Sustainability Report 2012
Company
The companies of ALTANA AG develop, manufacture, and distribute high-quality, specialty chemical products and provide the associated services.
ALTANA is a globally active corporation headquartered in Wesel, Germany, with an international sales
share of approximately 85 percent. Its four divisions,
BYK Additives & Instruments, ECKART Effect Pigments,
ELANTAS Electrical Insulation, and ACTEGA Coatings &
Sealants, occupy a leading position in their target
markets with respect to quality, product solution
expertise, innovation, and service.
ALTANA offers innovative and environmentally
compatible solutions with the matching specialty
products for coatings manufacturers, paint and
plastics processors, for the printing and cosmetics
industries, as well as for the electrical and electronics industry. The product range includes additives, special coatings and adhesives, effect pigments, sealants and compounds, impregnating
resins and varnishes, and testing and measuring
instruments.
The ALTANA Group, which belongs to SKion GmbH,
an investment company owned by Susanne Klatten,
who is also the Deputy Chairwoman of ALTANA’s
Supervisory Board, currently includes 42 production
sites and more than 50 service and research laboratories worldwide. With a workforce of around
5,300 employees throughout the group, ALTANA
posted sales exceeding € 1.7 billion in the business
year 2012. Its impressive earning power and high
growth rate make ALTANA one of the most successful and innovative chemical groups worldwide.
Corporate performance indicators
2012
2011
Number of employees
5,363
5,313
Sales
€ 1,705 million
€ 1,617 million
EBITDA
€ 323 million
€ 308 million
EBITDA margin
19.0 %
19.1 %
Research and development expenses
€ 102 million
€ 88 million
Investments
€ 90 million
€ 94 million
Total production
518,172 t
547,451 t****
Gross value added
€ 601 million
€ 593 million****
Final products
407,411 t
422,450 t****
WAI 1*
7.29
7.43
WAI 3**
76
69
Total CO2 (Scope 1 + Scope 2)***
141,423 t
138,325 t****
Drinking water
632,914 m³
647,583 m³****
Non-hazardous waste
7,347 t
7,504 t****
Hazardous waste
19,071 t
20,404 t****
*
Work Accident Indicator 1 (Number of occupational accidents with one or more days
of lost work time per million working hours)
**
Work Accident Indicator 3 (Number of lost work days due to occupational accidents
per million working hours)
*** Scope 1: direct emissions; Scope 2: indirect emissions
**** Projection for 12 months (calendar year)
About this report
The Sustainability Report 2012 was written by ALTANA AG to provide
the public, the company‘s employees and business partners, authorities,
non-governmental organizations, and all other stakeholders with information about the implementation of sustainability in the strategy
of ALTANA in terms of ecology and corporate social responsibility.
The company‘s economic development is discussed in detail in its
2012 Annual Report.
The facts and key figures presented in this report refer to the business
year 2012; environmental performance indicators refer to the period
from October 1, to September 30. Unless otherwise noted, our statements apply to all divisions and worldwide subsidiaries that were part
of the ALTANA Group in 2012. The report follows the international
G3 guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). We performed
an in-house assessment of our compliance with GRI indicators and have
concluded that the report meets the requirements of application level B.
For further information on the topics presented in this report, please
visit www.altana.com/sustainability. The Sustainability Report 2011
was published in October 2012 and is still available for download
at our website, where you may also order a print copy. The annually
published report also serves as a progress report on ALTANA‘s
implementation of the principles of the Global Compact. The report
is available in both German and English.
At a glance
Europe
34 sites
North America
13 sites
Asia
37 sites
Central America
2 sites
Latin America
2 sites
2012 sales: € 1,705 million
EBITDA 2012: € 323 million
Employees: 5,363
EBITDA margin: 19 %
2012 sales: € 618 million
2012 sales: € 341 million
2012 sales: € 413 million
2012 sales: € 334 million
Business lines
Business lines
Business lines
Business lines
• Paint additives
• Coatings and plastics
• Primary insulation
•Converting specialties
• Plastic additives
• Graphic arts
• Secondary insulation
•Graphic arts
• Industrial applications
• Cosmetics and personal care
• Measuring and testing
instruments
• Functional applications
• Electronic and engineering
materials
1
2
Sustainability Report 2012
Contents
1 At a glance
4Prefaces
Management
Signs of change
ALTANA sent a signal through its top management
that it is willing to change. At the end of 2012,
each of the four division presidents took over the
helm of another division. The reason for the extraordinary measure was to strengthen ALTANA’s
knowhow transfer and innovative ability by
means of greater transparency regarding personnel
and ideas.
6Change
9Company
9 Acquisitions and divestments
9Management
11Compliance
12 Guiding Principles
13Audits
13Stakeholders
14Memberships
15Awards
Products
A light closure saves a weighty
resource
Resource protection and material efficiency protect
the environment and improve the profitability of
production processes. For example, with a special
sealant enabling lighter crown caps to be manufactured.
16 Resource efficiency
20 Energy efficiency
20 Solvent reduction
22 Safety and health
23Guidelines
25Nanotechnology
Safety
Safety pays off
The risk of accidents occurring cannot be avoided
completely. Safety at the workplace is extremely
important at ALTANA. All of the company’s new
building and refurbishment measures reduce the
risk of accidents. An example is ACTEGA Rhenacoat’s
new warehouse complex, which offers greater
fire and soil protection and makes many transport
drives superfluous.
26 29 32 34 Operational safety
Occupational safety
Damage incidents
Health protection
Contents
Environment
Working in an award-winning
building
Creating values playfully
A class act of support
The ALTANA Group supports its employees in diverse
ways. To be able to contribute to a long-term
increase in the company’s economic value, staff
members need to be able to think entrepreneurially and understand financial mechanisms. To
this end, ALTANA relies on value management and
the so-called value creation indicator AVA (ALTANA
Value Added).
Social commitment is a matter of course for
the ALTANA Group and its staff. We continually support social projects for children and youth
as well as scientific and technical training at
schools and universities in different countries. Of
particular importance is helping people in need,
such as school children in Cancún, Mexico.
46 Corporate value
49 Personnel recruitment
50 Employee survey
51 Employee profit participation
51 Suggestion system
51Diversity
54 Volunteer help
55 Campaigns / donations / sponsoring
Energy efficiency is one of the most important
contributors to sustainability. Two new ALTANA
buildings distinguish themselves by their efficient
use of energy. The architects attached special
importance to low primary energy consumption,
as well as to sustainable construction materials
and a natural room climate.
36 Sustainable construction
39 Energy efficiency 40Emissions
42 Raw materials
42Water
43Wastewater
43 Waste / contaminated soil
45Biodiversity
45 Transport and logistics
Human resources
3
59
66
68
70
72
Social responsibility
Key performance indicators
Highlights and lowlights
Programs / goals
GRI index
Global Compact
4
Sustainability Report 2012
Dear Readers,
Sometimes you need only a little to achieve more.
Our researchers prove this time and again, for example, when they develop new additives for coat­
ings. The dose may be small, but it makes a decisive contribution to optimizing the properties of
the product. Often, it is precisely these properties
that give our clients an edge over their competitors. This is our understanding of specialty chemistry and customer orientation. And it is with this
mindset that we have occupied leading positions
in our target markets with respect to quality,
product solution expertise, innovation, and service,
based on our aspiration that “We want to be leading in everything we do.”
Sometimes all that’s needed is a change of perspective.
But you can only be a leader in the long run when
you recognize different interests and needs and
bring them into harmony. On a corporate level,
this means social responsibility, environmental protection, safety, and profitability have to go hand in
hand. Ultimately, it is the interplay between them
that creates sustainable value – for our clients, staff,
owner, and the environment in which ALTANA
operates. This is exactly why we fully support the
objectives of the UN Global Compact initiative.
Invariably, a key prerequisite for sustainable and thus
successful developments is the willingness of each individual to accept
change and act responsibly. I would
like to thank all of
our staff for their
commitment and
dedication, which has made the ALTANA Group a
sustainable employer, business partner, and neighbor. Each and every day, they help us achieve more
for ALTANA and our environment – even if only
through a small impulse.
In this year’s Sustainability Report, we focus on
what this means in concrete terms. We do not only
want to talk about sustainability, but to create
facts. In the process, it becomes apparent that not
only on the product level but in many respects often a small impulse suffices to achieve a big effect.
The result is always more than the sum of the individual parts. Yet the individual plays a key role.
We brought about such a change of perspective,
for example, by rotating our division presidents in
November 2012. On the reporting date of November 1, not only the presidents’ areas of responsibility changed. Rather, this impulse aims to spawn
more cross-divisional exchange and to strengthen
our innovativeness,
thus creating new
perspectives for all
of our employees in
the long run.
I wish you pleasurable reading.
Dr. Matthias L. Wolfgruber
Chief Executive Officer
Prefaces
Dear Readers,
It is my pleasure to present the third ALTANA
Sustainability Report to you. It is important to us to
take responsibility and actively shape the future.
A key aspect of this is environmental protection.
But the wellbeing of our staff and social commitment are also close to our heart. This year’s Sustainability Report gives you insight into our understanding of sustainability. Learn how we create
social, economic, and environmentally related
values in this framework.
At a time when resources are becoming ever scarcer,
we place particular
emphasis on efficient use of material. A special sealant for crown corks
that helps companies produce them
using less raw material is just one
of many examples.
At first glance, this
may seem to be
only little. But with lighter crown corks alone one
of the world’s largest brewery groups can save
several thousand tons of steel a year, protecting
resources and making production more efficient.
ALTANA can make big things happen even with
little innovations.
of our operational processes. Working hand in
hand only functions when everyone has the same
goal: generating sustainable growth. The ALTANA
Added Value (AVA) seminar gives non-specialist
staff insight into business management approaches. On the basis of sound knowledge, these employees can scrutinize processes and make suggestions for improvement. ALTANA creates values
for long-term success buttressed by the entire
workforce.
We focus on solutions and it is particularly important to us that our solutions are sustainable in the
long run. When we design a new building, for
example, we do not only think about short-term
expenses. Rather, we want to provide relief to
the environment. By equipping our buildings
with state-of-the-art technology, we can make
a long-term contribution to climate protection.
This is not only good for the environment but
also cuts costs.
Our values and standards apply at all of our sites
worldwide. As a result, our clients everywhere can
rest assured that the ALTANA Group stands with
its name for sustainable business and management. In dialogue with our customers, we want
to continue the trusting cooperation. Our partners
can depend on us as a company representing longterm and value-oriented growth. This includes
thinking about a shared future. We are striving
for solutions today that concern the challenges of
tomorrow.
ALTANA’s success largely depends on competent
staff. For entrepreneurial action to pervade all
levels, our employees have to understand all steps
Dr. Andreas Diez
Vice President Environment, Health and Safety
5
division presidents
3
> 5,000
375
40.000
employees with new perspectives
6535
700
8
9837
11
rotation
x4
1
42.070
750.00
Sustainability Report 2012
63
6
Signs of change
When the decision was announced, most of those present were surprised.
During the annual Global Management Meeting, Dr. Matthias L. Wolfgruber, CEO of ALTANA, announced that all four of ALTANA’s divisions would
have new presidents. The heads of each of the four divisions – BYK, ECKART,
ELANTAS, and ACTEGA – took over the helm of another respective division on November 1, 2012. It was an extraordinary measure serving one
main goal: We want to be leading in everything we do.
With the rotation at divisional president level, ALTANA sent a signal
through its top management that it is willing to change. ALTANA stands
for innovation and flexibility. Change has always characterized the company's history and made a key contribution to its success.
4
Management
Products
75
Strengthening knowhow transfer and innovativeness
The rotation of the division presidents is also intended to lead to an increased willingness to change on other levels. The company’s ability to
change must be coupled with a willingness to change on the part of
every single employee, so that we can continue down our successful
path. “This realignment of the divisions' presidents will provide ALTANA
with new growth prospects and help further enhance the use of potential synergies,” said Dr. Matthias L. Wolfgruber, CEO of ALTANA, after the
announcement was made. “And we are firmly convinced that great
transparency with respect to personnel and ideas will strengthen the
knowhow transfer and ALTANA’s innovative ability.”
Safety
Environment
Human resources
Social responsibility
7
8
Sustainability Report 2012
Areas of responsibility passed on (clockwise from top left to right):
Dr. Wolfgang Schütt to Dr. Guido Forstbach, Dr. Guido Forstbach to
Dr. Roland Peter, Dr. Christoph Schlünken to Dr. Wolfgang Schütt,
Dr. Roland Peter to Dr. Christoph Schlünken.
What does the rotation mean in concrete terms? The former
division president of BYK, Dr. Roland Peter, became the president of ACTEGA, formerly headed by Dr. Guido Forstbach,
who in turn switched to ELANTAS. From ELANTAS, Dr. Wolfgang Schütt went to ECKART, while the latter’s previous
president, Dr. Christoph Schlünken, took over the leadership
of BYK. Changes in the responsibilities of managers have
long been commonplace, an important element of every organizational and managerial development. But it is unusual
for all of the presidents of a company’s divisions to swap
their posts at the same time.
Only those who change stay true to themselves
Keyword: rotation
(Job) rotation is usually a temporary, planned change of jobs to promote
the employee’s personal development and provide diversified training
and experience. The aim of this on-the-job training method (which was
introduced in the 1950s) is for everyone involved to gain new knowledge
and skills. The rotating employee passes on the knowledge he or she has
acquired to the new department, and, conversely the employees of the
new department pass their knowledge on to the person rotating.
In spite of all the changes taking place, ALTANA has retained
that which has proven itself – the decentralized positioning of
the divisions. It is this market-oriented structure, not least, that
has made us flexible enough to react quickly to changes. With
all of the transformations, which initially involve personnel
changes exclusively, we aim to preserve the continuity that is
needed in the field of specialty chemicals and that has made us
the global market leader in many areas.
Management
Products
Safety
Environment
Human resources
Social responsibility
Company
ALTANA develops, produces, and distributes high-quality innovative specialty chemical products for coatings manufacturers,
paint and plastics processors, for the printing and cosmetics industries, as well as for the electrical and electronics industry. The
globally active corporation is headquartered in Wesel, Germany.
ALTANA is composed of four business divisions: BYK Additives &
Instruments, ECKART Effect Pigments, ELANTAS Electrical Insulation, and ACTEGA Coatings & Sealants.
For ALTANA, innovation is the most important key to further
growth. With a disproportionately high share of research and development expenditure of around six percent of sales, ALTANA
ensures itself a technological edge and offers its clients unique
products and services. New developments are realized together
with clients and in proximity to them. More than 50 laboratory and research sites worldwide offer customers innovative
solutions in the fields of surface protection and surface refinement at their respective locations. More than every fifth
ALTANA employee worldwide works in research and application technology.
ALTANA has a dual management and supervisory structure. The
Management Board has two members, who are appointed by
the Supervisory Board for a term of five years. The Management
Board members manage the Group independently and are fully
committed to the interests of the company. Together with the
presidents of the divisions and selected heads of central functional areas, the Management Board forms the advisory Executive Management Team.
