ORLEN Unipetrol continues its achievements in the previous years of the Czech Industry Challenge. For the third consecutive year, it placed first in the prestigious national competition held under the patronage of the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade. According to an expert jury, the peregrine falcons nesting on the chimneys at ORLEN Unipetrol’s production sites are the best ambassador. The company also scored in two more Czech Industry Challenge categories: It ranked second for an industrial photograph and third for a recruitment video. The Czech Industry Challenge seeks to increase the attractiveness of the Czech industry among the young, support further growth, and make the high-quality work of Czech employees more transparent.
“We are happy that an expert jury of the prestigious Czech Industry Challenge has included our company among the Czech industry’s inspirational leaders for the third time in a row,” says Katarzyna Woś, Vice-Chair of the ORLEN Unipetrol Group’s Board of Directors. “We have conscientiously cared for peregrines at our sites already for ten years. Forty chicks of this critically endangered species have been born throughout this time. Furthermore, we bring their lives nearer to the public, especially to children, by streaming their whereabouts online through cameras installed directly in their nests. Peregrines stand for our intensive efforts aimed at protecting and supporting the environment in the regions where we operate.”
This year was very successful for peregrines. In May, the couple nesting at a 100-metre height on the heating plant’s chimney in Chempark Záluží u Litvínova had triplets – two girls and a boy. The public could watch them grow online at
starameseosokoly.cz. In addition, ORLEN Unipetrol’s Facebook profile organised a competition for fans to give names to the small peregrines: in the end, they were named Mia, Žofinka, and Falco. And that is not all. Another peregrine pair nested in Chempark this year. They also hatched the young: a girl and a boy. It was an unprecedented situation because so close nesting of peregrine falcons is not usual at all.
Peregrine falcons have been returning to the chemical site in Litvínov since 2011. Other couples of this remarkable raptor have also found the necessary peaceful space to live at high chimneys of the Kralupy Refinery and in Spolana Neratovice, where they also have enough opportunities to find food. ORLEN Unipetrol’s partnership with the ALKA Wildlife association has lasted for ten years. During this time, they have hatched 40 chicks of this critically endangered species. Their current population in the Czech Republic includes about 110 nesting pairs. That means that also thanks to ORLEN Unipetrol’s efforts, the number of peregrine falcons in our country has grown more than fivefold over the past 20 years.
Besides the peregrines’ first place as the ‘Remarkable Internal Communication and Ambassador’, ORLEN Unipetrol also scored in other two Czech Industry Challenges: placing second in the category of ‘Industrial Photograph’ and third in the category of ‘Recruitment Campaign’ for its recruitment video. Thus, ORLEN Unipetrol made it among the top three competitors in three out of six challenges.
The Czech Industry Challenge is a national initiative for companies active in various industries. It focuses on supporting their brand growth, the inflow of contracts, and new talent acquisitions. The aim is to boost the Czech industry’s attractiveness for new employees and secure its future growth. In addition, the Czech Industry Challenge seeks to popularise individual industries and show the quality of work of Czech people through partners operating in the public sector, professional organisations, and vocational education. The Czech Industry Challenge jury members include experts from photography, graphics, HR, marketing communication, PR, psychology, IT, web design, and animation.
The ORLEN Unipetrol Group is the largest refinery and petrochemical company in the Czech Republic. It focuses on crude oil processing and the production, distribution and sale of vehicle fuels and petrochemical products – particularly plastics and fertilisers. In all these areas, it belongs among the critical players in the Czech and Central European markets. The ORLEN Unipetrol Group encompasses refineries and production plants in Litvínov and Kralupy nad Vltavou, Paramo, with its Mogul brand in Pardubice, Spolana Neratovice, and two research centres in Litvínov and Brno. ORLEN Unipetrol also includes a network of Benzina ORLEN filling stations in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. With 421 filling stations, Benzina ORLEN is the largest chain in the Czech Republic. Since its entry in 2019 to Slovakia, Benzina ORLEN has been one of the fastest-growing chains and currently has 20 stations in its network. ORLEN Unipetrol employs more than 4,800 people. In 2005, ORLEN Unipetrol became a member of the ORLEN Group, the largest crude oil processor in Central Europe. In addition to its business development, ORLEN Unipetrol is proud to be a socially responsible corporation. Therefore, it pays an equal amount of attention to initiatives, focusing on the cultivation and support of sustainable development, education, local communities, and the environment.