Analysis of environmental protection activities of Russian mineral fertilizer producers

The Russian Federation is one of the world’s leading producers and exporters of mineral fertilizers, which brings the country significant foreign exchange earnings and tax payments to the budget system. At the same time, mineral fertilizer production itself causes significant environmental damage: carbon dioxide emissions, production of solid waste and wastewater. Companies are also responsible to society and the state for preserving and improving the environmental situation and protecting and safeguarding biodiversity. The aim of the study is to characterize the environmental protection activities of major Russian mineral fertilizer producers. The research object is large chemical industry corporations in the mineral fertilizer production segment: PJSC PhosAgro (Vologda Region), PJSC Acron (Novgorod Region) and PJSC Dorogobuzh (Smolensk Region). The results show a 2.2-fold increase in PhosAgro’s environmental costs over 2017-2023, and an uneven trend in environmental investments at Acron and Dorogobuzh. At the same time, the severity of the companies’ environmental commitments in relation to revenue and net profit is offset by a high level of revenue in 2022-2023. PhosAgro managed to reduce air pollutant emissions by 9% and greenhouse gas emissions by 15%. At the same time, over 2014-2023, Acron and Dorogobuzh increased air pollution by 195 and 60%, respectively. In contrast, wastewater discharges into water bodies decreased twofold. The research results may be of interest to participants of the educational process, authorities, as well as to all persons interested in the issues of environmental protection activities of large enterprises.