The Supervisory Board of ALTANA has twelve members, half of
whom are elected by German Group employees in accordance
with the German Codetermination Act. The other six members
are elected by the Annual General Meeting. The new Chairman
of the Supervisory Board is Dr. Klaus-Jürgen Schmieder, who
took over the post from Dr. Fritz Fröhlich. Supervisory Board
members serve terms of five years. The Supervisory Board monitors and advises the Management Board on its management
activities. With the exception of the Deputy Chairwoman of the
Supervisory Board, Susanne Klatten, and the employee representatives, all Supervisory Board members who are elected by
the Annual General Meeting, along with the Chairman of the
Supervisory Board, are independent. For more information on
the company, please visit www.altana.com.
Acquisitions and divestments
In May 2012, we acquired the casting resins business of the Italian Marbo Group, thus strengthening the electronic and engineering materials areas of ELANTAS. In December 2012, we
continued to expand BYK in the U.S., acquiring the wax additives business of Chemical Corporation of America (ChemCor).
The latter’s wax products are waterbased and thus support our
strategy of reducing VOC emissions. BYK-Cera products can be
manufactured at ChemChor's Chester site, reducing transports.
Moreover, ALTANA purchased a new technology for encapsulating enzymes to develop environmentally friendly additives.
As regards divestments, ECKART sold its pearlescent pigments
business for cosmetics based on natural mica to Sudarshan
Chemical Industries, India. The business includes all products under the brand names Prestige and Flonac-C produced by ECKART
in Pori, Finland. In the future, the products will be produced
based on synthetic mica, which will replace a raw material extracted in surface mining in India. The new raw materials will
significantly reduce water consumption in Pori. The sale affected
55 employees, whom we supported in their search for new jobs.
In addition, a social plan was drawn up. 15 employees were affected by the closing of our ACTEGA Colorchemie site in Bonn.
ELANTAS Deatech and ELANTAS Camattini merged. They
have operated under the name ELANTAS Italia since January
2012. Within the framework of the "Dolomiti" project, processes and methods were analyzed with the goal of optimizing workflows and making them leaner. At the same time,
SAP was implemented and the environmental management
system was certified (see Management section).
Management
With the help of the central function Corporate Environment,
Health & Safety (EH&S), ALTANA ensures that occupational safety,
environmental and health protection, as well as the key performance indicators and goals defined by the Executive Management, are achieved. The head of Corporate EH&S reports directly
to the Chief Executive Officer. Corporate Communications is in
charge of social responsibility matters (sponsoring, donations,
etc.), while the Human Resources department (HR) is responsible for other social issues. These functions also report directly
to the CEO.
9
10 Sustainability Report 2012
2012 sales: € 1,705 million
Employees: 5,363
BYK-Chemie GmbH
ECKART GmbH
ELANTAS GmbH
ACTEGA GmbH
BYK Asia Pacific
ECKART America
ELANTAS Beck
ACTEGA Artística
BYK-Cera
ECKART Asia
ELANTAS Beck India
ACTEGA Colorchemie
BYK Chemie de Mexico
ECKART Benelux
ACTEGA DS
BYK-Gardner
ECKART France
ELANTAS Isolantes Elétricos do Brasil
BYK Gardner USA
ECKART Italia
BYK Japan
ECKART Mexico
BYK Kometra
ECKART Pigments
BYK Solutions
ECKART Suisse
BYK Tongling
ECKART UK
BYK USA
ECKART Zhuhai
ELANTAS Italia
ELANTAS PDG
ELANTAS Tongling
ELANTAS Zhuhai
ACTEGA Foshan
ACTEGA Kelstar
ACTEGA Rhenacoat
ACTEGA Rhenania
ACTEGA Terra
ACTEGA WIT
48 operative companies with 42 production sites and more than 50 laboratories worldwide
Via the Supervisory Board, employee representatives and the
sole shareholder of ALTANA have the possibility of exerting
influence on the company’s sustainability management. The
shareholder also has this possibility via the annual general
meeting. The qualification of employees and committees at
ALTANA responsible for sustainability issues is ensured by
training programs, professional experience, seminars, and
conferences. Environmental and safety targets are among
the personal targets to be achieved by division presidents
and other executives at ALTANA. They are taken into account
in the determination of variable compensation components
each year.
The companies of the ALTANA Group record essential environmental impacts within the scope of their environmental
and energy management systems. These include resource
and water consumption as well as waste volumes, VOC and
CO2 emissions, minor chemical-specific emissions below the
applicable limit values in the wastewater at some locations,
transports of raw materials and finished products by rail,
ship, or truck, as well as impacts on biodiversity. Opportunities primarily arise from new pro­ducts which reduce environmental impacts in the supply chain.
ALTANA’s first energy management system (EMS) certified in
accordance with the international standard ISO 50001 was
set up at ECKART (see also page 13). The introduction was
supported by a so-called energy team consisting of experts
from the different departments headed by energy manager
Siegfried Kreuzer. Thanks to energy savings measures, the
CO2 emissions of the Güntersthal site were reduced by approximately 500 tons in 2012. Like ECKART, BYK also has an
energy manager, who in 2012 began implementing an energy
management system fulfilling the requirements for certification. This included participation in the pilot project “Modular
Energy Efficiency Model” of the Energy Agency NRW (the
service provider to the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia in all energy-related matters), which supports the
introduction of EMS. In the meantime, the implementation
has been completed.
Management
Products
Safety
Environment
Human resources
Social responsibility 11
Basic elements of ALTANA’s Compliance Management
System
•Monitoring
•Culture
•Goals
•Risks
The advantages of an EMS, apart from cutting energy costs
and reducing CO2 emissions, include the reimbursement of
ecotax and limited apportionment according to the German
Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG). Not least, it gives rise
to a competitive advantage, as clients pay attention to their
suppliers’ energy efficiency.
Compliance
ALTANA introduced a Compliance Management System (CMS)
in 2008. A manager was assigned to each area. These compliance managers, together with the Head of Internal Audit, form
a so-called Compliance Committee, chaired by ALTANA’s General Counsel, who in turn reports to the Chief Financial Officer.
The Compliance Committee deals at the ALTANA AG level with
various topics that are important for compliance.
Compliance-relevant topics at ALTANA
• Corruption and fraud
• Antitrust legislation
• Financial reporting
• Environment and safety
• Human resources (HR)
• Customs and foreign trade
• Data protection
• Information technology (IT)
•Tax
The compliance organization helps avoid conflicts of interest.
Internal audits are carried out to check whether the compliance guidelines have been adhered to. In 2012, the Compliance
Committee formulated targets for the company’s compliance
culture, risk assessment, and compliance program and improved
•Program
•Organization
•Communications
the system. With its CMS, ALTANA also covers the topics of
corruption, environment and safety, as well as discrimination,
child labor, and collective agreements.
Since 2002, a Code of Conduct has existed at ALTANA that
sets binding standards for the conduct of all managers and
employees groupwide. At the end of 2011 and beginning
of 2012, around 650 of the employees who have joined
ALTANA since 2010 in German- and English-speaking countries learned about the Code of Conduct and Compliance via
e-learning. Starting in August 2012, 450 Chinese colleagues
followed suit. The program is also planned for all employees
in Italy. Furthermore, 1,100 employees have received training
in antitrust matters through e-learning.
Additional training took place regarding the topic of corruption, e.g. during ELANTAS and ACTEGA management meetings. Issues such as active and passive corruption, granting of
undue advantages, fraud, and antitrust law were discussed.
Within the framework of ALTANA’s global procurement
training, 70 purchasers received training in compliancerelated matters. BYK Korea introduced annual compliance
control by the HR manager (internal) and auditors (external).
In addition to sensitizing employees, control is important.
Within the framework of internal auditing, matters such as
assigning contracts to third parties and commission agreements were audited. In 19 internal audits in 2012, some potential for improvement was identified, for which we took the
appropriate organizational measures. No cases of corruption
were registered via hotlines or other channels. In the periodical inquiry made in March /April 2012 in all companies, no
compliance violations in the form of discrimination and child
12 Sustainability Report 2012
Guiding Principles
labor were registered. According to the estimates of local HR
managers, adherence to legal and ALTANA specific rules and
regulations is ensured everywhere. In regular visits to all sites,
managerial staff also look into possible violations due to child
labor, among other things.
Female employees at the Wesel site have established an
ALTANA wide women’s network. By the end of 2012, possible goals and activities had been developed. The project is
being sponsored by the company. In the future, the women’s
network could deal with possible disadvantages encountered
by women.
ALTANA's Guiding Principles, introduced in 2011, describe what
the company stands for and – together with the Code of Conduct – provide orientation for responsible corporate action. To
anchor the “ALTANA Identity” in the minds of all staff members,
we held so-called Identity Workshops in 2011 and 2012. Among
other things, various aspects of our corporate culture were discussed. On the Intranet, the lively discussion has been taken up
in a section provided especially for this purpose and questions,
which are combined under specific subjects, are answered.
Here, questions such as “What is the precise importance of the
individual values and management guidelines?”, “How can the
Guiding Principles be lived out interculturally?”, and “How are
the Guiding Principles seen from the outside?” are asked.
Management
Products
Safety
Environment
Human resources
Social responsibility 13
Audits
All sites certified in accordance with ISO 140001 (environmental management system) and ISO 50001 (energy management system) are subject to annual internal and external
audits. Cross-audits, for which auditors from an ALTANA
company investigate other sites, supplement our high
standards. In 2012, ECKART’s energy management system
was certified for the first time according to ISO 50001 (see also
page 10). ECKART, which as a result is the first company
in the ALTANA Group to have a certified EMS, is the division
with the highest energy consumption. For this reason, we
have to deal with the resource energy in an especially sustainable way, in order to minimize the associated negative
effects on the environment and to cut costs. The new EMS
was incorporated in the existing integrated management
system, certified in accordance with ISO 9001, ISO 14001,
and OHSAS 18001. With the implementation, the processes of the environmental management system were also
adapted and modernized.
ELANTAS Italia set up an integrated management system for
quality, safety, and the environment (see also page 9). In
November 2012, an audit was performed at its three sites by
the Swiss Association for Quality and Management Systems
(SQS), which undertook the certification of the entire company with respect to the international standard ISO 900114001. By achieving this goal, the Ascoli Piceno and Quattordio sites, as well as Collechio, which has been certified for
some time, additionally managed to certify their environmental
management systems.
BYK in Wesel also has an integrated management system.
The first-time certification of the occupational health and
safety management system based on the OHSAS 18001
standard by the German Social Accident Insurance Institution for the Raw Materials and Chemical Industry (BG RCI),
was carried out in 2012. The auditors, who particularly
praised the commitment to risk assessment and the good
working climate, awarded BYK the “Systematic Safety” seal
of approval.
Certification of ACTEGA
Colorchemie
ACTEGA Colorchemie started 2012 with the successful certification of its environmental management and quality management system. The audit organization Dekra’s preparation
for the audits in compliance with ISO standards 14001 and
9001 at five sites had begun back in April 2011. As a first
measure, the Integrated Management Systems Working Group
was founded and Gerhard Kasper, the Head of Environment,
Health and Safety of the site in Neuhofen, Austria, was
appointed to lead the group. Kasper was assisted by an experienced external consultant. Thanks to the support of the
management representatives of the other four sites, Alicja
Dyrdowska and Monika Witkowska (Poland), Claudia Klampfl
(Germany), Eva Hiery and Bruno Dehnhardt (France), and
Richard Mayrhofer (Germany), work began after the size of
the project, the costs, and the timetable had been defined.
Until then, the individual sites had had different experiences
with management systems.
Stakeholders
To strengthen public trust in the safety of our plants and
products, ALTANA maintains close dialogue with neighbors,
local politicians and media, associations, investors, customers,
suppliers, authorities, and all other interest groups that
are directly or indirectly affected by our activities. This is
achieved in direct exchange, with our annual reports and
the annual sustainability reports, through participation in
association meetings, and open house activities held every
three years.
The essential stakeholders are determined on the basis of
many years of experience and the recognizable need for communication. But they are also defined based on knowledge
14 Sustainability Report 2012
ALTANA materiality matrix
Innovative and sustainable product solutions
Social commitment
Sustainable value creation for
company and society
Human rights
Biodiversity
Significance for our stakeholders
Sustainability in the supply chain
Climate protection in production
Resource efficiency/waste
Renewable resources
VOC reduction
Occupational safety
Health protection
Employer attractiveness
Staff development
Staff satisfaction
Significance for ALTANA
regarding expectations and concerns vis-à-vis the chemical
industry. In this report, we display the results of our continuous dialogue in a so-called materiality matrix (see graphic
above). It lists the most important sustainability topics and
their significance for ALTANA, on the one hand, and for our
stakeholders on the other. The same topics are the focal points
of this sustainability report. Although we deem all action
areas important, we focus particularly on the topics in the
right field of the matrix.
Memberships
protection, environmental protection, transport safety, and
open communication. In this context, all of ALTANA’s German
companies report to the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI). The VCI prepares its annual Responsible Care
report based on this data. Responsible Care covers part of
the Global Compact commitments. Therefore, ALTANA also
reports significant incidents according to the VCI definition,
this year related to working hours for the first time (see also
page 32). As a contribution to the reduction of land use and
biodiversity conservation, ALTANA supports the AAV NRW
(Association for Remediation Services for the state of North
Rhine-Westphalia).
ALTANA is a member of the United Nations’ Global Compact
program. We view this as a voluntary commitment to continual improvement in the areas of human rights, occupational standards, environmental protection, and anti-corruption. This sustainability report also serves as our Global
Compact progress report. In addition, ALTANA supports the
chemical industry’s Responsible Care initiative, a voluntary
commitment to continual improvement in the areas of
product stewardship, plant safety, work safety and health
ALTANA’s German companies are members of the VCI, of the
umbrella organization of the 17 European professional associations for coatings, printing inks, and artists’ colors (CEPE),
as well as the Association of the German Coatings Industry
(VdL). In addition, some of our affiliates are members of the
German Verband der Mineralfarbenindustrie (association of
producers of pigments, fillers, functional additives, food colorants and others, VdMi), the German Association of Plastic
Management
Products
Safety
Environment
Human resources
Social responsibility 15
Awards
Films (IVK), and TEGEWA (association representing manufacturers of textile, paper, leather, and fur auxiliaries and colorants, surfactants, complexing agents, antimicrobial agents,
polymeric flocculants, cosmetic base materials, pharmaceutical
excipients, and allied products).
Implementation of the Global Compact principles in the
ALTANA supply chain:
Measures in 2012
1. Communication of ALTANA’s commitment through the presentation of a Supplier Code of Conduct pertaining to visits to
suppliers and supplier audits (ongoing).
ALTANA’s treasury won the "Treasury of the Year 2012" award.
The team was presented the prize at the 8th Structured FINANCE
congress. The jury gave the award to the treasury for carrying
out different capital market transactions in parallel and introducing a treasury management system, a platform for derivatives trading, a deal confirmation platform, and a multi-cash
system in tandem.
During the China Composite Expo 2012 in Shanghai, BYK was
given the CCE JEC Innovation Award in the Raw Materials category
for the two additives BYK-P 9065 and BYK-P 9051. Thirty-two composite materials of 30 manufacturers were nominated for the prize.
2. Examination of adherence to principles during visits to suppliers
and supplier audits (ongoing). In 2012, 34 visits to suppliers and
supplier audits were made in India, China, Taiwan, Poland, Italy,
and the U.S.
3. Communication of the ALTANA Supplier Code of Conduct within
the framework of the ALTANA Corporate Procurement Intranet
site (ongoing).
