SOURCE: Austin Powder | June 24, 2025
Cleveland, Ohio. Austin Powder, a leader in the manufacture, distribution, and application of industrial explosives and engineered blasting solutions, presents its 2024 Sustainability Report, highlighting meaningful progress in reducing our environmental impact, fostering a thriving workplace, and driving sustainable innovation. At Austin Powder, sustainability is a core strategy that focuses on creating future value.
Safety, Health, Environment, and Security: Our First Priority
Safety is fundamental to ensure every employee returns home safely. Austin Powder maintains a global SHES Management System.
- Robust Framework: Comprehensive protocols, training, hazard identification, risk assessment, and incident investigation are in place. Employees are empowered to halt work if they perceive a safety risk.
- Training & Culture: Programs like “Basis of Safety” (BOS) and Hazard Study Leader certification reinforce safe practices.
• Performance: The Lost Time Injury Rate (LTIR) for employees was 0.43 in 2024. Several key regions/entities hold ISO 45001 certification.
Environmental Stewardship
Austin Powder is committed to minimizing its environmental footprint and exceeding industry standards. Investments in environmental risk management totaled USD 3.9 million in 2024.
- Climate Action: Total Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions decreased by 3.2% in 2024 compared to 2023. This was aided by increased CO2 capture. Austin Powder captured and sold 64,920 metric tonnes of CO2 in 2024, reducing the carbon footprint of ammonia processes by 58%.
- Strategic Move: The closure of the Nitric Acid plant in Mexico in mid-2023 resulted in significant benefits in 2024, including avoiding 33,000 tonnes of CO2eq per year, reducing plastic waste by 60 tonnes, and decreasing electricity and water consumption.
- Circular thinking: Waste generation fell by 27% in 2024, with 31% being recycled or reused. 42% of hazardous waste is also recycled or reused, primarily off-spec emulsions that are reprocessed for use in production.
- Environmental Certifications: Multiple locations hold ISO14001 Certification. The Dinamita Plant in Mexico received its 16th consecutive Clean Industry Certificate.
Our People and Communities
Austin Powder values its employees and contributes to local communities.
- Workplace: Commitment to professional growth in a safe, healthy, and rewarding environment. The “Great
Place to Work” certification in LATAM reflects this. - Community Impact: Investment in social initiatives totaled $279K USD in 2024. But commitment goes
further than financial support — Austin Powder fosters transparency, trust, and collaboration with local
communities to generate shared value and lasting impact. - Key Initiatives: Support for education (e.g., “Industria Inspira” program), health, adapted sports, and local
charities. This includes providing training courses to community members.
Innovation and Technology
Innovation drives sustainable development and operational excellence.
• Electronic Detonators: Introduced E*STAR GO for safe, simple, small-scale blasting (up to 400
detonators), ideal for quarries. E*STAR Remote 2.5i expands capabilities to initiate up to 12,800 detonators remotely. Austin Detonator is expanding automation with robots for E*STAR production.
- Blasting Software: The Global Blast Report (GBR) tool and Paradigm OP predictive model enhance reporting and predictability of air overpressure. Integration of Measure While Drilling data helps prevent flyrock and excessive overpressure.
- Sustainable Products: Austin Powder is a leader in developing lead-free primary explosives detonators. Over 65% of delay charges and 100% of fuseheads for electric/electronic detonators are now lead-free.
- Advanced Monitoring: Studying NOx quantification in blasting using drones and AI in collaboration with
Rochester Institute of Technology.
Ethics and Transparency
Austin Powder operates within a robust compliance framework that emphasizes honesty, transparency, respect for human rights, fairness, integrity, and sustainability. This includes adherence to international trade regulations and fair competition. Robust cybersecurity measures are in place, supported by high employee participation in training (98% for Ninjio training in 2024).
Stakeholder Engagement and Partnerships
Engaging with stakeholders, including customers, employees, governments, and communities, is critical. Austin Powder actively collaborates with professional associations that promote safety and sustainability, including SAFEX International (where Austin Powder’s CEO serves as Chairman), IME, ISEE, FEEM, and NSSGA.
Looking Ahead
Austin Powder is committed to minimizing its environmental footprint, enhancing resource efficiency, and upholding the highest industry standards through innovation, partnerships, and shared responsibility.
Austin Powder – Used in 1833 & Ever Since. Austin Powder is a leader in manufacturing, distributing, and applying industrial explosives for quarrying, surface mining, underground mining, oil & gas, seismic, and construction markets. We provide a broad range of highly engineered solutions – from bulk trucks to Red D GEM underground units, emulsion technology to E*STAR detonators, predictive vibration modeling software to optimized blast design. All Austin Powder solutions are developed to advance the safety, reliability, and efficiency of breaking rock.
At Austin Powder, we leverage the power of family and the simple truth that in our business, details matter in all that we do. That is why Safety is Our First Priority. This value is carried through every aspect of our business and by every Austin employee around the world.
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Austin Powder is renowned for its unsurpassed customer service and its broad range of engineered solutions – from bulk trucks to underground units; emulsion technologies to electronic initiation systems; predictive vibration modeling software to optimized blast design. All solutions are developed to advance the safety, reliability, and efficiency of breaking rock. Find out how the Austin Advantage can help your organization.
