Action plan—our key objectives

25 by 2012—the overall company target
Initially in 2002, Cognis launched a wide ranging program under the general heading “25 by 2012”. Wishing to make a meaningful contribution to reducing environmental impact, our aim in instituting this project is to achieve a 25% reduction in the 2002 levels of all major indicators—specific energy consumption, emissions and wastewater, among others—by the year 2012. This overall company target is reflected facility by facility in our Master Plan processes, whereby specific site conditions are taken into account. The environmental targets are accompanied by ambitious goals in the fields of raw material procurement, safety, health and personnel, the purpose being to focus the organization on all those essential aspects that characterize a sustainable company.

What we want to achieve in the next years

Action Plan
Target	Status as of 2008	Measures and Programs
Ongoing reduction in specific energy consumption by 25% from 2002 to 2012	Reduction in energy consumption from approx. 1,070 kWh per metric ton of production output in 2002 to 910 kWh/t in 2008* Initiation of investment activities based on best practice solutions compiled by the Technology Segment Teams (TSTs) Step-by-step introduction of energy-saving technologies in production Further utilization of combined heat and power technology (CHP) at our largest production site in Germany, and also at other European sites, achieving far higher efficiency than at a standard boiler plant; in 2008 for example, our Hythe/UK site also switched to steam from a modern CHP source Introduction of an energy measurement and control system (installation of process information (PI) systems) New external logistics center (operated by Noerpel) housed in a low-energy building for our site at Illertissen, Germany; begins operation in 2009 Specific energy saving projects at sites in Japan, Indonesia and Turkey planned for implementation in 2009	Investment projects for cutting energy costs drafted by local Energy Saving Teams (ESTs) at designated sites Introduction of advanced automation and control technologies Development and introduction of smart heat recovery technologies Improvement in production yield and avoidance of production residues requiring reprocessing Systematic recording of energy consumption levels based on defined key performance indicators for all production sites and technologies worldwide Modification of production, cooling and heating processes Establishment of Process Optimization Teams (POTs) at the operational level at all major sites
Ongoing reduction in specific CO₂ emissions by 25% from 2002 to 2012	Since 2002, the reduction in CO₂emissions achieved related to production output* is 17% Change in mix of primary energy sources, with increased use of natural gas in particular Approval of investments to modernize boiler plant, improve the steam/fuel ratio and thus increase efficiency and reduce primary energy consumption Optimization of condensate recovery, e.g. increase in condensate return from 25% to 50% at a site in France Reduction of CO₂ emissions at a site in Italy: high-efficiency CHP plant based on natural gas planned for construction in 2009	Further decrease in oil and electricity consumption in production Improved efficiency at existing energy-generating plants at designated sites Further research into the use of electricity from renewable sources Research into the purchase of "green" electricity Sale of secondary products as biomass-based fuels/energy sources Further expansion of CO₂-reducing supplies through steam and power from cogeneration plant
Ongoing reduction in wastewater by 25% from 2002 to 2012	Reduction in organically loaded wastewater by 22% from 2002 to 2008 Introduction of defined cleaning regulations for production facilities at designated sites covering product change-overs (campaign production) Incorporation of cleaning in place (CIP) systems within production facilities at selected sites Upgrade of wastewater treatment facilities	Focus on identification, monitoring and prevention of wastewater sources at all sites Improvement of cleaning procedures to reduce water consumption and water contamination Evaluation of secondary usages of wastewater: Cascade usage of cleaning water Reutilization of steam condensate Expansion of biological treatment stages at selected sites Production-integral recovery of recyclable portions of process effluent, e.g. at a site in Italy
Ongoing reduction in waste	Since 2002, reduction of waste and production residues by almost 17% Constant increase in recycling and reutilization of production residues	Implementation of a project to further increase the recycling rate at Düsseldorf, Germany Evaluation of secondary usages of waste Increased utilization of low calorific value production residues in biogas facilities instead of incineration Avoidance of waste: Improvement of molecular yield in production (e.g. through our Material Efficiency Program)
Further increase in the use of renewable raw materials	Around 50% of the raw materials used are nature-based (natural oils and fats, plants, extracts) In 2008, in addition to palm oil, palm kernel oil was also incorporated into the RSPO certification process adopted by Cognis Implementation of a marketing model for sustainable palm oil products in our value chain Initiation and management of a research network with eight partners for the development of new bio-based surfactant systems employing renewable raw materials and "green" reaction technology within CLIB2021	Continuous monitoring of the proportion of natural renewable raw materials in our products Active support of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) since 2004 Analysis of three possible marketing models for sustainable palm oil products Founding member of CLIB2021 (Cluster: Industrial Biotechnology), created by the Fed. Min. of Education and Research to promote "white biotechnology" in the chemical industry Active support of fair trade platforms for products based on plant actives/extracts
Incidence rate: Zero lost-time accidents Zero workplace-related injuries	2007 level slightly improved in 2008: incidence rate of 0.8 in 2002, 0.4 again in 2008 Constant decrease in number of industrial accidents at production sites worldwide Entire Holthausen production plant in Düsseldorf, Germany, incident-free for more than one year	Further training in safety awareness and continuation of internal audits Provision of regular training in occupational safety for production employees worldwide Greater emphasis on preventive maintenance Site-specific workplace safety improvement programs Ongoing monitoring of process safety and workplace safety ("Top Ten" in safety) at site level
Healthy working environment	Introduction of further health programs: Cancer prevention, e.g. at a site in Australia Anti-smoking therapy at sites in Turkey, USA/Kankakee and Brazil Expansion of sport programs at various sites, e.g. "Gym in Facility" in Argentina; "10 Minutes Gymnastics Every Day" in Brazil; "Annual Sports Tournament" in Indonesia	Comprehensive health programs and campaigns at respective sites
Create and further develop a high-performance organization	All companies run performance management programs 4C Competency Model: Introduction of a new, corporate-wide requirements profile for all employees Cognis College offers further training and continuous professional development programs tailored to the requirements of the organization; as of 2008, now also includes globally available Sales Academy for all Cognis marketing, sales and distribution personnel Further corporate-wide rollout of succession management process to SBUs and and functions	All employees receive regular feedback on their performance Agreement of individual training and development plans Continuous development and implementation of Cognis College programs based on business needs
High employee satisfaction	Numerous workshops and discussion forums in 2008 for processing the results of the 2007 employee survey Drafting and implementation of corresponding action programs Global implementation monitoring	Regular worldwide employee surveys ("Cognis Barometer")

Some assumptions have been made where criteria for data monitoring have changed due to international directives or national legislation, or where definition changes in the referenced production output figures hamper a direct comparison of 2002 and 2008 figures. Following the sale of Oleochemicals and Pulcra, the basis for calculation and comparison is exclusively the core businesses of Cognis (Care Chemicals, Functional Products and Nutrition & Health).

Sustainability

Action plan—our key objectives

QUICK FINDER

Most popular