Quantified Targets to Curb the Environmental Impact of the Group’s Activities and Products
As sustainable development is an essential element of Solvay’s long-term growth strategy, the international chemical and pharmaceutical Group has set 25 ambitious goals (listed on pages 3 and 4 of this release) to take up the social, economical and environmental challenges of today and tomorrow. These goals are detailed in “Towards Sustainable Development”, Solvay’s eighth Report on Health, Safety, Environment and Sustainable Development, which was released today. They include a substantial increase of energy efficiency of Solvay’s production plants and processes. Being equipped with cogenerations, which simultaneously produce steam and electricity, Solvay’s production plants are already very energy-efficient. The cogenerations reduce the yearly emissions of carbon dioxide by 4 millions metric tonnes, compared to the emissions of separate installations to produce electricity and steam.
For 2020 Solvay targets a 20% reduction of the emission of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, a decrease of 20% of the transported volumes by road and a decrease by 20% of its air and water emission index. Solvay has also set targets among others for the development of new products, which are more energy-efficient, such as improved materials for fuel cells or organic electronic components. Targets also include the application of new analytical tools to assess the sustainability of business opportunities in the future. Reaching these targets will strengthen Solvay’s competitive position.
“Sustainable development has become a major challenge for mankind. Solvay is committed to respond consistently to this challenge, which comprises various complex but fundamental issues. These issues relate to our role as a large consumer and converter of natural resources (such as limestone, salt, water and fossil fuels), to the direction being taken by our portfolio of products and services, and to our geographical expansion and the associated socio-economic implications”, said Christian Jourquin, CEO.
The strategy of the Solvay Group is to achieve sustainable & profitable growth in selected areas of Pharmaceuticals, Chemicals & Plastics, innovation & geographic expansion and reach highly competitive positions through vertical integration, pro-active energy management and portfolio management. Solvay’s strategy is elaborated in its eighth Report on Health, Safety, Environment and Sustainable Development, whose title is “Towards Sustainable Development”.
“Our commitment to sustainability is integrated in our strategy and implementation, in everything we do. Science, partnerships and openness to dialogue are among our Group’s strengths. To continue our development, we need to adapt ourselves to the challenges that the World now faces. Our strengths will enable us to design a greener chemistry for tomorrow and to establish Solvay as a supplier of the solutions of the future”, Jourquin added.
SOLVAY is an international chemical and pharmaceutical Group with headquarters in Brussels. It employs more than 28,000 people in 50 countries. In 2007, its consolidated sales amounted to EUR 9.6 billion, generated by its three sectors of activity: Chemicals, Plastics and Pharmaceuticals. Solvay (NYSE Euronext: SOLB.BE - Bloomberg: SOLB.BB - Reuters: SOLBt.BR) is listed on the NYSE Euronext stock exchange in Brussels. Details are available at www.solvay.com
Notes to the editors
Towards Sustainable Development, Assessment and Prospects 2008-2012
Solvay publishes every four year its Report on Health, Safety, Environment and Sustainable Development. This year’s edition is divided in five main themes, corresponding to Solvay’s five big groups of stakeholders: investors, society, customers and suppliers, personnel and contractors and local communities. The Report elaborates on how Solvay satisfies the current needs of its stakeholders and how Solvay will satisfy their needs in the future. The Report can be downloaded on Solvay’s website.
Far from being a new or purely theoretical approach, the Report comprises also various examples of actions, investments and new products which are all tangible accomplishments of Solvay’s strategy. A selection is enclosed in the press file on the website (seewww.solvaypress.com).
Solvay’s past performance
Solvay has been applying sustainable development policies for a long time. For instance, the Group has begun equipping its production plants with cogeneration units more than two decades ago. These cogeneration plants reduce the yearly emissions of carbon dioxide by 4 million metric tonnes, compared to the separate generation of steam and electricity. Eleven plants are equipped with cogeneration units. Thanks to these investments and the investments in production process optimisation, Solvay’s production plants rank among the most energy-efficient in the world. The emissions of the Solvay Group into the atmosphere and water surfaces have also substantially decreased over the last 20 years. More information on Solvay’s past performance can be found on Solvay’s Sustainable Development website.
