as efficiently as possible. To achieve this, we implement programs to monitor use of materials, reduce materials used, reuse materials, recycle materials and dispose materials properly.
• We implement initiatives to reduce use of materials, within the context of our efforts for efficient use of natural resources, such as the use of multi-machines, most of which are recycled and reconstructed, the use of reconstructed electronic equipment, the efficient use of spare parts and other supplies (such as consumables) etc.
• We take care of the reuse of consumables, where possible.
• We recycle materials (such as paper, batteries, toners, electronic equipment, medical equipment and lubricants), related to our activities and arising from the operation of our offices and vessels,  where possible.
• We apply rational management of solid waste and the waste generated by the operation of our vessels.

Water and Liquid Waste

• We seek to contribute in the long term to better water management and monitor water consumption extensively using, among others, seawater on board of vessels after appropriate treatment, perform only absolutely necessary external cleaning, in case of rain or bad weather and we put special labels to remind our passengers and employees about the responsible use of water in the accommodation, hygiene and catering of our vessels BLUE STAR FERRIES and SUPERFAST FERRIES, as well as in our offices.
• We have established a procedure to supply, manage safely and sample drinking water, in order to ensure the quality of water used and consumed onboard our vessels.
• We have equipped all our vessels with ‘Shipboard Oil Pollution Emergency Plan’ (SOPEP) to effectively respond to any pollution incident or risk of pollution, which may arise during the vessel’s fuel supply or due to an accident (e.g. collision, grounding).
• We properly manage liquid waste, as we regularly monitor operation of wastewater treatment systems, deliver all liquid waste from our vessels to licensed contractors within ports, comply with relevant regulations regarding bilge and ballast water management and have equipped our vessels with certified wastewater treatment systems regarding discharge parameters (coliforms and total suspended solids) and we deliver liquid waste to appropriate reception facilities of licensed contractors within ports.

• We recognize the importance of marine biodiversity and our obligation to reduce the risk of disrupting it and we are taking action to protect it.
• We comply with legislation and adhere to the cruising speed limits defined by the relevant provisions, in order to minimize the respective impact as vessel navigation while approaching or exiting ports inevitably creates rippling.

SOCIETY PILLAR

Society

We commit to combine our business success with our country’s and partners’ development, as well as support local communities affected by our operations, in order to contribute substantially in the improvement of our society in general. In particular:

• We contribute through our business operation to generating significant economic value for our social partners, while we transport food products and materials to islands, in order to develop local economies and tourism.
• We seek to create and maintain working positions, as well as develop the professional skills of our employees.
• We identify, determine and support needs of local communities through various means, social actions and social support programs.
• We plan and implement or support social actions, in the context of our social contribution.
• We cultivate the concept of contribution and voluntary offer among our employees.
• We place special emphasis on our educational contribution and support the professional development of young people.
• We recognize, manage and reduce potential or actual negative effects that our operations may have to local communities where we operate.
• We give priority to domestic suppliers.
• As our suppliers influence our responsible operation, we fully acknowledge our moral obligation to positively influence our supply chain and promote the principles of responsible operation to our suppliers.
• To implement the principles of responsible operation throughout our supply chain, we have developed a Code of Conduct for Suppliers/Partners as well as a single Procurement Process, which defines responsibilities of our suppliers and partners, and establishes supplier selection criteria for products and services.

Employees

We cultivate among our employees a working environment of respect, equality, security and meritocracy. Furthermore, we offer training opportunities to provide the best possible working conditions and professional development. In particular:

• We recognize that our business success is directly associated to our employees, therefore we strive to create job positions, as well as reduce unemployment. Our activity also supports indirectly hundreds of job positions throughout our value chain and the passenger shipping industry in general.
• We recognize the importance to establish proper living conditions for our onshore employees and their relation with a safe work environment and the crew’s psychology.
• We are committed to create a safe work environment for our onshore and offshore office employees regarding health and safety issues.
• We take care of the balance between personal and professional life.
• We monitor our employees’ opinion as our goal is to establish a unified culture, inextricably related to our Vision and Values, as well as to create a work environment which supports our employees and promotes open communication.
• We are committed to equal treatment of our employees, as well as to basing their professional development exclusively on their performance and skills.
• We respect the International Principles of Human Rights and reject child labor, forced and abusive labor.
• We respect the right of employees to freedom of association and participate in employee unions
• We ensure the confidentiality of information concerning the personal data of employees
• We implement a fair and transparent system of remuneration, as well as additional benefits, aiming to attract human resources of high level.
• We seek to ensure professional development of our employees, as well as their training through the development of an annual Training Program.
• We implement a Performance Appraisal System for our onshore and offshore employees, in order to identify their strengths and areas for improvement.

