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Our Commitment to Responsibility
Along with our parent company, NewMarket Corporation, we have been guided for more than a century by values that closely align with Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles. Namely, safety, environmental stewardship, respect for people, strong corporate citizenship, and ethical business practices are embedded in how we operate and how we engage with employees, customers, suppliers, shareholders, communities, and the environment. Our ESG approach is grounded in three long-held corporate goals:
As regulations, technologies, and stakeholder expectations continue to evolve, NewMarket remains committed to a pragmatic, data-driven approach that balances environmental stewardship, operational excellence, and long-term business resilience. |  View and Download NewMarket ESG Report 2025 |
Our Values form the foundation that supports the inclusive and respectful culture we have established at each of our locations around the globe. |  |
Environmental
We use our formulations, technology, and application expertise, together with our market insights, to help customers develop and market products that reduce environmental impacts and operate reliably across essential industries. More specifically, our technologies help customers develop and market products that:
- Reduce emissions
- Improve fuel economy
- Reduce the use of fossil fuels
- Extend the life of engines and equipment
- Enable reliable, efficient, low-cost transportation
Our environmental strategy is built around three pillars:
Responsible Care®
We participate in Responsible Care® and related industry initiatives that help advance health, safety, environmental stewardship, and security throughout the chemical industry. Afton has been involved in Responsible Care since its inception in 1988. Responsible Care management systems have been implemented at our U.S. manufacturing facilities and Afton headquarters, while ISO 14001 environmental management systems are in place across our global manufacturing and R&D network. Click here to learn more about Afton's Responsible Care Initiatives.
We also actively participate in organizations including the American Chemistry Council (ACC), the American Petroleum Institute (API), and the Technical Committee of Petroleum Additive Manufacturers in Europe (ATC), helping promote responsible practices throughout our value chain.
2025 Environmental Highlights:
- Achieved ISO 50001 Energy Management certification at our Singapore facility.
- Expanded solar energy generation projects in Mexico and Singapore.
- Procured 100% renewable electricity for our Bracknell R&D facility.
- Enhanced energy efficiency through AI-supported equipment monitoring.
- Implemented advanced emissions-tracking platforms at key manufacturing facilities.
- Initiated a water conservation project expected to save approximately 300,000 gallons annually at our Richmond headquarters.
Social
Respect for People is the number one value at NewMarket and its operating companies. Our highest priority is to ensure every employee feels safe and has the skills and support to succeed professionally. The long-lasting relationships we build within our walls — and with our customers — define our culture. We strive to create a collaborative, caring work environment that encourages dialogue and the open exchange of ideas. Ultimately, this creates a culture of mutual trust and respect that helps us attract and retain top talent as we work with our customers to solve their most pressing challenges. Our People Strategy is built on a strong foundation of four pillars: Health & Safety, Recruitment & Retention, Training & Development, and Opportunity & Engagement. |  |
Health & Safety | Recruitment & Retention | |
| NewMarket’s health and safety approach is built around its Vision of Zero: no injuries, accidents, incidents, or harm to the environment. This is supported by the Responsible Care® Management System, clear safety goals, compliance expectations, and the Actively Caring program, which encourages employees to look out for one another. In 2025, NewMarket reported no fatal incidents, a worldwide injury/illness recordable rate of 1.10, and zero Tier I process safety events. Five sites achieved Vision of Zero performance in all categories, and the Ashland Technical Center surpassed 6.5 years without injuries. The company continues to focus on reducing risk through safe work practices, engineering controls, safeguards, process hazard analysis, competency development, and targeted training. | NewMarket’s recruitment and retention approach is shaped by the need to attract and retain highly qualified scientific and technical personnel. The company uses internal networks, specialized recruiters, university relationships, and internship and cooperative programs to identify and develop talent. NewMarket states that it is an equal opportunity employer and supports engagement through regular management discussions and structured group communications. Competitive compensation and benefit packages help attract, motivate, and retain employees, including defined contribution and defined benefit plans in North America. The company reported a CEO annual compensation-to-median employee compensation ratio of 28:1 and a global average female-to-male pay ratio of 100% for similarly situated roles. At the end of 2025, NewMarket employed approximately 2,050 people, with 99% permanent full-time employees. | |
Training & Development | Opportunity & Engagement | |
| Achieving our goals depends entirely on the ability of our people to contribute individually and collectively. As an organization, we focus on supporting our employees continually in developing new skills and providing an environment that recognizes and rewards their contributions. In alignment with our Values, NewMarket, Afton, Ethyl, AMPAC, and Calca provide meaningful and valuable career opportunities for all our employees. 100% of NewMarket employees participate in formal training programs, including our annual Code of Conduct training to ensure these standards are upheld. When we hire new employees, we do so with the goal that they stay with the company for their career. Globally, more than 18% of our employees have over 20 years of service, and more than 7% have over 30 years of service. Our full-time employee turnover rate, which captures all reasons for employee departure, including retirement, is approximately 9.3%, and our global quit rate, which includes full-time employees who choose to leave the company, is approximately 3.2%. | As an employer, we have a responsibility to help facilitate a healthy work/life balance for all employees. Through both global and regional policies, we work hard to maintain an environment that promotes a healthy balance, enabling our employees to live more fulfilling lives outside the office. Through NewMarket Foundation, we support many programs in our community that focus on education, health, and social services. We also support cultural activities and programs that improve the quality of life in the communities in which we operate. The Whale Foundation, a public charity, extends this philanthropic work by providing grants to qualified individuals who have experienced financial hardship due to natural disaster, life-threatening illness or injury, the death of a family member, or other catastrophic or extreme circumstances beyond their control. |
Governance
As a wholly-owned subsidiary of NewMarket Corporation, Afton follows NewMarket's long-established global standards of conducting business with ethical practices outlined in the NewMarket Code of Conduct. Everyone we deal with—employees, customers, suppliers, shareholders, and communities—has a right to feel confident that Afton and its people act with honesty, integrity, and fairness.
We expect our employees to always conduct business following our policies and practices as well as our values. The NewMarket Code of Conduct comprises all of these policies and more.It provides a clear statement of our expectations for how we will conduct business as a company and individuals. Each employee is required to complete training on our Code of Conduct annually. We each commit to align with NewMarket’s common set of beliefs and act with the utmost professionalism and integrity.
Afton has built its reputation for over 95 years, and it is one of our most important assets. Our employees are known for their high ethical standards and integrity.
Responsible Care® is a registered service mark of the American Chemistry Council.