Hydro Talks

We have a broad definition of diversity, embracing the differences among people, including gender, age, ethnicity, abilities, sexual orientation, affectional orientation and personality, as well as education, work experience, skills, language, geography, communication style, and belief. But there is much to diversity, says Kjersti Midthun Næss, People & Organizational Development Specialist in Hydro: “There’s this famous quote, ‘Diversity is having a seat at the table. Inclusion is having a voice. Belonging is having that voice be heard.’ Our target is to have all voices heard in Hydro – not only to create equal opportunities, but because different voices represent different perspectives – perspectives we depend on to meet our business challenges.” Næss is joined by Loveleen Brenna of Seema, an independent consultancy in Oslo providing guidance on diversity leadership, and Jan Helge Mårdalen, who is Head of Operations & Development in Hydro’s Energy business in Norway. In this Hydro Talks podcast, they explore Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging, what it means for employees – and not least, potential employees looking for an inclusive workplace – and for business.

Changing from fuel oil to liquified natural gas at our Aluorte alumina refinery in Brazil will cut hundreds of thousands of tonnes of CO2 emissions. In this Hydro Talks podcast to talk about the “Alunorte fuel switch project” is John Thuestad, Head of Hydro’s Bauxite & Alumina business, and Bjørn Kjetil Mauritzen, Head of Sustainability in Hydro. They describe how the switch not only will cut carbon emissions, it will also improve the environment for our workers and the local communities, as well as build out critical infrastructure that can be a foundation for industrial and economic growth in the region.

October 10 is World Mental Health Day and conveys the message: It’s okay not to be okay.  It is initiated by World Health Organization (WHO) [https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-mental-health-day] and marked globally. The objective is to raise awareness of mental health issues and mobilize efforts in support of mental health. But why should an aluminium and energy company care about mental health? Listen to Head of Occupational Health in Hydro, Hilde Vatslid,  Head of Human Resources in Hydro’s Energy business area Nina Thue and host Anders Vindegg discuss the importance of mental health in the workplace in this Hydro Talks podcast. “Mental health is essential for our overall well-being. When we as a company provide a healthy work environment, it benefits both our employees as individuals and the organization as a whole. When we feel mentally well, we are more productive and have increased resilience to handle , for instance, stress,” Hilde Vatslid says. Hydro wants to increase diversity in the company, and diversity is more than just gender and the color of our skin. It also captures the differences we cannot see. Mental health being one example.

We need to move away from fossil fuels, and for the world to reach net zero emissions in 2050 we need renewable hydrogen. Hydro’s new green hydrogen company will help drive the uptake of green hydrogen. Per Christian Eriksen is head of Hydro Hydrogen is joined on Hydro Talks by John Barry, who is Hydro Hydrogen’s Head of Development. “Hydrogen, just like electricity, can be made from purely renewable energy resources. And industries like cement, steel and aluminium can switch to using green hydrogen, based on renewable energy, without any adverse impact on their output,” says Eriksen.

When a company says it cares about human rights, how do you ensure that matches what’s happening on the ground? Åsne Burgess Øyehaug, CSR manager in Hydro, and Kayla Winarsky Green of the Danish Institute for Human Rights, discuss “due diligence” in human rights, an increasing focus among companies, NGOs and the authorities. Due diligence has origins in the financial world. It means taking a close look at the details when entering into a deal. In the world of corporate social responsibility, it means confirming the reality of what’s on paper with systems to identify human rights risks and taking proper action to remedy them.