Business Issue: Reduce Environmental Impacts; Improve Safety
VOC reductions continue

In 2002, improvements were recorded in reducing emissions related to the group's use of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) — chemicals that might contribute to the production of ground-level ozone. Many of the solvents used in the inks and lacquers found in Alcan Packaging plants contain VOCs.

Following the $27 million investment in abatement technology reported in our previous Corporate Sustainability Report, in 2002 the Packaging group installed two new thermal afterburners, one at Alcan Packaging Dublin and one at Alcan Packaging Singen. The Singen one is a second generation installation to meet more stringent emission limits.

On a smaller scale, improvements were also made in solvent consumption through more efficient processes. Benefits were derived from new technology and process changes including automatic delivery and dosage control.

Additional benefits include:

• Improved shop floor safety: Reduced quantities of inks are stored next to the machine. Reduced inks require less solvent and, therefore, the workplace benefits from reduced risk as there is a reduced amount of flammable liquid in the area.
• Improved shop floor environment: Improvements in supplying solvent directly into the machine results in reduced fume emissions. This has an immediate positive effect on the shop floor air, therefore decreasing the exposure level for employees and further reducing the risk of explosion.

In 2002, Alcan Packaging maintained its level of VOC emission despite its increased rate of production.