Industry goals for chlorine

European chlorine producers have produced what they claim is the first set of long-term sustainability goals developed by a sector of the chemical industry.

The targets, which have been agreed by 40 companies producing over 20 million tpa of chlorine, caustic soda and hydrogen, cover environmental emissions, energy consumption and safety.

The manufacturers, members of the European chlorine producers' federation Euro Chlor, operate 70 plants in 18 countries, both in Western Europe and the countries which will join the EU this May. 'This programme is a milestone that pulls together into one package various initiatives that will help our sector meet the three sustainability pillars of environmental, economic and social responsibility,' says Euro Chlor chairman René Scheffers.

Among the targets are a reduction of manufacturing emissions of 22 chlorinated organic compounds by 75% to water and 50% to air compared with 2001's performance by 2010. The compounds were selected because they were most frequently listed on priority lists for emissions reductions by regulators in the 1980s and 1990s, and have already been reduced by 95% between 1985 and 2001.

Other targets include reduction of energy consumption by 5% by 2010, again from a 2001 baseline. Part of this will be achieved by switching from mercury cells - which still account for about half of European capacity - to membrane technology.

Producers also aim to increase reuse of hydrogen, which is coproduced with chlorine, from 79.7% of produced volume in 2001 to 95% in 2010.

The industry has also committed to reducing mercury emissions, with a voluntary agreement to reduce emissions by 1g per tonne of mercury cell capacity by 2007. Eastern European producers, in Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, have not yet signed up for this commitment.

Safety targets include a goal of 75% reduction of process incidents from 67 in 2001 to 15 in 2010. The producers also aim to reduce lost-time injuries, causing at least one day's absence from work, to 1.3 injuries per million working hours, from 9.47 among employees, and from 15.39 for contractors.

'By establishing sector performance goals - particularly for emissions, energy saving and safety - producers will be able to benchmark their individual performances versus the whole industry,' says Euro Chlor regulatory and environmental affairs director Arseen Seys.