We have for several decades monitored our impact on the environment as part of a holistic approach to value creation. The increasing urgency of the situation has led us in 2008 to establish a thorough climate strategy with a revised set of priorities to guide our business to address this challenge. These priorities are an integral part of our overall business strategy including reducing the environmental impact of our own production activities as well as taking advantage of business opportunities by enabling our customers to do the same. Some of the measures we pursue include:
- Reducing climate gas emissions through the use of our products
- Developing our solar energy business
- Increasing recycling of aluminium
- Reducing energy consumption and emissions in production
- Using viable energy sources
From 1990, total greenhouse gas emissions from our ownership equity have decreased from 12.5 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents (CO2e) to 6.4 million tonnes CO2e. This is a 49 percent decrease. During the same period we have reduced specific greenhouse gas emissions from primary production by 58 percent. We will reduce this further in coming years, and our goal is a specific direct emission of 1.71 tonnes CO2e per tonne aluminium in 2012, which is a further improvement of 20 percent from the current level of 2.12 tonnes CO2e per tonne aluminium.
Spent potlining (SPL) from the electrolytic cells used in primary aluminium production is defined as hazardous waste and is of major concern. In 2008, Hydro produced 40,445 tonnes of SPL, a 22 percent increase from 2007. The increased amount is a result of increased relinings at Sunndal, Norway as the first cells in the new line were due for relining and increased relining at Karmøy, Norway.
Since the European Union regulation on chemicals, REACH, entered into force on June 1, 2007, we have been working actively to ensure we are in line with this legislation. We have pre-registered the substances we manufacture and import, so that we benefit from the transitional periods offered by REACH.
