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.
Our of specific energy demand and emissions
What we want to achieve in the next years
Ongoing reduction in specific energy consumption by 25% from 2002 to 2012
| Introduction of advanced automation and control technologies. |
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| Further investigation and rollout of heat recovery technologies. |
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| Systematic recording of energy consumption levels based on defined key performance indicators for all production sites and technologies worldwide. |
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| Establishment of Process Optimization Teams (POT s) at the operational level at nearly all sites. |
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| Set up of the energetic-X-cellence program in Düsseldorf in 2010 and rollout to other sites. |
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| Reducing electricity demand by replacing old, inefficient motors and plant illumination, cutting standby consumption and optimizing cold water generation. |
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| Further comprehensive energy-saving projects were approved at our US sites, in Kankakee and Cincinnati, which come in second and third in our ranking of total energy consumption after Düsseldorf. |
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Ongoing reduction in water and wastewater by 25% from 2002 to 2012
| Focus on identification, monitoring and prevention of wastewater sources at all sites. |
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| Improvement of cleaning procedures to reduce water consumption and water contamination. |
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| Evaluation of secondary usages of treated wastewater—cascade usage of cleaning water—reutilization of steam condensate. |
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| Possible expansion or add-on of biological treatment stages at selected sites such as Castellbisbal in Spain. |
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| Production-integral recovery of recyclable portions of process effluent, special focus on water saving in regions with water shortage such as Mexico, Spain or Turkey. |
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| We approved a project to upgrade and refurbish the wastewater treatment plant at Hythe, UK, by the end of 2010. |
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Ongoing reduction in specific CO2 emissions by 25% from 2002 to 2012
| Further decrease of CO2 emissions through energy saving activities. |
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| Further expansion of CO2-reducing energy supply through steam and power from cogeneration plant. |
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| Improved efficiency of existing steam and power generating plants at designated sites. |
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| Further research into the use of electricity from renewable sources. |
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| Sale of secondary products as biomass-based fuels/energy sources. |
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| Further investigations into the utilization of biomass-based, CO2-neutral residues or waste as replacements for fossil fuels in our boilers. |
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| Strategies and investments to avoid unnecessary energy consumption and emissions from operational interruptions caused by power blackouts, e.g. gen-set in Ecatepec, Mexico. |
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| Implementation of w/w Cognis car policy in 2010 according to local standards, incorporating a bonus/penalty system based on a specified base level of CO2 emissions, and an upper limit on CO2 emissions for all new cars. |
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Ongoing reduction in waste
| Further evaluation of secondary usages of waste. |
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| Increased utilization of low calorific value production residues in biogas facilities instead of incineration. |
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| Avoidance of waste—improvement of molecular yield in production through Material Efficiency Program—see article relating to Holthausen, Germany. |
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Further increase in the use of renewable raw materials
| Continuous yearly monitoring of the proportion of natural renewable raw materials in our products. |
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| Ongoing evaluation of new partner and project options focusing on bio-surfactants within the Cluster Industrielle Biotechnologie (CLIB) network, which now boasts more than 70 members from the chemical industry, SMEs and academia. |
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| Participation in opinion-forming processes within Germany’s VCI (chemical industry association), and the associated DIB (association of industrial biotechnology), geared to the evaluation and promotion of renewable feedstocks for the chemical industry. |
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| Ongoing active support of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) (Cognis a member since 2004) and the sales of CSPO (Certified Sustainable Palm Oil) and CSPKO. |
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| Supply chain model for the “book & claim” marketing option for sustainable palm oil products. |
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| Ongoing dialog with different stakeholder groups. |
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Zero lost-time accidents
| Further training in safety awareness and continuation of internal audits. |
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| Provision of regular training in occupational safety for production employees worldwide. |
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| Greater emphasis on preventive maintenance. |
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| Site-specific workplace safety improvement programs. |
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| Ongoing monitoring of process safety and workplace safety (“Top Ten” in safety) at site level. |
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Healthy working environment
| Comprehensive health programs and campaigns at respective sites. |
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Please download our Action Plan 25 by 2012 to see the detailed current status and level of progress. In the context of this plan, we seek to achieve a 25 percent improvement on a defined set of key sustainability indicators by the year 2012.
Download PDF version of the Action Plan