Selection of actions, investments and new products
Solar Impulse
A process for treating contaminated sediments, from the banks of the Meuse to the industrial port in Venice’s lagoon
Products to disinfect urban waste water without producing undesirable by-products
Humanitarian shelters for difficult climates
Use of biomass to fuel a power station at the Tavaux plant (France)
Non-recyclable residues as fuel for a power station in Bernburg (Germany)
PVC made from sugar and salt in Brazil
Fluorinated polymers for high-performance lithium batteries and ultra-high-energy density capacitators
High-performance solution for water-based anti-corrosion paints reducing emissions of volatile organic compounds
1. Using sustainability assessment tools validated by the Group (a) for 100% of significant planned innovations or acquisitions, and carrying out the assessments jointly in cases of partnership projects.
2. Using sustainability-assessment tools and environmental-impact indicators validated by the Group in making policy decisions and deciding budgets, for 100% of important investment plans.
3. Having projects economizing on natural resources reaching at least 20% of the proposals competing for the Solvay Innovation Trophies.
4. Developing our projects regarding eco-efficient products (b), particularly those in fuel cells and in organic electronics.
Society
5. Reducing by 20% the share accounted for by road among transport of our products in Europe (= achieving 50% for non-road transport).
6. Reducing the overall energy intensity of our vehicle fleet by over 30%.
7. Reducing by 20% CO2 emissions, both direct and indirect (through energy purchases), associated with our manufacturing.
8. Reducing by 20% our total energy consumption.
9. Establishing energy diagnosis audits at 80% of our manufacturing sites and all our administrative sites.
10. Applying Solvay’s policy on the use of laboratory animals throughout the Group and introducing ethical supervision of animal experiments by the Solvay Animal Care and Use Committee (SACUC).
Customers and Suppliers
11. Applying audit and selection systems to 100% of providers of logistical services for dangerous products to the Group.
12. Communicating product information of Ecoprofile-type (c) to customers on:
any existing major product;
any product with critical characteristics (in relation to sustainability);
any new product.
Employees
13. Establishing a discussion forum at each site, bringing together employees and management of all levels,
to initiate and provide support to the Sustainable Development projects of each site.
14. Including Sustainable Development in the training of employees at all levels.
15. Strengthening employee engagement to the company and the way it operates at its current high level (≥ 75%) as measured by Solvay People Surveys.
16. Introducing structured programs to protect the employees against risks at all sites, ensuring the programs extend to subcontractors.
17. Applying the Health module of Solvay’s Medexis information system (d) to 70% of the staff (not including the United States) with the aim to ensure a uniform prevention against health risks and a uniform medical monitoring throughout the Group.
18. Applying the Group’s preparedness plan for a human pandemic originating from avian influenza.
Local communities
19. Reducing by 20% the Global Air Emission Index.
20. Reducing by 20% the Global Water Emission Index.
21. Extending the Risk-Based Inspection system for predictive examination of the physical integrity of installations to all the Group’s major-risk sites.
22. Obtaining OHSAS 18001 (e) or equivalent certification for safety management systems at 30 of our production sites, and ISO, EMAS or equivalent environmental certification for all relevant sites (f).
23. Making available by sites with potential significant environmental impacts, annual data on emissions and releases along the criteria of public databases of PRTR or TRI-type (g), in accordance with the Responsible Care® Global Charter.
24. Establishing projects at all sites that encourage employee participation in the life of the local community.
25. Regularly conducting opinion surveys about our activities among the communities living in the vicinity of our large production sites.
All goals are to be achieved by 2012 (baseline 2006), except goals 5, 6, 7, 8, 19 and 20, which are to be achieved by 2020 (baseline 2006, assuming comparable activity perimeter)
(a) The Matrix 5x5, the Solvay Sustainability Screening (S3) tool and the Umberto lifecycle analysis tool from IFEU, Heidelberg.
(b) See Investors chapter, page 21.
(c) Ecoprofile: inventory of emissions and releases associated with raw materials and manufacturing.
(d) Information system on employees’ medical and industrial hygiene data, currently under development.
(e) OHSAS 18001: Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series 18001: standard compatible with ISO 9000 and ISO 14001.
(f) Including main pharmaceutical manufacturing sites, but excluding sites processing plastic materials to produce pipes and fittings (PipeLife).
(g) PRTR: Pollutant Release and Transfer Register; TRI: Toxic Release Inventory (US).
For further information please contact :
Erik
De Leye
, Corporate Press Officer
SOLVAY SA Headquarters
Tel: 32 2 509 72 30
Fax: 32 2 509 72 40
E-mail : erik.deleye@solvay.com