4. Communication and voluntary commitment of ALTANA on the
websites of ALTANA’s purchasing network. The web pages have
been online since November 2011. In 2012, 118 suppliers contacted ALTANA via the respective pages and committed themselves to adhering to the Global Compact guidelines.
5. Training of all purchasing employees (Raw Materials, Technical
Purchasing, IT, and Logistics) regarding compliance taking special
account of the Global Compact principles.
6. Development of a risk management system for raw materials and
preliminary raw material sources of ALTANA subsidiaries. In the
evaluation, criteria for evaluating the institutional anchoring of
the adherence to human rights and of sustainability and anti-corruption measures were explicitly recorded.
Outlook for 2013
1. Continuation of the communication of ALTANA’s requirements
regarding cooperation with suppliers within the framework of
visits to suppliers and supplier audits.
2. Systematic increase in the number of suppliers who commit to
adhering to the Global Compact guidelines through ongoing measurement of supplier registrations on the procurement website.
3. Systematic analysis of the results of country risk evaluations including derivation of concrete measures.
For further information, please visit:
www.altana.com/company/global-purchasing-network.html
As the only company from North Rhine-Westphalia, BYK was
additionally awarded for its special commitment to students
in their transition phase between school and job. Under the
slogan “Mein Engagement macht Schule,” the Bundesarbeits­
gemeinschaft Schulewirtschaft (Germany's national working
group on schools and business) honored companies for their
exemplary cooperation with schools. BYK received the 3rd
prize in the Medium-sized Businesses category. In addition, the
BYK innovation team received the internal ALTANA Innovation
Award 2012 for high-performance wetting and dispersing
agents for surface coatings. Within the framework of the
ALTANA Innovation Conference, we have given awards to our
best product innovations, which boast outstanding technology
and are successful on the market, since 2009.
8
16 Sustainability Report 2012
700
42,070
6535
63
375
x 175
40,000
750,000
35
42,000,000,000
98375
11
mg
sealant
crown corks
t
= 10,000 less steel
Management
Products
Safety
Environment
Human resources
Social responsibility 17
A light closure saves a
weighty resource
Not consuming something is the most sustainable way to save it. For example, efficient use of materials in production makes an important contribution
to conserving natural resources and relieving the environment, as well as to
enhancing the profitability of production processes. According to the German
Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, expenditure for material in
Germany comprises by far the largest cost pool of the manufacturing and
processing industries, at around 40 percent. The situation is similar in other
countries.
Resource efficiency is one of the key issues in the worldwide sustainability debate. An example shows the impressive effect just a few tenths of
a millimeter of thin steel sheeting can have. The three closure manufacturers Pelliconi, Packaging Products del Perú, and Coleus produce crown
corks for SABMiller, the world’s second-largest brewery group. The
latter’s characteristic bottle tops are up to 0.07 millimeters thinner and
0.3 grams lighter than standard crown corks. The enormous potential for
conserving material and cutting costs is apparent alone from the number
of serrated bottle caps SABMiller needs each year for its bottles: 42 billion.
With the lighter crown corks, the British-South African company consumes about ten percent, or 10,000 tons, less steel. That is as much as
the volume of material used to build the new Wembley Stadium. The
equivalent value: almost € 10 million.
18 Sustainability Report 2012
No light crown corks without special sealant
This potential prompted other beverage companies to take
action. In the future, a few soft drink manufacturers intend
to use the light bottle tops too, and more will surely follow.
But the innovative step was not as easy as it sounds. Similar
to metal vacuum twist-off tops for jars, the thickness of the
metal of crown corks can only be reduced with the help of
special sealants. “The sealant has to take over some of the
properties of the metal,” says Wilfried Lassek, Managing Director of ACTEGA DS in Bremen. “This can only be achieved
with an extremely flexible and soft plastic.” ACTEGA is an
expert in meeting such special requirements. The sealant
SVELON 830 LG for lighter crown corks, which weighs only
175 milligrams, is comparable with PROVALIN. It also consists
of so-called thermoplastic elastomers, is free of PVCs and
plasticizers, and is delivered to closure manufacturers in
granulate form.
Today, ACTEGA DS sells sealant material in over 100 countries worldwide; more than every second crown cork used in
the U.S. is equipped with high-tech plastic from Bremen.
Every day, five to six truckloads of granulate are produced
which has to be melted down by the closure manufacturers
before processing. One truckload suffices for the bottles in
6,000 fully loaded beverage delivery vehicles. This success
story required close cooperation between all of the companies involved. “It took almost two years to develop the new
sealant. Without the excellent cooperation with the three
closure manufacturers and with SABMiller, this would have
been extremely difficult,” says Wilfried Lassek. “But as we
talk about new developments and possible cooperation
with nearly all of our clients during sales negotiations, we
are able to implement new ideas in concrete projects and
products.”
Management
Chemical products that have only slight effects on the environment and can be used safely have competitive advantages and hence good sales opportunities on the market. At
ALTANA and with our clients, such products make a key
contribution to corporate sustainability. Central issues of our
product responsibility are resource and energy efficiency,
emissions of volatile substances (VOCs), as well as the safety
and health of our clients and staff.
Products
Safety
Environment
Human resources
Social responsibility 19
The issue of recycling does not play a significant role at
ALTANA because as a rule our products cannot be recycled
or reprocessed, or only with difficulty. Therefore, we make an
effort to use raw materials optimally already during product
manufacturing, assisted by additives, for example, used to
make powder coatings and so-called high solid coatings,
whose primary aim, however, is to reduce VOC emissions.
Alternatives to fossil raw materials
Resource protection
Careful use of resources is becoming more and more important. On
the one hand, certain raw materials, such as crude oil, for example,
are not infinitely available. On the other hand, there is growing
wealth worldwide and with it a need for more resources. Most of the
raw materials required by ALTANA are based on crude oil. As this finite raw material is becoming more and more expensive, it is imperative that we act now.
Contributions to resource efficiency
• Recycling and reuse
• High level of conversion of raw materials into products
• Material efficiency
• Use of renewable raw materials
• Long-lasting products
Unnecessary losses of water are prevented by a new development of ELANTAS Italia which can be used to seal porous
water pipes. With Cured in Place Pipes (CIPPs), a hose impregnated with thermoplastic synthetic resin is fed under
pressure into the pipes, becoming the new inner wall. The
resin is molded and hardened using hot water or water vapor. An advancement of the product even shows the exact
degree of hardening through changing colors.
The use of renewable, biogenic raw materials makes an important contribution to climate protection. When crude oil based
products are burned at the end of their lifecycle, additional CO2
is emitted. Regenerative raw materials, on the other hand, are
almost climate neutral, as by far the largest share of the resulting CO2 emissions are in a natural cycle.
Around five percent of the raw materials used by ALTANA are
renewable. This is relatively little compared to the average in the
chemical industry (13 percent). But since we are not a primary
industry we only have access to regenerative resources offered
by suppliers. Nevertheless, our research and development deals
intensively with the potential of renewable raw materials. And
the issue of “Green Chemistry” was discussed in workshops at
the last two ALTANA Innovation Conferences. In addition, within
the framework of a so-called “Innovation Challenge” on the Intranet (ALTANA Innovation Portal), we asked our worldwide research community about their current state of knowledge:
• Which renewable raw materials do we use today?
• How can we increase this share?
• What kinds of renewable resources have potential for us or
should be analyzed in more depth?
• Where do we get these raw materials and who could be
our partners?
This initiative broadened our knowledge and generated
many ideas for the future that are being pursued further. In
principle, one can observe that when it comes to renewable
raw materials, the chemical industry faces the same problem
as energy suppliers do with so-called first-generation biofuels:
There is a need for more agricultural land; more fertilizer is
20 Sustainability Report 2012
Energy efficiency
used, which, moreover, emits climate-damaging nitrous oxide;
and the plants might be produced in competition with food.
In chemistry, however, there is the advantage that chemical
companies do not have to perform the energy-intensive synthesis, which has already been achieved by the plants, as is
the case with fossil raw materials.
Second-generation biogenic raw materials based on biowaste can be given a much more positive evaluation. While
there is also competition with recycling for energy purposes,
in our opinion optimum material utilization should be given
priority. Alternatively, the sun, wind, and water can be used
to generate energy. With material utilization, the CO2 remains
bound that is environmentally friendly, and thus for reasons
of climate protection a higher degree of recycling should
generally be striven for rather than thermal utilization.
Another raw material even surpasses the life cycle assessment of biogenic sustainable raw materials: water. Related to
the finished product, ALTANA currently uses ten percent water as solvent, and the proportion continues to increase.
While searching for alternative raw materials, ECKART discovered a mineral substrate that is coated with metal oxides (ilmenites) for the development of a synthetic pigment
with the visual properties of aluminum (metallic effect).
These pigments are not nearly as reactive as aluminum,
have high chemical resistance and are therefore ideal for
water-based coatings. But they are also suitable for other
applications in which aluminum is not desired, e.g. in cosmetics or when electromagnetic fields should not be shielded. At the beginning of 2012, ECKART brought the first
synthetic pearlescent pigment (SYMIC) onto the market.
More are to follow.
Much more efficient than coating paper or foils with metal is
the use of printing inks, which ACTEGA manufactures for diverse applications. This requires less material and reduces the
amount of waste.
Impregnated resins for modern electric motors, generators,
and transformers give the components mechanical stability,
protect against environmental influences, and improve the
heat transfer between individual components. These synthetic resins from ELANTAS Beck in Hamburg are in liquid
form and hardened by means of heating, with quickly curing resins preferred for shorter production times, saving
energy and increasing production output. ELANTAS Beck
achieved significantly improved curing through the use of
optimized systems.
For printing inks cured by means of UV radiation, UV lamps
are being used increasingly instead of mercury lamps. Usually, three to six mercury lamps are needed to cure the printing
ink and another top coat, whereas only one UV lamp is needed. But this requires an adaptation of the protective coating
and the printing ink. By changing its coating systems, ACTEGA
Kelstar was able to offer suitable products for this and contribute to considerable energy savings by refraining from using
mercury lamps.
Solvent reduction
A substantial proportion of emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) comes from the coatings sector. Due to degradation processes, these solvents lead to ground-level ozone
formation and thus contribute to so-called summer smog,
which can cause health problems. In addition, the emissions
are partially responsible for climate change.
VOC climate effect
Solvents consist of different hydrocarbons some of whose degradation products have significantly higher greenhouse gas
potential to change the climate than CO2. When 1 kg of VOCs
is burned, approximately 2.7 kg of CO2 are emitted.
Management
For many years, the coatings industry has worked continuously and successfully on various technologies to reduce
VOCs:
• Water-based coatings (water is used to replace organic
solvents)
• High solid coatings (with a reduced share of solvent)
• Powder coatings (without solvent, greater energy needs)
• UV-cured coatings
ALTANA, too, has long contributed to the development of
these technologies. At ACTEGA, for instance, the range of
water-based and UV-cured coatings is continually increased.
The TerraRich matt coating Magic Touch, for example, which
gives packaging materials a soft feel, can be used for every
printing machine with a coating unit. As a result, its areas
of application are more variable than those of the usual
UV-cured products. The TerraCross coating combines the
positive properties of water-based and UV-cured coatings,
namely extraordinary mechanical characteristics and flexibility. The limits of existing coating technologies for the
graphics industry have been surpassed by the new hybrid
technology from TerraCross. The coating is first dried by
means of hot air and then cured by UV radiation. Consequently, there are very good chances of improving the
production process and the printed articles. ECKART has
further developed aluminum pigments for water-based
coatings and in the process varied the composition and
amount of grinding and stabilizing additives, improving the
adhesion and stabilization of the coating.
Products
Safety
Environment
Human resources
Social responsibility 21
BYK is producing new additives for water, powder, high solid,
and UV coatings, and thus promoting the development of
emission-reduced coating systems. The basis of a group of new
wetting and dispersing additives, including BYKJET-9151,
consists entirely of a so-called active substance containing no
solvent. Another new additive is an emission-free wetting
and dispersing agent that has very good storage stability,
contains no solvent or other volatile components, and meets
the stringent requirements of the health evaluation of VOC
emissions from building products (AgBB) as well as French
VOC standards.
Other newly developed additives for water-based coating
systems improve the adhesion of metals and glass, and on
the basis of a special wax mix technology ensure high scratch
resistance as well as good sliding properties on surfaces, or
are responsible for improved air release of powder coatings
on porous substrates. Additionally, we offer emission- and
silicone-free defoamers that can be used for coatings containing solvents as well as for solvent-free, high solid, and
UV-cured systems.
Radiation curable systems are used increasingly with wood
and industrial coatings. They are impressive mainly due to
their flexibility, adhesion, and hardness as well as fast curing.
These advantages coupled with the absence of solvents are
creating strong demand, also for the right additives. BYK
has developed a number of new additives that can be used
in different coating systems with different cleanability and
anti-slip properties.
22 Sustainability Report 2012
Safety and health
A company has particularly great responsibility when its products come into contact with foods. ACTEGA manufactures
a number of coatings, pigments, and sealants for container
closures and for use in or on food packaging. The sealant
PROVALIN, which ACTEGA developed over a period of five
years, for glass jar lids is free of PVC and so-called plasticizers
(phthalates). The sealant is based on thermoplastic elastomers,
among other things, and is now also sold as PROVAMED for
medical-technology and pharmaceutical applications as well
as for the cosmetics industry. With PROVALIN, a big step has
been taken towards food safety.
ECKART has brought the first sheet-fed offset metallic ink
series with low migration and sensory neutral properties onto
the market: the METALSTAR FPG 11 series. It is suitable for
use on premium food packaging. The formulation of the
metallic paint, produced under the conditions of Good
Manufacturing Practice, a guideline for quality assurance of
production processes and environments, is based on carefully
selected raw materials monitored using cutting-edge analytical methods. In 2012, ACTEGA Rhenania presented pigmented coatings for direct contact with food, PVC-free
sealing waxes for aluminum and plastic foils, laminating
adhesives and coating systems free of synthetic resin, as well
as coatings for twist-off bottle caps without bisphenol A,
a substance currently being discussed as possibly having
hormone-like effects.
Due to the huge responsibility it carries in the food packaging
segment, ALTANA founded the EHS working group Food
Contact, which discusses, for example, legal framework conditions. Current topics include the new European plastics
regulation (EU) 10/2011 ("PIM"), the draft of a German
printing ink ordinance, and the ban on bisphenol A which
has already been implemented or planned in some countries.
The EU regulation on chemicals, REACH, sees products
containing chromium (VI) as being a health concern (see
also page 23). This affects the manufacture of sheet metal,
electrolytic chromium coated steel (ECCS), and aluminum.
ACTEGA Rhenania is therefore already adapting to requirements today that we could face in the future. We develop
and test coating systems for different applications on the
three alternatively pre-treated metals. In cooperation with
a sheet-metal manufacturer, excellent results have been
achieved with such systems.
We try to replace substances assessed as being critical in
terms of their toxicity or ecotoxicity. The number of such
substances, which include e.g. the solvent N-Methyl-2Pyrrolidon (NMP), has increased due to more extensive investigation under REACH. NMP was classified as being toxic to
reproduction and fertility and put on the list of substances
that are to be subject to the REACH authorization regime.
Since around 1984, ACTEGA had used NMP as a solvent for
the interior finish of spray cans. Together with ELANTAS, a
coating devoid of NMP has been developed that contains
ELANTAS resin systems based on other binding agents. The
first compatibility tests were positive.
