In addition to the reduction of raw material consumption, energy and waste, measures to reduce emissions from our sites are also an important field of action.
The diffuse and captured emissions emitted by all sites were below the legal limits during the reporting period.
To protect the environment, every technically feasible measure to reduce volatile organic compounds (VOC) and noise emissions is taken. As the production site in Ochsenhausen is located in a mixed-use zone, measures to protect the immediate neighborhood in particular are of vital importance. These include the lines for regenerative thermal oxidation of solvents (RTO lines), noise barriers and the enclosure of machinery. In like manner, organizational measures and training of our employees about emissions have now become standard procedure at SÜDPACK.
For our sites in Ochsenhausen and Kłobuck, we submit the quantities emitted to the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) every year.
As our production sites in Germany operate solvent-based printing and laminating machines as well as furnaces, they are subject to the Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG). The legal obligations include producing an annual solvent balance (31st BImSchV), which is made available to the Tübingen regional council as the supervisory authority. We submit an emissions declaration for our production sites in Germany every four years in accordance with section 27 of the BImSchG in conjunction with the Emissions Declaration Ordinance (11th BImSchV).
SÜDPACK in Ochsenhausen und SÜDPACK in Kłobuck work continuously on the reduction of emissions from solvents with cutting-edge emission control systems. The hot gases that result in the two RTO lines ensure autothermic operation. Consequently, there is no need to add any additional gas during normal operations to heat the drying channels of the printing and laminating machines. With an appropriate product design and wherever possible, the aim is to replace laminated composites with coextruded laminated films, and solvent-based laminating with solvent-free laminating.
At our plant in Bioggio, ethyl acetate is used as a solvent in production and is recovered with a solvent recovery system. Further improvements in capturing and processing emissions made it possible to increase the quantity of recovered solvents by more than 15 % in 2019 compared to 2017. The amount of solvent recovered in 2019 totaled 1,610 t. As the amount of recovered ethyl acetate exceeded the amount of solvent needed for the site, it was not necessary to purchase solvent from external sources. Excess quantities are sold to third parties.