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Our company´s philosophy is guided by the concept of Sustainable Development. We are aiming through our 'Responsible Care' programme to minimize the impact of our production facilities and our products on the environment. The following fields are particularly relevant for our products:
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Glossary
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Ozone Depletion
CFCs transport chlorine into the stratosphere where it contributes to depletion of the ozone layer, which protects the earth from excessive UV radiation.
Solvay was the first company to voluntarily stop CFC production world-wide as early as 1994.
Solvay developed HCFCs and HFCs to enable an early phase-out of the CFCs (CFCs were banned on 1.1.95 in Europe, only 4 1/2 years after the London Meeting of the Signatory Parties to the Protocol (1990)
For detailed information please visit following sites:
AFEAS
:
Alternative Fluorocarbons Environmental Acceptability Study
UNEP
:
United Nations Environment Programme
EPA
:
Environmental Protection Agency (USA)
UBA
:
Umweltbundesamt (Germany)
EFCTC
:
European FluoroCarbon Technical Committee
EU/DG Environment
The Ozone Protection Website
OzoneLog.org
This website is a clearinghouse for the important lessons learned in protecting the Ozone Layer.
Legislation
Global:
Montreal 1987
:
reduce CFC production and consumption by 50% until mid of 1998
(industrialised countries)
London 1990
:
total phase out of CFCs by 2010
(industrialised countries by 2000)
Kopenhagen 1992
total phase-out of CFCs by 1996, of HCFCs by 2030
(industrialised countries).
Deadline for developing countries:
2010 respectively 2040. Production and consumption of HCFCs is limited by a 'cap'.
Wien 1995:
reduction of the CAP from 3.1% to 2.8%.
For detailed information:
UNEP
United Nations Environment Programme
Regional:
European Commission
EPr Summary
USA:
EPA
(Environmental Protection Agency / USA)
Global Warming
Energy from the sun drives the earth?s weather and climate, and heats the earth?s surface. In turn, the earth radiates energy back into space. Atmospheric greenhouse gases (water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other gases) are influencing the energy balance in a way that leads to an increased average temperature on earth?s surface.
Without this natural ?greenhouse effect,? temperatures would be much lower than they are now, and life as known today would not be possible. Instead, thanks to greenhouse gases, the earth?s average temperature is a more hospitable 60°F(15°C). However, problems may arise when the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases increases. This might be caused by a phenomenon called ?man-made? (or anthropogenic) greenhouse effect.
This means the additional effect of greenhouse gas emissions by human activities on the global climate, which according to IPCC may with some likelihood further increase the average global temperature.
In order to reduce the expected additional greenhouse effect, the Kyoto Protocol sets worldwide reduction targets for emissions of a basket of 6 greenhouse gases:
- carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride.
Solvay as a producer of hydrofluorocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride actively supports the aims of the Kyoto Protocol by promoting responsible application strategies together with its customers and offering ReUse and recycling concepts as an important step towards the realization of a closed loop concept from production of virgin product until the end-of-life treatment after use.
Fluorinated gases have a comparatively high global warming potential, therefore their emissions have to be minimized. However, due to their advantageous technical and safety-related properties their application often results in a net saving of greenhouse gas emissions over the lifetime of e.g. refrigeration, air conditioning or insulating foam systems compared to systems using alternatives, if the direct emissions of fluorinated gases from these systems can be kept low.
For detailed information please visit the following sites:
AFEAS
:
Alternative Fluorocarbons Environmental Acceptability Study
UNEP
:
United Nations Environment Programme
EFCTC:
European FluoroCarbon Technical Committee
EPA
:
Environmental Protection Agency (USA)
IPCC
:
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
UBA
:
Umweltbundesamt (Germany)
Recycling / ReUse:
 Solvay has developed a ReUse concept for SF6 which was awarded by the German Ministry of Environment in 1997.
Solvay is operating a thermal decomposition unit for organic fluorocompounds like CFC, HCFCs and HFCs which recovers high grade HCl and HF.
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