At ELANTAS Beck in Hamburg, a safe alternative was developed for organic peroxides used in certain polymerizations.
Usage of these readily decomposing substances is very risky
and subject to strict regulations. Larger trial quantities of
the alternative substance are currently being manufactured
in a new testing facility.
Management
Products
Safety
Environment
Human resources
Social responsibility 23
Guidelines
ALTANA follows discussions about legal changes primarily by
working in associations in the countries in which we are active. When legislative procedures affect us strongly, we evaluate the consequences and where appropriate take part in
political discussions.
ALTANA’s contributions to political discourse
• Bring our own position into that of associations
• Participation in Internet consultations, e.g. in the EU
• Direct talks with politicians
Regulations and legislative procedures relevant for
ALTANA
• REACH review (EU)
• Global Product Strategy as a voluntary commitment
(International Council of Chemical Associations)
• Globally Harmonized System (UN)
• Definition and regulation of nanomaterial in the EU
• Reform of the U.S. Chemicals Act TSCA
Safe handling of chemicals
In 2012, the legally prescribed evaluation of REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals) began in the European Union. ALTANA took a stance on
REACH via the German Chemical Industry Association. In our
opinion, the legislation should remain as unchanged as possible in order to use and strengthen processes already established in the companies. We particularly welcome the current
regulations on polymers, which are exempt from registration
as soon as their individual components (monomers) are registered. When monomers are converted into polymers, their
potential to cause harm is reduced.
However, we believe that communication in the form of
several hundred-page-long safety data sheets, particularly
for mixtures, has become unnecessarily elaborate. The data
sheets have to be reworked often and thus bind personnel
resources. In addition, the benefits of the comprehensive
material for subsequent users (so-called downstream users)
are very questionable. Translation of the sheets into the many
EU languages is also tedious. The Reach review probably
began too early to recognize this problem.
In 2012, ALTANA prepared the registration of eleven substances to meet the deadline in 2013. We would like to
publish information on safe handling of these substances on
the Internet, based on the guidelines of the voluntary commitment Global Product Strategy (GPS) of the International
Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA), which we support.
However, this is not possible with additives for reasons of
confidentiality, because ALTANA manufactures an “effect”
and not a specific chemical substance. The chemical associations have not found a solution for this special case yet.
The Globally Harmonized System (GHS) is an effort on the
part of the United Nations to develop uniform guidelines
for classification and transport of chemical substances. GHS
is being legally anchored in more and more countries.
The companies in the EU have already implemented the
guidelines or will do so before the deadline. In 2012, in the
U.S., too, a law went into effect based on GHS guidelines.
ALTANA’s U.S. plants will together push forward the implementation in 2013.
24 Sustainability Report 2012
NANOBYK: More UV protection and less abrasion
According to the “Precautionary Strategy for Nanomaterials,” a study conducted by
the German Advisory Council on the Environment, it is hard to find examples of the
use of nanomaterials that solve environmental problems in reality. But NANOBYK
products are a very real example of such solutions, as they contribute, for instance,
to resource efficiency due to the long life of products – a specialty of chemistry. For
example, coatings, with their corrosion protection, increase the durability of cars,
bridges, and wind turbines. Additives increase the life of coatings and thus save
an enormous amount of resources in the long run. NANOBYK additives make a substantial contribution to enhancing the durability of coatings. They improve their
UV protection and scratch resistance.
Coatings weather due to outer influences such as UV radiation, cold, heat, moisture,
and mechanical factors, which lead to scratches and abrasion. Today, BYK offers
eight nano additives on the basis of cerium dioxide and zinc oxide, which act as UV
absorbers without being depleted by the rays. They convert UV light into harmless
oscillations and heat. For safe handling of the nanotechnology, coatings manufacturers receive so-called highly filled dispersions so that they do not have to work with
nanoparticles in powder form. When used properly, there is no danger that the tiny
particles will be inhaled. And not much of them is needed. Even with a very small
percentage of nanoparticles (0.5 to 2 percent, related to the solid content of the
coating), the additives provide outstanding UV protection. A higher concentration of
the alternative microparticles is needed, though.
Furthermore, BYK markets ten additives that improve the scratch and abrasion
resistance of coatings and thus their durability. Scratches such as those found
on cars, wooden floors, or furniture not only impair the appearance, but also the
surface protection provided by the coating. As harder coatings offer more protection, the surface of silicon dioxide nanoparticles has a so-called acrylic functionality.
During hardening the cross-linking density of the molecules is increased, which
means less abrasion and improved scratch resistance. The same can be achieved
with nano additives, which offer e.g. optimum surface protection when a surface
is scratched by returning immediately to their initial state (reflow) and closing the
scratch. This outcome is attained with two seemingly contradictory properties:
hardness and elasticity. The silicon nanoparticles are distributed evenly in the coating
and thus act as a shock absorber.
NANOBYK products can be assessed as being safe, because during manufacture they
remain in a closed unit, existing as dispersions for further processing. The material is
later firmly embedded in a coating matrix, and so consumers and the environment
cannot come into contact with free nanoparticles.
Fewer scratches on coatings: Nano-based BYK
additives improve scratch resistance.
Management
Products
Safety
Environment
Human resources
Social responsibility 25
Volume distribution
The entire volume distribution of the pigment sample in the picture is
64d³ + 64d³ + 64d³ = 192d³
64 cubes with
side length d
Nanotechnology
For quite a while, there have been debates worldwide about the legal regulation of nanomaterials.
We share the view of the chemical associations
that REACH sufficiently regulates nanomaterials,
but believe it would make sense to make further
clarifications in the course of evaluation. It is important that concerns about possible risks of this
promising technology be adequately addressed
in legal regulations. A continual point of criticism
in public discussions is that nanotechnology has
not lived up to expectations thus far. For this reason, we have brought the positive effects of our
NANOBYK products, including their environmental
merits, into the debate.
The European Union’s definition of nanoparticles,
explained below, is subject to criticism. The suggestion provides for a particle size distribution
based on number rather than volume. Normally,
volumes or mass distributions are measured.
The difference is considerable and can be understood based on the example provided on the right.
It may reasonably be doubted whether the EU
definition makes sense. So far, no suggestion has
been made for a suitable measuring method. And
the definition may not even be able to be implemented for measurements. Should a measurement
be possible, then it is to be feared that nearly all
powdery substances can be seen as nanomaterial.
A component of the EU’s definition is the limit
for the specific surface. This is easy to measure and
appropriate and would be completely sufficient as
a definition.
We are also closely observing the reform of the
American Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA),
which has been part of the political debate for
some time now. If necessary, we would bring our
experiences with REACH into this discussion.
8 cubes with side length 2d
Volume 64d3
1 cube with
side length 4d
Volume 8 x (2d)3 = 64d3
Volume 1 x (4d)3 = 64d3
This leads to the following percentages of volume distribution:
Small particles: 33 %
Medium-sized particles: 33 %
Large particles: 33 %
This can be depicted in the following histogram:
33 %
33 %
33 %
d
2d
4d
Number distribution
The total number of parts in the pigment sample is: 64 + 8 + 1 = 73
This leads to the following percentages in the total number distribution of
all particles:
Small particles: 88 %
Medium-sized particles: 11 %
Large particles: 1 %
This results in the following histogram:
88 %
11 %
1 %
d
2d
4d
This example shows that the same initial conditions can lead to completely different results. Naturally, this would also apply e.g. to a realistic
powder sample containing very small particles: A relatively small percentage of small particles (1/3) of the total volume and thus the total amount
will lead to a very high percentage in the number distribution.
26 Sustainability Report 2012
Safety pays off
The development of cities never ceases. Many commercial and
industrial areas which were a good distance away from residential areas when they were established are sooner or later
“caught up with” by growing settlement. Things were no different with today’s ACTEGA Rhenacoat site in Sedan, France.
But back then there were no special safety regulations for
residents or the environment.
When ACTEGA acquired the paintings and coatings factory
from the former owner in 2001, the modernization began.
This included not only the implementation of ALTANA standards, but also new regulatory requirements. An accident in
a fertilizer factory in Toulouse led starting in 2002 to more
stringent regulations for resident and environmental protection in France. Fire protection was a special priority.
“We had to reduce the amount of combustible substances
on our factory grounds immediately,” says Thierry Tabeaud,
Managing Director of ACTEGA Rhenacoat. The company has
specialized in coatings systems for metal packaging since
2004. “Due to the regulations we were leasing an external
warehouse,” adds Tabeaud. “Every day, a truck shuttle drove
the raw material 125 kilometers to our factory.” By 2011,
the annual costs for this safety measure had risen to € 260,000.
In addition, there were the exhaust fumes and about 30 tons
of CO2 a year from the many transport drives.
Safety
Environment
Human resources
Social responsibility 27
98375
10
Products
years
1
Management
+2,200,000 €
domino effects
40,000
375
750,000
2,070
535
63
Rotation
700
35
=0
28 Sustainability Report 2012
Opening of ACTEGA Rhenacoat’s plant extension for greater
soil and fire protection.
The same safety standards with lower costs
In 2005, the management presented a construction plan to
the authorities for a new warehouse, an extinguishing water
catch basin, and a new tank farm for synthetic resin. Everything was supposed to be built on the factory grounds and the
residents were to be protected with fire protection walls. Also, a
hazard study was presented. But the construction work for the
new warehouse, which began in July 2005, was stopped after a
little over a year. “The costs for the first concept would have
been too high,” says Thierry Tabeaud. “We needed a new solution that guaranteed the same amount of safety for residents and
that adhered to environmental protection requirements, but cost
less.“ In mid-2010, the authorities granted approval of the new
warehouse concept. In addition, the old tanks were replaced as
they were not compatible with the new safety system. Moreover,
two of the old tanks had leaks. So € 300,000 were spent to
clean all of the soil and € 400,000 to replace the tanks.
The new solution now meets all requirements. The new buildings were distributed over a total area of 2,500 m2 on several
plots separated from one another, to prevent a domino effect
from occurring in the case of fire, as the fire cannot spread to
another area. There is 800 m2 of space in the warehouse for
1,300 tons of raw materials and end products which is covered
completely by a roof. The extinguishing water capacity was
increased from 90 m3 to 120 m3 and the covered catch basin
offers sufficient volume (760 m3) to contain the extinguishing
water. Furthermore, there is an emergency control center in a
protected place. The entire project, which was completed in
mid-2012, cost € 2.2 million.
The new warehouse complex, which meets all of the demands of the French environmental authority DREAL and
will be certified at the end of 2013 to ISO 14001, enables
ACTEGA Rhenacoat not only to serve the market even more
efficiently and to secure profitable growth, but also means
much greater safety for residents. On top of that, daily transports are no longer needed, reducing the environmental
burdens from CO2 and noise.
Management
Products
Safety
Environment
Human resources
Social responsibility 29
Occupational safety
“Safety on the job” is a measure that was initiated to improve
ALTANA’s occupational safety. The project was launched in
2011 within the framework of the Management Development Program (MDP). The project team, with members from
Germany, China, and the U.S., sought out best practice examples internally and externally, as well as the most successful methods and systems. To this end, a questionnaire, among
other things, was developed and distributed to the managers
responsible for Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) in order
to find best practice examples. The questionnaire included
questions about management and leadership, about jobs,
training programs, and safe handling of hazards and hazardous substances.
results are discussed at the annual EH&S meeting. The second
method provides for an evaluation of a factory’s operational
safety culture by external experts. For this purpose, employees, superiors (foremen, and so on) and the management are
surveyed (see information box). The advantages: More topics
are covered, the survey is more objective, and it provides
important results due to a direct comparison of the different
hierarchy levels.
Content of the survey on safety culture
• Significance / value of safety
• Quality of daily management and leadership
• Quality of risk management
Self-evaluation method
• Information and communication
Management and leadership and staff participation
Safety and health
training
80
78
76
74
72
70
68
66
64
62
60
• Development of safe conduct
• Development of safety competence
Workplace analysis
Danger prevention and control
The goal was to develop a globally implementable tool that,
among other things, takes into account the cultural particularities of the different regions. To achieve this aim, interviews
were conducted in Europe, China and the U.S. In the end,
two methods were selected that were tested in pilot projects
at several sites on three continents. As of 2013, all ALTANA
companies are required to conduct annual self-assessments.
The Group's EH&S department coordinates the survey, whose
ECKART launched a comparable safety culture project involving external evaluations. In this project, too, safety-relevant
organization and the regulations were examined; interviews
were conducted with the management, department heads,
and employees; and questions were asked about safety policy, management and leadership, and the use of classic tools
such as training programs, inspections, causal analysis, and
risk evaluations. The results show that ECKART is on the right
track, but there is considerable room for improvement, e.g.
regarding correct behavior, which is influenced significantly
by the managers.
Less exposure to chemicals
ALTANA has introduced manifold technical measures to decrease employees’ contact with chemicals, e.g. with closed
metering systems for solvents. In 2012, the company invested
30 Sustainability Report 2012
in new tanks at ELANTAS in Hamburg, in Ankleshwar, India,
in Zhuhai, China, and at ACTEGA in Sedan, France. And
to protect employees of ACTEGA Rhenania from dust from
nanomaterial, a closed production facility was built.
In open facilities, the air quality at the workplace is measured, for example, to gauge the amount of nano dust at
ECKART. Whether this material is actually a nanomaterial
depends on the definition and measuring methods. As the
European Union has not made a definitive decision on this
matter yet, it cannot be assessed conclusively. Only one dimension of the ECKART pigments in question is in the nano
range. As a result, it cannot be concluded that there will be
a migration through biological membranes, e.g. the skin,
and the toxicological risks can be assessed as low.
Measurement of nanoparticles
The following methods were used for the complex
measurement of nanoparticles:
• Condensation particle counter (CPC)
• Scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS)
• Welas optical particle counter (scattered light
measurement)
• Scanning electron microscopy
Measurements using four different methods (see information
box) were carried out at ECKART at nine different places in
production and in the laboratory. In such measurements, the
fact that nanoparticles naturally exist in air is taken into account. To achieve valid evaluations, the natural proportion of
nanoparticles is measured first. The values lie between 10,000
and 20,000 nanoparticles (P) per cm³ of air. A significant
increase at the workplaces could not be observed. By comparison, the nanoparticle pollution in road traffic is approximately
40,000 P/cm³ and in a smoking room as high as 100,000 P/cm³.
Similar measurements were performed at BYK in the lab,
where work with nanomaterial is done in so-called fume
hoods, in an effort to limit exposure to nanoparticles in the
laboratory’s air. According to the measurements, the background concentration in the lab tested is comparably low.
The main reason for this is probably the high air exchange
rate with filtered air. But even with a significant increase in
particles in the room air (highest measured value: 1,400 P/
cm³), the base level of particle concentration was achieved
in just a few minutes due to the high air exchange rate and
the suction power of the fume hoods.
Using more harmless substances
Wherever possible, we refrain from using hazardous substances or replace them with less dangerous ones. Examples
are the sealants PROVALIN and PROVAMED (see also page 22),
which do not need plasticizers. Consequently, a hazardous
substance has been eliminated at our production sites and
our clients no longer have cause for concern when using our
substances for their applications.
We also seek to replace organic solvents, most of which are
highly flammable and detrimental to health, with alternative
substances such as water. This aim is primarily driven by the
desire to reduce ozone pollution or so-called summer smog.
