Solvay

Human progress and Essential Chemistry have been deeply connected in Bulgaria for millennia, a legacy that directly shapes our modern responsibilities. Near our site lies Provadia-Solnitsata, one of Europe’s oldest salt production centers built more than 7,000 years ago. Salt was essential then, and it still is.

Today, that relationship continues at Devnya, where natural resources are transformed into soda ash and bicarbonate that power essential value chains, from construction and automotive to solar panels and batteries.

Marking the latest stop on our Executive Leadership Team Roadshow, our CEO, Philippe Kehren, made his first visit to the site in his new role. He joined Nicolas van der Heyden, Managing Director Solvay Sodi AD, and the local team to review our energy transition.

Securing these vital supply chains means tackling our environmental footprint directly. While we are working to move away from coal, the industrial-scale alternative does not yet exist. As Philippe noted, progress starts by facing industrial realities exactly as they are and moving forward anyway, finding solutions and making steady progress where it is possible.

By honoring the history that brought us here while engineering a transparent path forward, the Devnya team is proving that sustainable progress is built on realistic, accountable action.