Passengers

We are committed to offer the best possible travel experience to our customers and respond as best we can to their needs and expectations during their journey. For this reason:

• We guard the safety of our passengers on-board, offer safe products and services and implement measures ensuring hygiene and safety of food as well as our hotel services.
• We implement  measures to ensure the safety of of our passengers personal belongings.
• We strive to ensure protection of our customers’ personal data, in order to establish solid and concrete trust relationships.
• We responsibly advertise our products and services and aim to ensure our communication material is fair, legal, sincere, corresponds to reality, does not display or promote stereotypes and respects people’s diversity.
• We ensure prompt communication and strive to promptly inform our customers in case of cancellations or delays in scheduled routes, in order to minimize their potential discomfort.
• We apply equal treatment policy towards all customers and behave with caution and care during our transactions with vulnerable social groups.
• We strive to develop new innovative solutions for the benefit of our passengers, in order to continuously improve the quality of the rendered services.
• In 2011 we established the Loyalty and Reward program seasmiles, which provides members with exclusive benefits, gifts, special offers and high quality services.
• Since we recognize the significance of our operations and our responsibility for rendering reliable customer service, we have generated mechanisms, through which the customers can submit comments and complaints to monitor our customers satisfaction.

GOVERNANCE PILLAR

ATTICA group management places great emphasis on issues of Responsibility & Sustainable Development, as it commits to adopt responsible policies and practices in its operations and to harmoniously cooperate with the Stakeholders, in order to create mutual long-term value. In particular in ATTICA group:

• We operate based on best Corporate Governance practices and have adopted  the Hellenic Corporate Governance Code.
• We have developed Remuneration Policy, as well as the BoD members Eligibility Policy.
• We prevent conflicts of interest and have developed a Conflict of Interest Management Framework in order to prevent, identify and address existing and potential conflicts of interest between the BoD  members and corporate interests.
• We  established the Procedure for Disclosure of Dependency Relations  of the Independent Non-Executive Members of the Board of Directors.
• We apply internal control and risk management systems.
• We ensure our business continuity, having developed a comprehensive Business Continuity Plan for the continuation of our operation.
• We Implement a certified Information Security Management System at our Data Center in accordance with the international standard ISO 27001:2013, which defines the requirements for implementation, maintenance and continuous improvement of information security management systems.
• We follow fair competition rules.
• We are active members in institutions and organizations  (INTERFERRY, Greek Shipowners Association for Passenger Ships (SEEN), Hellenic Chamber of Shipping (HCS).
• We have set up organizational structures to manage responsible operations and collect data to evaluate our performance.
• We have developed  Sustainable Development Policy that outlines our principles regarding sustainable development and management of social, environmental and governance issues (ESG).
• We apply certified business Management Systems.
• We have compiled a Framework for Responsibility and Sustainable Development, arising from internal analysis and dialogue with the Social Partners, in order to organize more effectively the issues of responsible operation and manage them in a meaningful and systematic way.
• We recognize  that social partners need greater transparency and evaluation of our performance and focus on presenting as many quantitative indicators and targets as possible in the Annual Corporate Responsibility Report.

Addressing ethics, transparency and corruption issues

• We apply the Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct, which includes the acceptance of the 10 Principles of the United Nations Global Compact, and has been communicated to all our of our onshore employees.
• We have prepared and put in place the Employee Guidebook which we disclosed to all of our offshore employees.
• We respect the International Human Rights Principles contained in, inter alia, the International Declaration of Human Rights and the ten principles of the UN Global Compact, to which we are a signatory, as well as in the Maritime Labor Convention (MLC), to which we have acceded and we monitor its correct implementation.

• We have signed the European Enterprise Manifesto 2020, part of the joint initiative “Enterprise 2020” of the Hellenic Network for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR Hellas), the European Business Network for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR Europe) and 42 CSR Networks across Europe. The Manifesto promotes cooperation and initiatives in three strategic areas:

• Enhance employability and social inclusion.
• Promote new sustainable production and consumption methods, as well as improve living conditions.
• Increase transparency and respect for human rights.

• We have developed Investment Ethics Code undertaking the relevant commitments (eg integrity in business relationships, due diligence analysis of human rights, labor rights and environmental legal compliance) and invest in organizations that meet the defined criteria.
• We apply the Anti-Corruption Regulation, which includes the basic practices of professional integrity and business ethics.
• Within the context of our efforts to combat and eradicate corruption, we have accepted and signed the UN Global Compact’s ‘Call for Action’ initiative and commit to implement policies and practices to effectively tackle corruption incidents.
• We have developed a Whistleblowing Procedure,  to ensure that every Social Partner can report - by name or anonymously – a potential violation of corporate policies, procedures or legislation.

All the complaints are collected and processed by ATTICA group’s Transparency Committee with confidentiality regarding the collection and processing of personal data.

Risks related to sustainable development issues

The modern business environment is characterized by various risks: financial and non-financial. Non-financial risks, related to sustainable development issues, pertain to ATTICA group's operations and constitute a component of the broader framework of the annual monitoring, evaluation and management of the Group's risks. These risks are identified, recorded, evaluated and prioritized in order to minimize the potential adverse effects that may occur. In addition, they are included in the Risk Register prepared by ATTICA group on an annual basis to ensure that the risks are systematically monitored and the decisions are made on how to manage them.

Non-financial performance indicators 2021

The following table indicatively presents ATTICA group key non-financial performance indicators for the fiscal year 2021. All the non-financial performance indicators of the Group in 2021 recorded in the annually issued Corporate Responsibility Report, based on the Global Reporting guidelines Initiative Standards.