Among the causes are volatile organic compounds (VOCs),
emitted, for example, from coatings containing solvents.
In 2012, ACTEGA produced around 117,000 tons of coatings containing approximately 37,000 tons of water as a
replacement for solvent. ALTANA plans to replace even more
solvent with water in the future.
Management
Products
Safety
Environment
Human resources
Social responsibility 31
E-learning enables individualized learning
Training and education are important ways to improve safety,
as only through such measures can employees learn and
internalize appropriate safety-relevant modes of behavior.
Theoretical procedural guidelines alone are not sufficient.
E-learning has already proven successful in compliance training (see also page 11). A big advantage of learning on the
computer is the flexibility, as each participant can study individually, based on the time available to them and their learning speed. In addition, several employees do not have to
take off work at the same time, which can lead to problems,
e.g. in production. Another benefit of e-learning is that the
person studying keeps on taking the concluding test until he
or she has understood all of the subject matter. ELANTAS
Beck in Hamburg has used e-learning since 2012 for safety
briefings. If the results are positive, this will surely become a
best practice example for other ALTANA companies.
Also in 2012, ELANTAS Beck introduced the Behavior Based
Safety (BBS) program to improve occupational safety. In BBS,
qualified employees observe the behavior of their colleagues
with an eye to safety and immediately give them positive
or negative feedback. The results are statistically evaluated,
thus showing where action needs to be taken. ACTEGA
Rhenania has made great progress in occupational safety
with BBS and other measures, including closer scrutiny of
safe behavior by foremen. The excellent result: 22 accidentfree months.
The target is zero
ELANTAS Beck India also has a positive safety record. This is
due not least to the annual National Safety Day, in which
many of the plant’s employees take part. Under the motto
“zero accidents,” fire drills, a safety quiz, and written competitions are organized, and information stands inform the
workforce about how to avoid accidents at their workplace.
In 2012, ECKART organized safety days under the motto “no risk
allowed.” The employees in Güntersthal had the opportunity to
visit a mobile exhibition mounted by the German Employers'
Liability Insurance Association for Raw Materials and Chemical
Industry (BG RCI) devoted to safe driving and minimizing
transport risks. They received information about how to recognize and deal with dangers, what constitutes good safety
training, vision and visibility, and corresponding best practice
examples. In addition, employees were advised about what
kind of safety boots and goggles to wear, as well as about
respiratory and hearing protection. Explosion protection training will be offered next.
Technical occupational safety
ALTANA also applies on technical measures to minimize incidents
causing damage and their consequences. For example, ELANTAS
Beck uses an infrared camera to detect possible weaknesses in
the electricity grid that could lead to overheating. ELANTAS Beck
India built a new firewater basin with a volume of 25,000 m³
that contains a unit for dispensing fire-extinguishing foam.
At ELANTAS PDG, a CO2 extinguisher in an existing production plant that poses risks to people was replaced by a waterbased sprinkler system including a catch basin. Furthermore, fall protection when employees climb onto tankers
was improved. ACTEGA DS installed a blasting cubicle for safe
cleaning of extruder screws and began operating a new testing facility with explosion protection that is significantly safer
than the previous system. At ACTEGA Rhenania, steel platforms were reinforced to improve earthquake protection and
32 Sustainability Report 2012
Number of incidents according to process safety incident (PSI)
for 2010 / 2011/ 2012 related to one million working hours
0.72
0.50
2010
0.46
2011
2012
Number of incidents in absolute terms for 2010 / 2011/ 2012 differentiated according to fire and release of chemicals
2
2
2
2010
footpaths were labeled to protect pedestrians from forklift
traffic. ACTEGA Foshan erected a new pumping station for its
tank farm at a suitable distance from the tanks.
4
2011
2
2
2012
Release of chemicals
Fire
Damage incidents
Incidents such as fires, explosions, and release of chemicals
can affect the company and its neighbors. For this reason,
ALTANA records all incidents worldwide it considers significant and reports on them. As to the definition, we follow
the guidelines of the VCI:
1.In the ACTEGA DS plant in Bremen, there was a fire with
smoke formation in a control cabinet. Three affected employees were observed for one day in the hospital. There
were no consequences for their health. All of the old
control cabinets were replaced by new ones.
Number of incidents categorized as a “process safety incident”
(PSI):
Release of substances or energy if one or more criteria are fulfilled:
• Injuries leading to a hospital stay (≥ 24 hours) or lost
works days of employees or third parties
• Damages > € 25,000
• Exceeding 5, 100 or 2,000 kg depending on the GHS
classification regarding release of substances
2. At BYK USA in Wallingford, 200 liters of liquid were released due to foaming, but the liquid was caught in containers provided for this purpose. No harm was done to
people or the environment.
Number of PSIs related to working hours:
The number of incidents is related to one million working
hours based on VCI guidelines.
After six incidents in 2011, ALTANA recorded four cases in 2012:
3.There was a deflagration at the ELANTAS PDG site in
St. Louis. Regrettably, one employee suffered severe burns.
As a consequence of this accident, technical changes were
made to avoid such accidents in the future.
4.At ECKART in Güntersthal, 400 liters of liquid spilled out
due to a leaky filter. But thanks to constructional installations, all of the material was caught. To avoid renewed
leakage, technical changes were made to the filter.
Management
Safety
Products
Environment
Human resources
Social responsibility 33
Occupational safety success rate targets for 2012
We did not reach our targets for Work Accident Indicators WAI 1 and 2, but almost reached WAI 3.
WAI 1
WAI 2
14.92
2006
2007
12.26
2008
11.68
2007
8.00
2008
7.52
2009
2010
7.73
2010
2011
7.43
2012
7.29
Target for 2012: 4
Achieved in 2006-2012: - 51.14 %
10.33
2006
8.15
2009
WAI 3
5.57
6.23
158.81
2008
103.62
2009
98.56
2010
2011
2011
2012
4.67
2012
Achieved in 2006-2012: - 54.79 %
176.29
2007
4.92
Target for 2012: 2,8
185.68
2006
68.83
76.25
Target for 2012: 65
Achieved in 2006-2012: - 54.79 %
Fewer incidents due to “safety on the job”
We generally assume that the MDP “safety on the job” project
will make a considerable contribution to reducing incidents
(see also page 29). While our principle is “every incident can be
avoided,” we cannot rule them out completely. Thus, a professional approach to each incident is all the more important to keep
consequential damage to a minimum. For example, BYK and external accident experts developed a crisis management system
(CMS) that is being introduced in 2013. The new CMS supplements the existing preventive safety measures of the emergency
response planning. In addition, it provides detailed information
about what should be done in the case of an incident.
potential for improvement were analyzed with experts from
the Düsseldorf district government and the regulatory agency
of the district of Viersen. Another fire drill was performed at
ACTEGA Rhenania in Grevenbroich to test alarm and communications plans under real conditions. A total of 120 firemen and
rescue workers trained on the company grounds. Seventy-five
percent of the workforce volunteered to take part in the drill.
Since 2006, we have measured the occupational safety success rate at ALTANA based on uniform and binding international indicators:
• WAI 1 (Work Accident Indicator): Number of occupational
accidents with one or more days of lost work time per
million working hours
• WAI 2: Number of occupational accidents with more than
three days of lost work time per million working hours
• WAI 3: Number of lost work days due to occupational
accidents per million working hours
As the graphic at the top shows, we improved all of the indicators significantly from 2006 to 2012.
In addition to crisis management, fire drills are very important
at ALTANA. At BYK in Kempen, a drill was carried out involving
a leaking tanker carrying chemicals. The goal of the exercise
was to help BYK employees prevent the danger from spreading. A total of 75 firemen and 14 vehicles were deployed. After
the drill was completed, the course of the incident and the
Based on statistics compiled by the German Employers’ Liability
Insurance Association, the chemical industry in Germany is one
of the safest sectors. The average WAI 2 for 2011 according to
the association was 9.5 (at ALTANA, by comparison: 4.7). In
2012, as in the two previous years, there were no fatal occupational accidents at ALTANA.
Nor did we have any work-related illnesses acknowledged
by the Employers’ Liability Insurance Association as so-called
occupational illnesses in 2012.
34 Sustainability Report 2012
Health protection
In 2008, ALTANA signed the European Union’s Luxembourg
Declaration and since then has promoted health protection.
On the one hand, this is a clear sign of our appreciation of our
employees. On the other, the greater efficiency of healthy
employees benefits our company.
Lost work time due to illness is much higher than lost work time
due to occupational accidents. The ALTANA Group seeks to
heighten the wellbeing and availability of its staff in so far as
possible. To understand the effect of the activities carried out to
achieve this aim, the company’s executive management decided
to record illness at all ALTANA companies as a key performance
indicator. The result is reported to the Management Board.
Sports offers at ELANTAS Beck
• Rowing course
• Soccer group
• Tennis group
• Participation in the Hamburg rackleton tournament
consisting of table tennis, badminton, squash, and tennis
competitions
• Participation of three ELANTAS teams in the Hamburg
MOPO Relay Race
• Fitness room with cross trainers, bicycle ergometers, wall bars,
punching bags, dumbbells, expanders, and gymnastic mats
• Massage offers
• Vital Compact back training course
600,000 steps from Hamburg to Wesel
ALTANA’s health-related activities continue to focus on ergonomics, sports, and nutrition, as well as mental health. In the
different companies, there are many offers and great support
for sports activities. To motivate people to exercise who otherwise do not do sports, there are different ideas for sports competitions in our company. One of them was the virtual walking
competition “From Hamburg to Wesel” organized by ELANTAS
Beck in Hamburg. The competition was virtual because the
destination was not really Wesel, but rather employees were
supposed to take 10,000 steps a day – at home, at their workplace, and during their free time – for 60 days. All participants
were given a pedometer and could follow their virtual routes
on an online map. For the target of 600,000 steps, the employees could even convert other sports activities into steps.
The fastest group covered twice the distance in the time allotted – from Hamburg to Wesel and back, you could say.
At ACTEGA DS, 23 employees including managers took
part in the “PROVALIN Triathlon.” The disciplines of the
triathlon, which is actually called the Silberseetriathlon, were
a 500-meter swimming competition, followed by a 20-kilometer bicycle race, and finally a 5-kilometer run. Those who
took part received support from the management, which
strongly advocated participation, and from colleagues from
ELANTAS. On the whole, the employees of the ALTANA companies did very well, finishing in 1st, 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 7th
place in the company relay race. Needless to say, ALTANA
plans to participate again in 2013. In 2012, BYK employees
also had the opportunity to take part in various internal and
external sports events and courses, such as the Lichterlauf
race, the Additives Cup, a running group, and a dragon boat
race on Auesee Lake in Wesel.
Fighting mental overload
Mental health is another issue addressed at ALTANA. Psychological disorders are now the second most common employee illness. Mental overload and addictions of all kinds need
to be dealt with sensitively and require a special trusting
relationship between the management, the works council,
and staff. At ALTANA and BYK in Wesel, every employee has
since 2011 been entitled to five anonymous psychological
consultations a year free of charge. If patients need longerterm therapy, they are referred to cooperating counseling
services. In addition, various relaxation programs have proven
to be very effective.
Management
Psychological counseling in demand
In 2012, 40 colleagues made use of the psychological counseling offer in 148 consultations. The total cost was approximately
€ 40,000. Seven staff members are currently in therapy.
Products
Safety
Environment
Human resources
Social responsibility 35
of employees who actually attend the courses, and so the
conditions for participation were changed. Moreover, in the
future the health examination for employees at BYK will be
considerably more extensive than the required checkups.
The costs are expected to be partially covered by the health
insurance companies. The health examination could serve
as a best practice example for other ALTANA companies.
BYK also has a work group called Addiction & Psychological
Burdens. Volunteer helpers from different departments who
can be reached by phone or e-mail at any time view themselves primarily as listeners and mediators for clarifying sensitive issues. Respectful treatment of the colleagues in question
and their respective problem is a matter of course. BYK-Gardner
also offers psycho-social consultations, which have been very
well received by employees thus far. The talks take place
in an external psychologist’s office, guaranteeing anonymity.
At ELANTAS Italia, a special questionnaire for determining
whether employees are suffering from psychological stress
was used for the first time.
In November 2012, a workshop was held on best practice examples at all German sites, enabling participants
to exchange ideas about different health measures. Mental
health was a focal point here too. A first step towards an
analysis has already been taken, with a survey on employee
satisfaction. In it, questions are asked about mental overload
and underload, and about cooperation with superiors and
colleagues. In addition, employees always have the opportunity to talk about special burdens at the mandatory annual
Compass Dialogue. ALTANA will examine whether BYK's
counseling model can also be offered at its other locations.
Numerous courses devoted to health
BYK in Wesel now offers many courses designed to help employees remain healthy, ranging from sports and consulting
to courses that help people quit smoking. Normally, however, the number of registrations is higher than the number
Nearly all of the sites now organize their own health days focusing on health club visits, cycling, health circles, and yoga.
Between 50 and 70 percent of the company’s staff take part.
At one site, the share of employees participating increased
from 30 to 70 percent thanks to the commitment of the works
council. In addition to participating in health days, employees
in Pune, India, devoted themselves to a special campaign against
chewing tobacco. The use of carcinogenic chewing tobacco is
widespread in India. ECKART contributed 50 percent of the
financing for the Weight Watchers At Work diet program,
with which 76 employees lost 484 kilograms body weight in
13 weeks. The success speaks for itself. Participants are now
continuing with the course at their own expense.
36 Sustainability Report 2012
Working in an
award-winning building
Anyone who designs a new building today should think about
tomorrow. Saving at the wrong end can quickly lead to a need
for renovation due to higher energy costs or a poor building
structure. But a lack of energy efficiency is not only detrimental
in economic terms; it also has an adverse effect on the ecobalance. Sustainable, resource-efficient construction is gaining
in importance worldwide, as “green” building saves energy
and protects the environment.
The BYK division in Wesel faced this challenge with its new
laboratory building. And passed the test with flying colors. The
building, which was occupied in 2012, was planned and built
in such an environmentally friendly way that it became the first
building in Germany to receive the LEED Platinum label from
the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED (Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design) certification is the standard for
high-quality ecological buildings. The award was given not
only for the building’s energy efficiency, but also for factors
pertaining to ecological construction, e.g. the building material,
the room climate, and the comfort of users.
30 percent energy savings
During a construction period of two years, BYK created 9,000
square meters of laboratory space for around 130 workplaces
distributed on five levels. “This state-of-the-art laboratory
building is a further component of our comprehensive Greenability concept,” says Albert von Hebel, BYK’s Managing Director
Finance. “We not only develop additives enabling our clients
to bring environment-friendlier products onto the market, but
we are looking for ways of acting in a more environmentally
aware way right here at our home base. This Platinum status
gives us excellent confirmation and spurs us on to continue
down this path.” Even in the planning stage, the architects
Products
Safety
Environment
Human resources
Social responsibility 37
98375
Management
35
40,000
375
750,000
= 30
2,070
+130
workplaces
535
63
building space
%
700
9,000
m2
energy savings
38 Sustainability Report 2012
Award-winning buildings: The new BYK laboratory was
certified by the Green Building Council. ELANTAS’ new administrative building in India relies on natural cooling.
