Akzo Nobel and Sustainability

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Akzo Nobel and Sustainability

• AIChE conference
• Atlanta, April 14, 2005

Klas Hallberg Sustainable Development group Akzo
Nobel (Sweden)
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Agenda

• Akzo Nobel company profile
• Practical use of eco-efficiency tools today
• Life Cycle Assessment from salt to cardboard
• Environmental Risk Assessment of an asphalt
  additive
• Eco-efficiency evaluation of colorants
• The DANTES project - an example of openness in
  communication between companies and the society

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Akzo Nobel profile

• A Dutch multi-national company created in 1969.
  Roots trace back to 1777
• Serving customers with healthcare products,
  coatings and chemicals
• 17 billion in net sales (2003)
• More than 60 000 employees
• Operates in about 80 countries

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Sustainable Development group
Klas Hallberg Karin SanneMalin Bogeskär
Anna-Lena PalmJohan Widheden

• Akzo Nobel Surface Chemistry
• Akzo Nobel Functional Chemicals
• Akzo Nobel Base Chemicals
• Eka Chemicals
• Akzo Nobel Salt
• And more!

Provide services to
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Agenda

• Akzo Nobel company profile
• Practical use of eco-efficiency tools today
• Life Cycle Assessment from salt to cardboard
• Environmental Risk Assessment of an asphalt
  additive
• Eco-efficiency evaluation of colorants
• The DANTES project - an example of openness in
  communication between companies and the society

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Life Cycle Assessment(LCA)
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LCA from salt extraction to Stora Enso cardboard
Electrolysis
Environmental hotspots in the production of NaOH?
NaOH
NaCl
Pulp Paper
Salt extraction
Environmental profile of salt improved from 1998
to 2000?
Have paper chemicals a significant influence on
the environmental profile of cardboard?
Stora Enso cardboard
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Business value of the LCA example

• Salt extraction
• CO2 decrease gt good economy e.g. energy
  savings, CO2 emission trading
• Electrolysis
• Relevant information to meet NGOs specific
  concerns e.g. SO2 and NOX
• Focus on the transport instead of emissions from
  the site gt avoid sub optimization
• Pulp Paper
• Sales support
• New business or more important we dont loose
  existing business!

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Agenda

• Akzo Nobel company profile
• Practical use of eco-efficiency tools today
• Life Cycle Assessment from salt to cardboard
• Environmental Risk Assessment of an asphalt
  additive
• Eco-efficiency evaluation of colorants
• The DANTES project - an example of openness in
  communication between companies and the society

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Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA)
Data evaluation
Exposure assessment
Effect assessment
PEC Predicted Environmental Concentration
PNEC Predicted No-Effect Concentration
RCR lt 1 No risk!
ERA life cycle
Risk Characterisation Ratio
RCR PEC / PNEC
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Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) for an
asphalt additive (Wetfix)
The asphalt additive (Wetfix)

• Promotes the adhesion between bitumen and
  aggregate (hot mix) in order to extend the life
  time of an asphalt pavement
• Is used in low concentrations (0,2-0,4 weight of
  bitumen)

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Simplified life cycleof the asphalt additive
(Wetfix)
LCA
Production of an asphalt additive
ERA
Use of product
Waste handling of Product
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Comparison between LCA Environmental Risk
Assessment (ERA)
ERA Not including resource consumption etc. LCA
Difficult to include inherent properties
Thorough Environmental Assessment
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Comparison between LCA Environmental Risk
Assessment (ERA)
Starting point the substance
ERA
LCA
LCA
Starting point one application
Production/formulation
Use
Raw materials
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The potential role of Life Cycle Assessment in
regulation of chemicals in the European Union
according to the European Chemicals Bureau

• ERA Environmental Risk Assessment
• SEA Socio-economic analysis
• LCA Life Cycle Assessment

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Comparison between Lime, Cement Wetfix (asphalt
additive) from a life cycle perspective of a road
CO2 emissions kg / km highway
Hot mix
Lime
Cement
Wetfix
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Business value of the ERA and the ERA/LCA example

• ERA
• Avoid unwanted surprises
• Are more toxicity tests and/or exposure
  measurements useful and necessary gt reduced
  costs
• Comply with REACH ! (the new EU chemicals
  legislation)
• ERA/LCA combination
• More complete picture of complex issues gt
  increased credibility
• Provides a wider perspective on possible
  consequences of banning a substance from a market
  
• Is used for marketing today

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Agenda

• Akzo Nobel company profile
• Practical use of eco-efficiency tools today
• Life Cycle Assessment from salt to cardboard
• Environmental Risk Assessment of an asphalt
  additive
• Eco-efficiency evaluation of colorants
• The DANTES project - an example of openness in
  communication between companies and the society

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Eco-efficiency evaluation of an old and a new
colorant used in water based paint
Applying the BASF eco-efficiency method on a
study made by Akzo Nobel
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Environmental and economic impact

• LCA-based environmental impact
• Consumption of energy
• Consumption of resources
• Land use
• Emissions
• Toxic potential
• Risk potential

• LCA-based environmental impact
• Consumption of energy
• Consumption of resources
• Land use
• Emissions

• Weighting method
• According to EPS

• Weighting method
• According to BASF

• Economic impact
• Environmental costs

• Economic impact
• Price

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Eco-efficiency results
0,0
Old Colorant
Environmental impact (normalized)
1,0
New Colorant
2,0
0,8
1,0
1,2
Cost (normalized)

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Other conclusions from an eco-efficiency study

• Environmental costs were found to be a relatively
  large part of the total costs of the studied
  products
• For the surfactants (used in the colorants) 4,5
  6,5 of the sales price
• The environmental costs are higher than normally
  (1) reported to authorities and statistics

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Agenda

• Akzo Nobel company profile
• Practical use of eco-efficiency tools today
• Life Cycle Assessment from salt to cardboard
• Environmental Risk Assessment of an asphalt
  additive
• Eco-efficiency evaluation of colorants
• The DANTES project - an example of openness in
  communication between companies and the society

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DANTES
A demonstration project for sustainable
development
www.dantes.info
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Project information

• Supported by the EU LIFE - Environment Programme
• Period 2002 2005 (August 31)
• Partners Akzo Nobel Surface Chemistry ABB
  Stora Enso Chalmers University
  of Technology

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DANTES goals

• Demonstrate and evaluate environmental assessment
  and communication tools
• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
• Life Cycle Costing (LCC)
• Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA)
• Environmental Product Declarations (EPD)
• Environmental Performance Indicators (EPI)
• Display strategies of how to use these tools in
  different functions within a company.

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Strategies

• provide examples on how you can address different
  environmental sustainability issues within
  different parts of a company
• Research development
• Marketing
• Supply chain
• Production
• Environmental support

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is a smorgasbord!
Environment
Economy
Life Cycle Cost
Environmental Management Systems
Eco-efficiency evaluation
Environmental Risk Assessment
CO2 emission trading
Exposure scenarios
LCA
Supplier evaluation
Key Performance Indicators
Environmental Product Declarations
Transportation and environment
Sustainability information on the WEB
Sustainability issues in RD
Energy efficiency
Environmental education
Communication
Engineering
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www.dantes.info the DANTES project website
Between 3000 and 4000 visits per month!