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 to establish a thorough climate strategy with a revised set of priorities. This is an integral part of our overall business strategy, including reducing the environmental impact of our production activities as well as taking advantage of business opportunities by enabling our customers do the same. Some of the measures we pursue include:
- Using viable energy sources
- Reducing energy consumption and emissions in production
- Reducing CO2 emissions through the use of our products
- Increasing the recycling of aluminium
Total greenhouse gas emissions from our ownership equity have decreased from 12.5 million metric tons (mt) CO2 equivalents (CO2e) in 1990 to 5.8 million mt CO2e in 2010, including 0.9 million mt CO2e from the new Qatalum gas-fired power plant. This is a 54 percent decrease. Total emissions increased in 2010 following the start of production at Qatalum. With Qatalum coming into full production and the acquisition of Vale's aluminium business in Brazil, Hydro's total greenhouse gas emissions will increase further in 2011.
During the same period, we have also reduced specific greenhouse gas emissions from primary production by more than 60 percent. Our goal is a specific direct emission of 1.52 mt CO2e/mt aluminium in 2013. With performance of 1.63 mt CO2e per mt aluminium, we outdid our 2010 ambition of 1.73. The performance of our newest technology, HAL4e, was even better, 1.5 mt CO2e per mt aluminium in 2010.
In 2010, we developed a new recycling strategy. It is our ambition to grow faster than the market in recycling, assuming a leading position also in this part of the value chain. By 2020 our ambition is to annually recover 1 million metric tons (mt) of contaminated and post-consumer scrap. The first step is to improve our existing capacity utilization. During 2010 we have increased the recycling volume by 30 percent to more than 260,000 mt. Our ambition for 2011 is to further lift our recycling volume and improve capacity utilization of existing assets.
Spent potlining (SPL) from the electrolytic cells used in primary aluminium production is defined as hazardous waste. In 2010, Hydro produced 19,768 mt of SPL, a 30 percent decrease from 2009. The reduction was mainly due to the closure of the Søderberg lines in Norway and reduced production in Neuss, Germany. In total, we produced 247,191 mt of waste, of which 45 percent was classified as hazardous waste.
Systematic mapping of our water situation in 2010 showed that about 6 percent of our water consumption took place in water-stressed areas, according to the definition used by the WBCSD. Our consolidated operations had only minor water consumption in water-scarce areas in 2010. Freshwater considerations will be taken into account in the development of our new environmental strategy in 2011.