Natural ventilation supports the air-conditioning
attached special importance to efficient use of energy. Thanks
to geothermal energy, heat pumps, and heat recovery, the
primary energy consumption is 30 percent lower than that of
standard buildings. In addition, sufficient daylight in the building was ensured by the targeted use of transparent partition
walls. As a result, less artificial light and thus cooling capacity
is needed. The construction materials used consist partly of
renewable raw materials or can be recycled easily. The thermal
insulation and the entire ventilation system also meet the stringent energy requirements of the Green Building Council.
The energy consumption of the new property was also improved. The overall concept is so sophisticated and comprehensive that the architects, who specialize in environmentally
conscious building, received the AESA (Architects Engineers
Surveyors Association) Award 2013. The V-shaped building is made
of recycled concrete. And the air-conditioning, including the
speed-controlled ventilators, which keep the room temperature
at about 24 degrees Celsius via a presence sensor, is supported
by natural cooling, the so-called Venturi effect, through an open
roof over a glazed atrium and roof overhangs providing shade.
ELANTAS Beck India’s new administrative building is another
new building that ALTANA erected according to environmentally friendly principles. The employees, who had previously
worked in downtown Pune, moved to the grounds of the
production site in the suburb of Pimpri. This change alone has
brought lasting advantages. First, the time-consuming drives
between production and administration are no longer necessary. And second, internal work processes and communication
were accelerated. Work at the Pimpri site has since become
much more efficient.
The ponds that enclose three sides of the building make a key
contribution to the cool microclimate. The water for these
bodies of water comes from the plant’s own sewage system.
Rotatable blinds also prevent the interior from heating up too
much. They let in sufficient daylight, reducing the need for
artificial light. Dr. Matthias L. Wolfgruber, the CEO of ALTANA,
was enthusiastic about the advanced building at the opening
ceremony. He congratulated the staff on their new workspace
and encouraged them to derive inspiration from the refreshing green environment.
Management
Products
Safety
Environment
Human resources
Social responsibility 39
Energy efficiency
One of the key tasks of our age is to replace fossil resources
with sustainable alternatives and to find solutions to global
climate change. More economical usage of energy is part of
this. Higher energy efficiency is possible particularly by means
of advanced technology and low-emission management. At
BYK in Wesel, following an energy-efficiency analysis the heating and ventilation systems were adapted to the operating
hours, the emergency lighting was improved, and in one building a ventilation system with heat recovery was installed. By
merging the two-part cooling system from production, which
cost almost € 2 million, its load and efficiency could be increased and the number of pumps reduced. The remaining
pumps have variable frequency drives. That means lower
energy consumption as well as fewer maintenance and repair
measures and lower costs and reduced use of chemicals for
fighting algae. In parallel, the base temperature of the heat
transfer oil was reduced by 50 degrees Celsius. When more
heat is needed, electric heaters are used according to demand.
1,300 tons of CO2 saved
The measure, which will be amortized already in four years due
to the lower energy consumption, decreased CO2 emissions by
around 1,300 tons, equivalent to 12 percent of BYK’s entire
emissions in Wesel. We are currently investigating whether an
additional combined heat and power system is economically
viable. A decision will be made in the course of 2013. A prerequisite is an alternative technology for exhaust air purification. The usual thermal afterburning process (TNV) is still being
used with heat recovery. In conjunction with the modernized
cooling water system, it would then be possible to reduce CO2
by 18 percent.
Other feasibility studies on energy efficiency are currently being conducted by ELANTAS Beck in Hamburg. They concern
various measures, including optimization of the TNV, exhaust
purification, and a possible combined heat and power system.
Small measures with long-term effects
ACTEGA DS has already replaced an energy-intensive pumping device (extruder) with a device that saves significantly
more electricity, and another replacement is planned. In addition, a hall for forklifts was equipped with two energysaving fast-action doors. ELANTAS PDG replaced a steam
boiler from 1981 with a more efficient device, and at ELANTAS
Zhuhai raw materials are preheated in a new thermal chamber that makes use of waste heat from production. ECKART
Zhuhai replaced nine old sieves for “screening” pigments
with modern ones which not only consume 50 percent less
electricity but also are considerably quieter. The replacement
of more sieves is planned.
The optimization of the TNV at ACTEGA Rhenania provides
more noise protection as well as greater energy efficiency.
In addition, employee rooms were modernized with regard
to energy efficiency. Among other things, a new ventilation
system with heat recovery was installed. The heating in the
administration was also optimized and the boiler replaced.
ELANTAS Beck in Hamburg is now utilizing the waste heat
from a further air compressor.
40 Sustainability Report 2012
Emissions
The development at our two sites in India does not seem quite
as successful at first glance. The last targets set were not
reached. A closer look, however, reveals that this is not due to
a lack of commitment, but to the fact that energy efficiency
measures were implemented there at a very early stage. Between 1998 and 2012, we reduced the energy consumption
by 50 percent. But with that kind of success rate, it will be
harder and harder to improve the efficiency even more.
The predominant part of ALTANA’s climate-relevant emissions
come from direct (Scope 1) and indirect (Scope 2) energy consumption (see left column). They are calculated based on
the guidelines of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, an instrument
for quantifying and managing greenhouse gas emissions, and
the factors of the International Energy Agency. For electricity,
we have considered the values of the national network in each
case and not the values of a special electricity provider.
Since 2007, the energy consumption of ALTANA’s producing sites (including administration, labs, warehouses, etc.)
has been recorded as a binding environmental key performance indicator. This includes direct energy consumption
(Scope 1 – natural gas / crude oil) and indirect energy consumption (Scope 2 – electricity). During the reporting period,
the energy savings amounted to 9.58 percent (Scope 1), and
26.39 percent (Scope 2), related to the gross value added.
Other relevant greenhouse gases from production processes
etc. are not emitted in significant amounts, nitrogen oxides
(NOx) and sulphur dioxide (SO2) arise solely from energy
consumption, and are calculated accordingly. Ozone-depleting
substances are not contained in any raw materials used by
ALTANA, are not used in manufacturing processes, and do not
exist in products. Several ALTANA companies emit volatile
organic compounds (VOCs – see also page 20). The companies
do not continuously measure VOCs, but estimate them from
random samples instead. Based on these estimates, the amount
is around 200 tons worldwide. The permitted emission volumes are defined by law in the countries in which we produce.
We keep within these limits at all of our sites, usually with the
help of waste air purification by means of thermal afterburning.
ALTANA CO2 from oil and gas consumption (Scope 1)
Related to gross value added (in g / Euros)
0.095
2007
0.094
2009
0.086
2012
Initiatives to reduce greenhouse gases
0.02
0.04
0.06
0.08
0.10
ALTANA CO2 from electricity consumption (Scope 2)
Related to gross value added (in g / Euros)
0.20
2007
0.19
2009
0.15
2012
0.10
0.12
0.14
0.16
0.18
0.20
We significantly surpassed our target of reducing our CO2
emissions between 2007 and 2012 (related to gross added
value) by 10 percent, cutting them by 21 percent. By 2020, we
seek a decrease by about 30 percent. In this context, we would
like to make mention of our new cogeneration or combined
heat and power plant (CHP) in the ELANTAS factory in Ascoli,
Italy (see also Sustainability Report 2011). The CHP improves
our CO2 balance not solely due to the more efficient energy
conversion, but also through the use of biogenic fuels.
As expected, the plant provided around 900 megawatt hours
(MWh) of electricity and some 300 MWh of heat. But the
Management
Products
Safety
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Human resources
Social responsibility 41
information is not complete, as the CHP has only been operated continuously since June 2012. Since the costs for vegetable oil exceeded the original cost estimate by 30 percent,
the amortization period was extended from two-and-a-half
to eight years. As a result, less expensive alternative fuels
are currently being looked into. The photovoltaic unit in
Ascoli, however, lagged around 10 percent behind expectations, with an energy yield of around 900 MWh of CO2neutral electricity.
We will reduce other CO2 emissions by switching from oil to
natural gas at ECKART in Güntersthal. The plant is expected
to go into operation in the fall of 2013 and to cut the amount
of CO2 by about 1,500 tons. A conversion to gas is also being
prepared at ELANTAS Zhuhai. But there is still no municipal
gas pipeline because so far not enough other customers have
been found.
Projects to reduce VOC emissions
Emissions of solvents (VOCs) can be reduced through the
use of exhaust air purification units. Another measure is the
use of material and product tanks. The filling of the tanks
through vapor recovery pipelines, which are used to feed
solvent vapor back into the tanker, and the dosing of the
raw material into the production container, occur via closed
pipelines. Hence no VOC emissions can leak out in either
process, as opposed to usage of barrels where this cannot
be avoided.
We invested in tanks at several sites. At ELANTAS Tongling, it
is primarily intermediate products containing cresol that are
stored in tanks. As a result, the smell of cresol is no longer as
strong in the surrounding air. In addition, ACTEGA Rhenacoat
set up a new tank farm as part of the refurbishment of the
entire site (see also page 26). ELANTAS Beck India installed
eight and ELANTAS Zhuhai six new tanks. ELANTAS Beck in
Hamburg also expanded its tank farm in 2012.
Efforts are being made to further reduce VOC emissions at
ELANTAS PDG as well. While the factory has had raw material tanks for years, there has been no pipeline dosing. So
far, the raw materials have been dosed from the tanks into
barrels and from there into the vessels – in other words,
openly. Furthermore, in 2010, following an accident in the
exhaust air purification unit, a new facility with better safety
equipment went into operation and the production process
that caused the accident was altered. The old unit is now
being kept only for emergencies. ACTEGA Foshan significantly reduced the limit of its total VOC emissions, particularly hydrocarbons and xylene, thanks to a new exhaust air
purification system with active carbon filters.
42 Sustainability Report 2012
Raw materials
Water
In 2012, ALTANA consumed about 335,000 tons of raw materials, primarily chemical substances from fossil sources. At
ECKART, mainly metals such as aluminum, copper, and zinc
are used to manufacture pigments. As a rule, recycled raw
materials cannot be processed. However, the manufacturers
mix aluminum with recycled aluminum. Solvents are used
several times, sometimes after distillation.
ALTANA generally uses drinking water for its production, and
at some sites groundwater. For cooling, ECKART in Günthers­
thal uses river water that flows back without additional contamination.
The share of renewable raw materials at ALTANA is around
5 percent. Usually they are biogenic first-generation raw
materials obtained from the fruit of the plants. The advantage: Nature has already carried out some production steps.
However, with some plants there is competition with food
production. Much less critical is the use of water as a raw
material. ALTANA uses more than 40,000 tons of water in
production (not contained in the above-mentioned quantity as a raw material).
Advantages of water as a raw material
• Water reduces consumption of fossil raw materials for solvents.
• Water as solvent evaporates when used, i.e. it remains in the
natural cycle.
• Water flows through the existing water pipes. This obviates the
need for transport and storage.
• Waterborne coatings reduce possible health dangers that could
be caused by solvents.
• Safety tests and communication in the supply chain are not needed.
• Neither protective clothing nor ventilation systems are required.
• With water-based coatings, active fire-prevention and fire-fighting measures are usually not required and the soil does not have
to be protected.
• Streamlining the raw material range: Water replaces different
solvents.
• There are fewer effects on the environment when water is treated
than in solvent production.
Measures for conserving water
• Optimization and change of production at ECKART in Finland.
• Unusually high water consumption was stopped by pipeline
repairs at three sites.
• ELANTAS Beck and ACTEGA Rhenania received new cooling
towers and cycles, ELANTAS Beck for the new pilot plant and
for tank cooling.
The percentage of water used several times cannot be known
exactly, as in the cooling cycle it is often fed via cooling towers.
The amount is not measured; the water that evaporates
in cooling towers is replaced. Overall, we far surpassed our
targets for reduction of drinking water consumption.
ALTANA: Drinking water consumption
Related to gross value added (in g / Euro)
1.53
2007
1.64
2009
1.05
2012
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.2
1.4
1.6
Target for 2012: 1.45
Management
0.87
1.09
2009
1.07
2012
0.8
0.85
0.9
Safety
Environment
Human resources
Social responsibility 43
Waste and contaminated soil
ALTANA: Groundwater consumption
Related to gross value added (in g / Euro)
2007
Products
0.95
1.0
1.05
Wastewater
At 18 ALTANA sites, there is no chemically contaminated
wastewater. In a few cases, highly contaminated effluent
is disposed of as waste and recorded in the corresponding
environmental key performance indicators (KPIs). Twelve of
31 sites that have to report KPIs indicated there were emissions in wastewater. Emissions amounted to approximately
100 tons and so they did not have a significant impact on
the environment.
At all sites, the amount
of wastewater is below the legal limits.
We operate wastewater treatment systems
exclusively at our two
Indian sites. At ELANTAS
Beck India, the quality
of the purified water
is so good that it is
used to water the factory’s green areas. At
ELANTAS Italia in Ascoli,
the water from production processes is partially treated via
membrane filtration and reused.
Thanks to various measures, we surpassed our waste reduction targets for the period from 2007 to 2012. We continually
strive to reduce our total waste, and particularly waste for disposal through more thermal utilization or reprocessing. Where
it makes sense economically, we favor reprocessing over thermal utilization. In this way, the carbon bound in raw materials
is not emitted as CO2.
We had very little waste for disposal related to the production
volume – around 1 percent hazardous and 0.7 percent nonhazardous waste. The total amount of waste was 3.6 percent
(hazardous) and 1.4 percent (non-hazardous). Conversely,
this means that around 95 percent of the raw materials we
used were converted into products.
Most of our products are sold in 20- or 200-liter barrels and
in diverse smaller containers. Depending on the regulations
of the respective country, these containers are passed on by
our customers for reuse or recycling. Some of our products
are delivered to our clients in tankers or multiuse containers.
Thus, the packaging is in a cycle. But the cycles are not
statistically recorded by ALTANA.
Projects to reduce waste
One of the most effective measures for reducing waste is raw
material transport in tankers. When raw materials are stored
in tanks, there is no leftover packaging waste or residue in
containers, which can be substantial with viscous raw materials. For this reason, ALTANA invests continuously in new
tank farms (see also page 41).
ACTEGA Rhenacoat reduced its hazardous waste significantly
by optimizing processes and converting to water-based coatings (2011- 2012: minus 16.5 percent; 2007- 2012: minus 28 percent). ELANTAS Beck India, for its part, recovers cresol through
distillation and was thus able to reduce hazardous waste
related to production by around 22 percent.
44 Sustainability Report 2012
ALTANA: Hazardous waste
Related to gross value added (in g / Euro)
ALTANA: Non-hazardous waste
Related to gross value added (in g / Euro)
37.33
2007
34.29
2009
5
10
15
20
25
30
14.86
2009
31.75
2012
18.09
2007
12.23
2012
35
5
Target for 2012: 34.47
10
15
20
25
Target for 2012: 17.19
At ELANTAS PDG, purification of water from a distillation
process via phase separation and active carbon filters was
pushed further forward (see also Sustainability Report 2011).
The process optimization, which is to be implemented in
2013, proved to be effective in laboratory conditions. In addition, new tanks ensure lower waste generation as they do
not have to be cleaned as often and their filters do not have
to be changed as frequently.
Contaminated waste and soil
In 2012, there was no soil contamination due to released
chemicals at ALTANA. While at BYK USA 200 kg and at
ECKART approximately 400 kg of chemicals were released
(with both cases reported as a significant incident), no harm
was done to the environment as the material was caught.
