We must consider our contribution to:
Acid rain - results from emission of oxides of sulphur and nitrogen into the air from power generation, mainly from motor vehicle exhausts.
Global warming - results from the release of carbon dioxide into the air mainly from energy creation (power stations and vehicles). Worldwide concern: the Conference on Global Warming at Kyoto, Japan, 1997 Ozone layer depletion - results from release of CFCs and halons (mainly compounds of chlorine and carbon) into the atmosphere from air-conditioners and refrigerators. Worldwide concern: The Montreal Protocol of 1987 Solvents in air - released into the atmosphere they can be toxic, carcinogenic and contribute towards "photochemical smog". Worldwide concern: the targets for the year 2000 set by the UNECE Protocol Dust in the air - generated in our processes can cause breathing difficulties and must be extracted from the air before it can be released Packaging - a vast consumer of steel, aluminium, glass, cardboard and plastic mostly ending their life as solid waste. Process liquid waste - must be prevented from contaminating the local environment through leakage and the waste collected must be treated before release. Process solid waste - must be segregated to remove all dangerous compounds, stored safely on site and its disposal arranged through a responsible waste management company Which of the above do we contribute to and where can we our policy of "reduce - reuse - recycle" help to lessen our contribution? Acid rain and global warming are direct results of energy consumption, we can't reuse or recycle our energy so we must try to reduce our consumption. More careful driving and better route planning reduces fuel consumption, better insulation (and maybe a slightly warmer room) reduces a.c. power consumption, turning lights off reduces electricity consumption, and maybe in Winter we could walk instead of starting the car? Ozone depleting chemicals will be phased out by International and Local laws but we can take a lead by converting to less harmful refrigerants before the law makes us. We must remember to dispose of our existing refrigerants carefully or the changeover could cause more harm than good. Solvents have been the basis of a range of our products for decades and they are released into the atmosphere in manufacturing and in their use. Action has already been taken to introduce some waterbased systems and it is intended to progressively reduce solvented products until such time as they can be eliminated from the range. Powder production is the basis for the manufacture of the majority of building products. By careful selection of the ingredients we can ensure that the substances used are not harmful but even so we must, and do, carefully control our dust extraction plant to ensure that our powders end up in the product and not in the atmosphere. Packaging is a vital contributor to waste minimisation as well packaged products reach their destination safely without spillages, but we can reduce, reuse and recycle our packaging and we have active programmes working in all these areas. What we can't use, reuse or recycle will end up as waste and although we have many waste reduction schemes planned and in progress we will still create some waste products from our business activities. Correctly segregated and safely stored we can hand our waste over to a waste management company well equipped to make sure that our waste is controlled and maybe recycled to to minimise its adverse effects on the environment. Our current plant and office set-up has limited scope for improvements in environmental performance but the move to the new site has been planned to incorporate a huge step forward in all of the areas mentioned above. This will make 1999 the year of major progress in the management of our effects on the environment.