Evonik sets ambitious new environmental goals

20-May-2014 - Germany

Evonik Industries has set new long-term environmental targets, which are published in the company’s sustainability Report 2013.Evonik plans to reduce its specific greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol by 12 percent compared to the level of 2012 in relation to its production output. The indicator includes all direct greenhouse gas emissions as well as indirect net emissions from the purchase and sale of energy. Furthermore, Evonik plans to cut back on its specific water consumption, which indicates the water consumption in relation to production output, by ten percent over the same period. "Our products help our customers around the world reduce their raw material use and energy consumption. We apply the same efficiency thinking to our own processes. After all, we can only be successful in the long term if we use the available natural resources responsibly”, said Evonik’s Chief Human Resources Officer Thomas Wessel. Evonik attained its long-term environmental goals for the period 2004-2014 two years ahead of schedule in 2012.

In 2013, Evonik emitted a net amount of around 6.7 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents (CO2e) (2012: 6.9 million metric tons). Net specific greenhouse gas emissions totaled 0.67 metric tons of CO2e per metric ton of production (2012: 0.71 metric tons). This represents a drop of six percent in 2013 compared to 2012. The reduction was achieved with efficiency-increasing measures, temporary changes in the energy mix, and portfolio restructuring.

Evonik's water intake in 2013 was approximately 293 million m3 (2012: 297 million m3). The company uses the bulk of this water volume to cool its production facilities, relying primarily on environmentally friendly re-cooling facilities with closed circuit systems. In the reporting year, specific water consumption decreased by five percent as a result of water savings as well as special effects, primarily portfolio restructuring.

In 2013, Evonik invested some €29 million in environmental protection (previous year: €39 million). Operating costs for environmental protection were close to €250 million, just below the previous year's level of €251 million.

The number of occupational accidents remained at a low level in 2013. As in previous years, the accident frequency in continued activities remained significantly below the self-imposed maximum target value of 1.5 with a figure of 0.9. This indicator refers to the number of accidents in the workplace involving Evonik employees and contractors’ employees under Evonik’s direct supervision resulting in absence per 1 million working hours. However, the sustained positive trend in recent years was overshadowed by two fatal accidents at work and one fatal accident on the way to work. Thomas Wessel emphasized: “Each occupational accident and each substance release is one too many. That is why we launched the ‘Safety at Evonik’ initiative in the year 2013.”

Evonik publishes the report annually to underscore its commitment to ecological, economic, and societal sustainability. As in previous years, the latest Sustainability Report meets the requirements for the successful application of level A+ of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) in compliance with the GRI 3.1 reporting guidelines. GRI establishes the internationally recognized standard for comprehensive sustainability reporting and has confirmed the A+ reporting level for Evonik. Large parts of the report underwent an assurance review by an auditing firm.

https://www.chemeurope.com/en/news/148324/evonik-sets-ambitious-new-environmental-goals.html