The management of natural resources (energy, water and fuel), greenhouse gas emissions, and the utilisation of residues (such as bauxite residues), air quality control and the restoration of the natural landscape are the key environmental challenges faced by the MYTILINEOS Group in its various activity sectors.
Having as our main concern the minimisation of the negative impacts of the activities of all our companies on the natural environment, we implement policies for the protection of the environment and the control of industrial hazards. These policies form the basis of a comprehensive and effective set of rules that make up our Environmental Management System, which we plan to integrate gradually into our business activities and into the procedures that define the day-to-day operations of all Group companies.
Our environmental policy is also expressed by the Group's self-commitment to conduct regular audits of its activities, both in its industrial plants and in the central facilities of its companies, with a view to securing their certification in accordance with the ISO 14001 Environmental Standard.
Energy consumption
During 2009, the consumption of electric power as a result of the Group's activities stood at 7,379,364.7 GJ, down 19.3% from 2008. This decrease is due to the implementation of comprehensive programmes for curtailing electric power consumption in our production plants, coupled with specific actions carried out in non-industrial premises, such as for example the installation of automated lighting and air conditioning systems, the reduction of lighting periods in auxiliary areas, made possible by the installation of photoelectric cells, motion detectors and time switches, etc.
Water consumption
Overall, during 2009 the Group consumed approximately 5.1 million cubic metres of water. The largest part of this quantity was consumed in industrial production, with the rest used for normal everyday uses and for environment restoration activities.
Waste disposal
As part of its environmental policy, the Group continues to honour its commitment regarding proper collection and utilisation of the waste produced by its activities, by adopting waste management and disposal practices on a large scale. Of the total quantity of waste produced by all Group companies during 2009, which stood at over 104,503 tons, 78.2% was utilised, 19.7% was disposed to landfills and 1.8% was recycled either by the companies themselves or by third-party licensed networks.
Environmental expenditure
In 2009, the MYTILINEOS Group invested nearly €6 million in actions to protect the environment. The main investments by Group companies in this area refer to processing of gas emissions, certification and improvement of Environmental Management Systems, disposal of waste and restoration of the natural landscape, and also include investments in R&D activities aimed at installing more "clean" technologies.