New chemical plants in the countries in which we produce
are generally equipped with appropriate receptacles for
production units (tanks), for tank farms (catch basins), or for
tanker loading areas (sumps). The measures are supplemented by sealed courtyard areas, closable wastewater systems,
and firewater retention basins.
Our relatively new plants in China are particularly well
equipped. For example, all sites there have suitable firewater
retention basins. At ACTEGA Foshan, the new warehouses
are equipped with a tank construct to catch leaking liquid.
Furthermore, the separation of production and storage has
improved the fire protection. In addition, a firewater retention basin was installed.
ELANTAS Zhuhai also installed a firewater retention basin with
a volume of 500 m3 during the construction of a new production hall with tank construct. These measures were rounded
out by a modern fire-extinguishing system making use of
water and foam additives. Fire protection and environmental
safety were also greatly improved at ACTEGA Rhenacoat due
to relevant construction measures (see also page 26).
Naturally, in the construction of all new tank farm buildings
soil protection is taken into account. On the one hand, the
tanks stand in basins or are double walled and have leakage
alert. In addition, there are sumps at the unloading points
for the tankers which can collect almost the entire content
of the tanks if need be.
ALTANA supports the AAV
A big social problem is remediation of contaminated sites
and recycling of fallow land with no responsible previous
owner. Such cases bring into play the association for remediation and recycling of contaminated sites in North-Rhine
Westphalia, AAV, which ALTANA supports. This is an example of cooperation between the public and private sectors.
The AAV makes an important contribution towards fighting
new soil sealing and preserving biodiversity. ALTANA encourages all companies to lend their support to this sensible
initiative.
Management
Products
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Human resources
Social responsibility 45
Biodiversity
Transport and logistics
ALTANA’s production sites are primarily located in industrial or
commercial areas. No site directly borders on a nature reserve,
a landscape protection area or areas with high biodiversity.
As a result, the company does not need to carry out special
activities aimed at curtailing effects on biodiversity or to provide information on protected or restored habitats. Nor does
it have to furnish information on species on Red Lists.
As a rule, ALTANA has finished products transported by truck
and on (ocean-going) ships. Due to the relatively small individual quantities and longer delivery times, rail traffic plays
only a subordinate role. We make use of air transport only in
exceptional cases.
Strategies and measures regarding biodiversity
As the logistics for finished goods are carried out by forwarding agents, we have no influence on their transport emissions.
However, we make a concerted effort to choose service providers with certified environmental management systems and
to optimize transports via an Internet-based logistics platform.
• Support of AAV: land recycling
• Reduction of climate-relevant emissions, such as VOCs
• No new sites in or directly on protection areas
• Optimization of logistics
ALTANA’s achievements in individual spheres of activity relating
to biodiversity in 2012
Factors of influence
Spheres of activity
Page
Site and property
9, 10, 36 - 40
Habitat change
Supply chain, raw materials
and materials
10
Products
16 - 25
Climate change
Non-native species
Overexploitation
Products and processing
- Land
- Emissions / imissions
9
36 - 43
Transport and logistics
45
Personnel
45
Emissions / imissions
Other transport emissions, e.g. from business trips, are not
recorded at ALTANA as this procedure is disproportionately
costly and complex. Moreover, we assess the environmental
burdens as being very low compared to those stemming from
production. The situation is similar with emissions from
employees’ travel to and from work. To reduce the number
of business trips, many companies in the ALTANA Group have
videoconference systems.
Diverse measures to avoid traffic
• Modernized production at BYK USA in Wallingford reduces
imports from Germany.
• BYK USA in Chester produces wax additives from BYK-Cera
for the U.S. market – no imports are needed.
• New warehouse at ACTEGA Rhenacoat replaces daily truck
shuttle traveling 125 km.
• ECKART supports employee car pools via the Intranet.
46 Sustainability Report 2012
Creating values playfully
Motivated and qualified employees play a key role in the success of a company. But that is only half the truth. Staff who additionally think entrepreneurially and understand the financial mechanisms of a company are the basis for long-term success. ALTANA relies on value management and the
so-called value creation indicator AVA (ALTANA Value Added).
For ALTANA, successful business means sustainable growth, having leading
positions in its target markets, as well as high profitability and capital efficiency. These goals can be reached through the company’s value management, an integrated corporate concept introduced in 2002. But not every
employee is familiar with business management practices. For this reason,
until the end of 2012 around 340 managerial staff from all ALTANA divisions
were trained in matters pertaining to AVA in two-day seminars. In the end,
600 employees will receive AVA training, 250 of them at non-German sites.
In addition, a brochure entitled “Value Management” was published.
“Value management is a very complex issue. We wanted to avoid dry chalkand-talk teaching at all costs,” says Dr. Paul Reuter, AVA project manager at
ALTANA. “Therefore, we opted for a business simulation game. This type of
approach worked well when dealing with such requirements in the past.” In
a business game, the participants are motivated to use their newly acquired
skills and develop concrete measures to enhance their own business success.
But before the game began under the guidance of business consultants,
terms such as operating earnings, return on capital, and net current assets
had to be explained first.
Management
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Social responsibility 47
375
40,00
750,000
x2
days
employees
98375
340
63
653
= 20,000 €
for a good cause
42,07
48 Sustainability Report 2012
Three fictive years of management
The game simulates a company and the levers it uses to improve its profitability. For a fictive period of three years, each
team took over the management of a company and thus was
called upon to make corporate decisions, to analyze the economic repercussions, and to optimize the business processes.
As in a real company, a management board with different
departments such as finance, production, and development
was established. Each staff member had their own area of
responsibility. This kind of impartation of knowledge enhances employees’ practical orientation and learning success and,
not least, is fun. “We became acquainted with the interplay
between the different components that determine AVA in a
game,” says Thomas Kröller, Business Line Manager at BYK.
“In everyday work, we normally only have an influence on
a few individual factors.”
Thus, new access was created to business administration in
a very playful way. The business game, in which different
groups played against each other, was interrupted by presentations of different best-practice examples. At the end, each
group presented their results in a fictive press conference. The
different outcomes had one thing in common: All of the
groups achieved the initial goal of increasing AVA. Due to the
great success, the AVA seminar is expected to be a regular
offer in the training catalogue. ALTANA honored the increase
in value created by the different groups by donating € 20,000
for social causes.
Two days for more value
The two-day training to increase ALTANA Added Value (AVA) was
successful, because the employees had a very positive assessment
of it. The following two opinions are representative:
“Great training program. I learned a lot about AVA, about improvements and implementations such as the use of appropriate
resources at the right time.”
“I very much liked the fact that what is actually a dry topic was
presented in such an exciting and vivid way.”
Management
Products
Safety
Environment
Human resources
Social responsibility 49
Personnel recruitment
With around 100,000 staff members, the chemical industry is
one of the most labor-intensive sectors in the German state of
North Rhine-Westphalia. The employees’ level of education is
among the best in the world, as the companies attach a great
deal of importance to continuous education and further training. Qualified and motivated staff are the most important basis
for ALTANA’s success. Therefore, we promote and support our
workforce with a number of offers and services which aim to
advance their careers and enhance their wellbeing. With the
goal of becoming one of the most attractive employers, we
seek to obtain personnel best suited to our company and give
them the greatest possible job security.
Due to demographic changes and the shortage of skilled labor,
fierce competition has broken out for the best talents and
most qualified workers in Germany. While for a long time it
was the companies that selected the most suitable candidates, it is now increasingly the applicants who choose their
employer. This is a new challenge facing ALTANA. Aside from
our extensive job portal on the Internet, an appreciative and
open attitude to applicants is important to us, in keeping with
our Guiding Principles. Apart from swift and direct communication, ALTANA always makes an effort to deal fairly with
applicants throughout the application process. After all, the
process of selecting new employees is like a business card that
has a decisive influence on a company’s reputation.
E-recruiting facilitates application
After an intensive test phase, our new uniform e-recruiting system went online in our job portal. This cross-divisional, global
applicant management system aims at simplifying and accelerating the entire hiring process. The advantage: fewer paper
and e-mail job applications and less maintenance. This not only
saves time and money, but also ensures better communication
with the applicants and is user-friendlier.
Moreover, e-recruiting enables an exchange of job applications
between ALTANA companies, thus increasing the applicants’
chances of finding an appropriate position. Via the job portal,
interested people who do not find a suitable job offer there
can submit unsolicited applications to the ALTANA Group in
a more targeted way than before. A user account makes it
easier to apply more than once and to update documents
and personal information. In addition, a job letter providing
regular information about new job offers can be subscribed
to, based on individual preferences.
ALTANA awarded Career’s Best Recruiter
With its job portal, ALTANA is now one of Germany’s best
companies in terms of recruitment. This was confirmed by the
study Career’s Best Recruiters 2012 / 2013. ALTANA finished in
first place in the rating of chemical companies and in fifth
place in the overall rating of Germany’s top 500 employers.
Career’s Best Recruiters cooperates with Fachhochschule Koblenz University of Applied Sciences for Human Resources and
Education and, by its own account, is the largest recruitment
study in Germany-speaking countries. The analysis came to the
conclusion that we successfully implement our measures and
processes in the areas of recruiting, university marketing, and
employer branding, which applicants greatly appreciate. Apart
from providing feedback on our application processes, the
50 Sustainability Report 2012
Employee survey
In 2011, ALTANA conducted a worldwide employee survey.
The study found that our employees show above-average
commitment but that there is room for improvement in different companies and functional units (see also Sustainability
Report 2011). As a result, the company needs to continue
to deal intensively with the fields of action analyzed and to
implement appropriate improvement measures.
study also discusses improvement potential. The steady advancement of our internal processes and instruments will
continue to characterize our recruitment activities in the
years to come.
Attractive employer
The chances of attracting the best employees depend in
large part on the attractiveness of the location. The appeal
of Wesel was improved by the fact that FOM, a private university for employees, located there. In the future, some
ALTANA employees will study at FOM alongside their work.
BYK USA’s new program Seek Opportunities Achieve Results
(SOAR), which specializes in innovation, sales growth, and
the positioning of the company, is providing our staff with
new creative resources. So far, more than 15 SOAR teams
have been formed and several projects successfully carried
out. A so-called i-Team supports SOAR projects and promotes a culture of innovation and creativity. For example,
the “StarBYK’s Innovation Station” was set up, a creative
space for everyone with a relaxed atmosphere conducive to
communication, Internet access, audiovisual equipment,
and a giant wall area for brainstorming.
To understand employees’ expectations better, we held staff
meetings and workshops in the different departments and
functional units of ALTANA companies. The most important
fields of action are recognition and appreciation. As a consequence of this criticism, suggestions were made that were
initially directed to managers and project leaders. The goal
was to honor success appropriately. In the future, we aim to
make completed projects and achieved objectives even more
visible. Possible types of recognition, e.g. openly addressing
employees or expressing thanks, celebrating together, and
awards, were discussed with the managers and agreements
were reached. Some companies also offer more social
activities to improve teamwork. In
cases where development measures
were not assessed
sufficiently, in the
future the annual
progress dialogue
between employees and superiors
will focus more on
individual training
needs. In the next
employee survey
in 2014, we will
explore whether
and to what extent these and other measures have led to
positive changes in an effort to improve our company further.
Management
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Social responsibility 51
Award-winning idea
Employee profit participation
In 2010, we issued ALTANA Profit Participation Rights (APPR)
in Germany for the first time, thus enabling employees to
participate in the company’s future success. With the APPR,
which have been offered annually since 2010, employees
can participate in the company by investing between € 300
and € 5,000 a year. ALTANA provides tax-free subsidies for
the investment of up to € 360 per year and employee. Apart
from the basic interest, ALTANA grants an additional bonus
interest based on the company’s success. For 2012, the interest rate was 7.2 percent. In recent years, roughly every third
employee accepted the offer, and the total sum amounted to
€ 6.38 million. In the meantime, programs comparable to the
German one have been initiated in China, India, Japan, Korea,
Switzerland, and Singapore. An implementation is being examined in other countries as well.
Suggestion system
In 2011, a worldwide employee suggestion system was introduced at ALTANA. Since then, the employees at all of our
sites have been encouraged to submit suggestions for improvement. The current suggestion system contact person
not only receives the suggestions, but also commissions experts to evaluate them (usually internally). If an idea is implemented, the person who made the suggestion receives a
cash award. The focus is not always on cutting costs, but
also on occupational and plant safety or health and environmental protection. Further goals include optimum exploitation or saving of manufacturing resources, as well as quality,
customer orientation, and product improvement. To honor
employees’ commitment, in some cases a prize is paid even
when the idea is not implemented.
By means of a small pre-heater in an atomizer, the temperature in
a melting furnace in production can be reduced by approximately
30 degrees Celsius. With this improvement suggestion, around
75,600 kWh of energy can be saved every year, which of course
also means lower CO2 emissions.
An idea from Alfred Gierl, Wolfgang Müller, and Markus Schreiber
(ECKART employees in Wackersdorf).
Big Ideas Wanted
In 2012, we launched the “Big Ideas Wanted” campaign so
that we can exploit the great idea potential of all of our staff
and receive even more suggestions. Usually, employees have
the best ideas in connection with optimization of internal
processes or procedures. The potential for improvement
lies in details, and that is exactly what “Big Ideas Wanted”
stands for: a small idea with which everyone can make
a contribution. Posters with different motifs on plant safety
and optimized work processes were hung up companywide. Each idea submitted paves the way for improved
workflows and a stronger focus on aspects relevant to safety.
Diversity
A key characteristic of ALTANA is its diversity. But a “quota
for women” is not an option for us, because the key criteria
for professional development are exclusively expertise and
social competence, regardless of origins, age, gender, or
beliefs. At present, about 30 percent of our workforce
in Germany is female. However, the share of women in
management positions in our German companies has so
far been only around 19 percent, and in top management
positions just eight percent. To remedy the situation, in
2012 twelve women employees established the initiative
“LEADINGWOMEN@ALTANA” in Wesel with the approval of
the executive management. Initially, they exchanged their
own experiences and developed a concept to anchor the
topic of “women in leading positions” in the company’s
philosophy of diversity in the long run. The result: In 2013,
the initiative began with concrete measures at the Wesel site.
750,0
x3
= 90
700
8
983
11
6535
employees
hours
50
375
40,000
42,070
63
52 Sustainability Report 2012
happy
children
4
375
Management
Products
Safety
Environment
Human resources
A class act of support
When Hurricane Wilma reached the Yucatán Peninsula, it possessed its full destructive power. With wind speeds of more than 155 mph (250 km/h), the tropical storm
raced toward the Mexican peninsula in October 2005, devastating everything in
its path. Only a few weeks after Hurricane Katrina had flooded New Orleans and
large parts of the southwestern U.S., Wilma, the strongest cyclone ever recorded in
the Atlantic Basin, destroyed numerous buildings in the Mexican vacation paradise,
uprooted trees, and flooded streets, through which rubble and debris subsequently
floated. After a tidal wave hit the vacation spot Cancún, the water rose to heights of
several yards in the hotel district.
But while tourists were evacuated after spending a few days in emergency accommodation, the local population had to deal with the aftermath on its own. The
Mexican government provided aid only hesitantly. The top priority was to rehabilitate
hotels and beaches so that tourists would return quickly. But other facilities were not
so fortunate. Yalahau elementary school in Cancún, for example, remained scarred
by the disaster.
Social responsibility 53
54 Sustainability Report 2012
Graveling, painting, planting: 90 Mexican children are delighted about their renovated school. The helpers received gifts the
children made themselves.
