Air

We’re doing everything we can to improve the quality of the air around our plants. That means reducing and controlling the emissions caused by our industrial manufacturing processes.

Reducing Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) emissions

Release VOCs into the atmosphere and they can create ozone and smog – and so affect the health of those living and working nearby.

We’re actively reducing these emissions by:

• improving our processes and products
• introducing local measures to reduce and contain our VOC emissions.

This has been so successful that we reached our 2010 target for reduction of VOC to air in the beginning of 2008.

Now we’re going one step further. In our coatings manufacturing installations, we’re shifting the emphasis away from reducing VOC emissions to reducing the VOC content of our products. So we’re tackling the problem at source.

Reducing emissions that contribute to acidification

Sulphur Oxide (SOx) and Nitrous Oxide (NOx) are major causes of acidification. We’re working to reduce those emissions caused by energy generation in our plants. In 2007, our total SOx emissions from our sulfuric acid and carbon disulfide plants in Le Moyne (US) and Cologne (Germany) came to around 3,200 tons. In 2007, total NOx emissions in our Combined Heat and Power plants in the Netherlands and Denmark were around 220 tons.

Controlling emissions of ozone-depleting substances

We don’t make any products that contain ozone-depleting substances (ODS). However, at our plants and offices, small amounts of ODS (mostly Freon 22) are still present in older air conditioning equipment and coolers.

We’re continuously replacing these with environmentally-friendly systems. As a result, emissions from refrigerant compressors and associated pipes have been reduced to an almost negligible level in recent years.