Absence of professional support
“Almost three quarters of the classroom furniture fell victim
to the hurricane,” says Lindsay Oddo, the marketing coordinator of BYK USA. “And the sanitary facilities, the library,
the music room with the instruments, the kitchen, the technical equipment, and the computer of the school’s administration were destroyed.” The schoolyard and many windows
and doors were also affected by the hurricane. But the
school, which was founded in 1987, was not given any professional support during the clearing and renovation work.
Only teachers and parents of schoolchildren lent a hand,
doing everything they could to enable classes to be held
again as soon as possible. “But without outside assistance
a small school, where 90 children from preschool age to
second grade are taught, cannot repair damage on this
scale,” says Oddo.
So it was a godsend that 50 BYK staff members from Germany, Canada, Mexico, and particularly the U.S. attending a
BYK NAFTA sales meeting in Cancún in 2012 volunteered to
help renovate the school and made donations for new furniture. “In three hours, we painted fences and facades,
planted green areas, and regravelled the schoolyard,”
recounts Lindsay Oddo. “So much solidarity elicits a great
feeling.” In gratitude for all the help, the students sang for
the assiduous helpers and gave them presents they made
themselves.
Management
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Social responsibility 55
Campaigns, donations, and sponsoring
As a good corporate citizen ALTANA considers itself responsible for the support of social projects. We particularly promote
initiatives focusing on education, science, and research and
are making an effort to arouse interest in the so-called MINT
subjects (mathematics, information technology, natural sciences,
and technology). With our efforts, we aim to make a comprehensive impact on education from preschool to university and
to strengthen the local environment. All demographic analyses show that the future will see a lack of experts in the chemical industry. To help remedy the situation, we actively seek
out so-called school ambassadors, i.e. employees who advertise ALTANA at institutions of
higher learning.
ALTANA not only participates regularly in the “Campus
meets Company" university event but also promotes especially talented young chemistry students by providing ten
students with scholarships within the framework of the
Hochschule Niederrhein's Federal State of North RhineWestphalia Scholarship Program.
In addition, BYK had a booth at the annual Chemistry Action
Day staged by Unternehmerschaft Niederrhein, a socialpolicy association, located in the Lower Rhine region. At
the event, students from eighth grade on could gather
information about various jobs
in the field of chemistry. The
young people could ask questions and were given advice
regarding job applications and
job interviews. BYK USA enabled three American interns
to gain valuable experience for
their future professional life. And
there was a special surprise: All
three had the opportunity to
have dinner with the company's President Dirk Plas and
learn more about BYK USA.
For many years ALTANA has
been a member of the sponsor
association for the Rhine-Waal
University of Applied Sciences
(HRW) in Kleve, Germany. As
part of a series of events titled
“Insiders – Companies Introduce
Themselves,” Dr. Matthias L.
Wolfgruber, the CEO of ALTANA
and the president of the sponsor
association, gave a lecture to
around 60 students and teachers. The idea behind the series is
The KIS project, promoting cofor entrepreneurs and managers
operation between the chemiStudents experiment in a KIS project.
from the region to report on
cal industry and schools, is also
the processes and challenges of
very popular. With experiments,
their everyday work and to give students insight into possible group work, and laboratory visits, KIS aims to get students
career paths and tips about the best way to find a job. Apart excited about chemistry. On the side, young people can gain
from regular visits to companies and speed dating for interns, insight into the work, say, of coatings laboratory technicians.
the series of events is also intended to intensify exchange be- For example, students at two secondary schools in Wesel had
tween companies from the region and students.
the chance to manufacture additives with the support of BYK
staff. As in real production, they produced defoamers themALTANA has successfully cooperated with the chemistry de- selves in a BYK lab, started up agitators and used substrates
partment of the Hochschule Niederrhein University of Ap- for later application. The KIS program also included applicaplied Sciences in Krefeld, Germany, for many years. Today, tion training.
56 Sustainability Report 2012
ALTANA continues to support the Passo Fundo scholarship program in Brazil. The organization, founded by Professor Werner
Wittkowski in 1988, enables gifted Brazilians from poor segments of the population to study at a university. ALTANA contributed € 7,500 used for four scholarships. And the Howard
Park Center in Ellisville (U.S.) can also still rely on our help.
ALTANA donated more than € 11,000 for a so-called Early Intensive Behavior Intervention Classroom. Howard Park Center,
which was established in 1971, caters to the needs of developmentally delayed children and their families and is funded
exclusively from charity campaigns and donations.
Fostering the abilities of elementary school students
ALTANA continues to sponsor the Junior Academy of the North
Rhine-Westphalian Moyland Castle Museum, a program developed to promote the cultural education of elementary school
children. The art education that ALTANA sponsors is geared to
the curriculum of individual age groups and takes place in the
castle under the leadership of a museum educator. For example,
the second grade of an elementary school in Bedburg-Hau had
a two-hour art class there once a week for a period of six
months. Another academy ALTANA supports is the "junior engineer academy" of the Deutsche Telekom Foundation, whose
goal is to get young people interested in the profession of
engineers at an early age. To this end, 13- and 14-year-old
students work intensively with local companies such as BYKChemie and universities, among others, for two years.
Junior engineer academy
The Deutsche Telekom Foundation’s junior engineer academy is
a model project for students in secondary education designed to
kindle enthusiasm in young people for the natural sciences and
technology. The aim is to provide young people with information
about the profession of engineers and scientists early on, to make
the transition from school to university easier for them, and to
consistently foster their individual competencies at an early stage.
Management
Products
Safety
Environment
Human resources
Social responsibility 57
Partner of the region
After appealing to first and second graders’ desire to experiment at two elementary schools within the framework of the
House of Junior Researchers concept the year before, BYK
staff again visited the Adventure Land daycare center in 2012.
During the first visit, there was not enough time to explore all
facets of the topic of “air,” so this subject was dealt with
further in 2012. The BYK experts like to support this week
devoted to science to give preschool staff a different perspective on research.
For these activities, BYK has been
awarded a partner prize by the
House of Junior
Researchers Foundation.
Another campaign
also demonstrates
where children’s
enthusiasm can
lead. Industrial
mechanic apprentices in the second year of their
apprenticeship at
BYK picked up on
an idea of preschool children to
invent an apple peeling machine and developed it further
into an apple sauce and apple juice machine. Needy children
in the U.S. had the pleasure of engaging in a completely different activity at Christmastime. During team-building activities at ECKART America’s management meeting, employees
built eight playhouses together. Each team had only four hours
to construct a colorful house out of a stack of wood, plastic
sheets, paint, brushes, and stencils. Despite the challenge, all
of the teams finished on time and gave “their” child a nice
Christmas present.
Our involvement in the illumination of the Rhine Bridge in Wesel
reflects our strong commitment to the Lower Rhine region. The
bridge, which is known for its characteristic pylon, has lit up at
night in the ALTANA colors of blue and cyan since March 2012.
ALTANA covered the costs of around € 210,000 for the nearly
100 high-power spotlights and floodlights. Today, the architectural gem, which was illuminated for the first time in the presence of Dr. Matthias L. Wolfgruber and other invited guests, is a
symbol and landmark in the region. BYK also helped finance a
bronze bust unveiled in 2012 honoring the chemist Ida Noddack,
who was born in Wesel in 1896. The famous daughter of Wesel,
who discovered the chemical element Rhenium, was nominated
several times for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
In 2012, ALTANA staff in the human resources departments of
ALTANA and BYK were again involved in the International
Peace Village in Oberhausen. On a day in the summer, eight
colleagues tidied up the children’s playground and the garden.
And aid was also provided in a sporting framework. Employees
of BYK, ELANTAS, and ACTEGA participated in a golf tournament at Weselerwald Golf Club for a good cause. The entire
sum of the entry fees amounting to € 3,500 was donated to
the "Historisches Rathaus Wesel" citizens’ initiative to restore
the historic Wesel town hall.
8
58 Sustainability Report 2012
000,057
36
42,070
573
0
0
7
6535
98375
53
000,04
11
Key performance indicators 59
On the key performance indicators
The following pages provide an overview of our corporate activities in the period from
2006 or 2007 to 2012 on the basis of various key performance indicators, which are
grouped into the areas environment, economy, transport, safety, and human resources.
In some areas, we check to see whether the recording of key performance indicators
needs to be expanded. The environmental key performance indicators apply to the period from October 1, 2011, to September 30, 2012.
More information and explanations about the key performance indicators provided
here on the environment, economy, safety, and human resources can be found at
www.altana.com/sustainability/key-performance-indicators.
On the environmental performance indicators
Energy consumption
Oil
Oil (in kWh / Euro)
Year
ALTANA
2007
MWh
39,588
2008
MWh
30,275
2010
MWh
35,529
2012
MWh
28,060
0.08
0.07
0.06
2007
2008
2010
2012
2010
2012
Natural gas (in kWh / Euro)
Natural gas
Year
ALTANA
2007
MWh
169,035
2008
MWh
182,739
2010
MWh
185,227
2012
MWh
204,280
0.40
0.35
0.30
2007
2008
60 Sustainability Report 2012
Electricity
Electricity (in kWh / Euro)
Year
ALTANA
2007
MWh
198,416
2008
MWh
191,733
2010
MWh
198,598
2012
MWh
196,370
0.45
0.40
0.35
2007
2008
2010
2012
Emissions
Total CO2 (Scope 1 + Scope 2)
Year
Total CO2 (in kg / Euro)
ALTANA
2007
t
143,633
2008
t
127,938
2010
t
135,901
2012
t
141,422
0.3
Target for 2012: 0.27
0.2
0.1
2007
2008
2010
2012
CO2 (Scope 1) (in kg / Euro)
CO2 (Scope 1)
Year
ALTANA
2007
t
45,758
2008
t
45,475
2010
t
51,192
2012
t
51,605
0.10
Target for 2012: 0.09
0.09
0.08
2007
2008
2010
2012
The orange line indicates the goal set for 2012.
Key performance indicators 61
CO2 (Scope 2) (in kg / Euro)
CO2 (Scope 2)
Year
ALTANA
2007
t
97,875
2008
t
82,462
2010
t
84,709
2012
t
89,816
0.20
Target for 2012: 0.18
0.15
0.10
2007
2008
2010
2012
Water
Drinking water (not including use of raw materials)
Year
ALTANA
2007
m
3
737,126
2008
m3
709,739
2010
m3
559,685
2012
m
632,913
3
Drinking water (in liter / Euro)
2.25
Target for 2012: 1.45
1.50
0.75
2007
ALTANA
2007
m
3
419,805
2008
m3
419,259
2010
m3
644,685
2012
m
644,582
3
2010
2012
Surface/groundwater (in liter / Euro)
Surface / groundwater
Year
2008
2.25
1.50
0.75
2007
2008
2010
2012
The orange line indicates the goal set for 2012.
62 Sustainability Report 2012
Waste
Hazardous waste (in g / Euro)
Hazardous waste
Year
ALTANA
2007
t
17,988
2008
t
16,615
2010
t
18,323
2012
t
19,071
45
Target for 2012: 35.47
30
15
2007
ALTANA
2007
t
8,717
2008
t
8,555
2010
t
6,057
2012
t
7,348
20
Target for 2012: 17.19
10
2008
2010
2012
Hazardous waste for disposal (in g / Euro)
Hazardous waste for disposal
ALTANA
2007
t
6,480
2008
t
5,012
2010
t
4,275
2012
t
5,134
15
Target for 2012: 12.10
10
5
2007
Non-hazardous waste for disposal
Year
2012
30
2007
Year
2010
Non-hazardous waste (in g / Euro)
Non-hazardous waste
Year
2008
ALTANA
2007
t
4,935
2008
t
4,738
2010
t
3,361
2012
t
3,371
2008
2010
2012
Non-hazardous waste for disposal (in g / Euro)
15
Target for 2012: 9.22
10
5
2007
2008
2010
2012
The orange line indicates the goal set for 2012.
Key performance indicators 63
Recyclable hazardous waste
Year
Recyclable hazardous waste (in g / Euro)
ALTANA
2007
t
3,248
2008
t
3,437
2010
t
2,865
2012
t
4,228
9
6
3
2007
Recyclable non-hazardous waste
Year
ALTANA
2007
t
2,934
2008
t
3,480
2010
t
2,064
2012
t
2,348
Year
ALTANA
2007
t
8,260
2008
t
8,166
2010
t
11,183
2012
t
9,707
Year
ALTANA
2007
t
848
2008
t
337
2010
t
632
2012
t
1,628
2012
9
6
3
2008
2010
2012
Hazardous waste for thermal processing
(in g / Euro)
30
20
10
2007
Non-hazardous waste for thermal processing
2010
Recyclable non-hazardous waste (in g / Euro)
2007
Hazardous waste for thermal processing
2008
2008
2010
2012
Non-hazardous waste for thermal processing
(in g / Euro)
3
2
1
2007
2008
2010
2012
64 Sustainability Report 2012
On the economic performance indicators
Gross value added
Year
Gross value added (in € million )
ALTANA
2007
t h sd €
481,814
2008
t h sd €
455,621
2010
t h sd €
566,690
2012
t h sd €
600,726
600
400
200
2007
2008
Finished products
Year
ALTANA
2007
t
350,797
2008
t
307,590
2010
t
374,591
2012
t
407,411
Transport
ALTANA distribution channels for finished products
Year
Water
Road
Air
Rail
2007
t
83,742
291,193
9,687
2,723
2008
t
77,491
227,594
1,477
2,773
2010
t
98,404
323,883
2,405
1,422
2012
t
101,439
304,218
3,693
1,724
2010
2012
Key performance indicators 65
On the safety performance indicators
WAI 3
(Number of lost work days due to occupational accidents per million
working hours)
147.83
150.60
57.14
86.10
38.68
BYK
BYK
313.16
ECKART
6.24
ELANTAS
233.78
89.19
ACTEGA
91.17
5.75
7.32
ALTANA
100
2012
200
2010
300
2008
400
2007
7.73
7.29
0
500
2006
14.92
10
2012
On the human resource performance indicators
Share of part-time employees (in %)
12.26
11.68
Share of women in management positions (in %)
27.99
18.25
12.24
12.93
12.86
ACTEGA
155.21
98.56
76.25
0
12.29
10.12
476.74
185.68
176.29
158.81
ALTANA
17.73
8.66
8.98
142.28
89.74
63.23
123.24
ELANTAS
18.67
13.23
104.23
75.60
94.33
6.07
7.83
5.33
5.08
4.99
236.32
101.18
ECKART
WAI 1
(Number of occupational accidents with lost work time of more than one day
per million working hours)
20
2010
2008
30
2007
2006
Share of employees with access to company
retirement plans or company-funded pension
plans (in %)
7.2
16.5
81.7
8.1
18
81.8
8.4
18.7
82.7
20
2012
40
2011
60
80
2010
100
20
2012
40
2011
60
80
2010
100
20
2012
40
2011
60
80
2010
100
66 Sustainability Report 2012
Highlights
• In 2012, BYK reported less than 1.7 occupational accidents with lost work time of
three days or more per million working hours (WAI 2) and thus remained below its
target (2.8 accidents). With 39 lost work days per million working hours, the company also was well below its target for WAI 3 (65 days).
• Following six major incidents in 2011, ALTANA recorded only four incidents in
2012, with only one injured person.
• The presidents of BYK, ECKART, ELANTAS, and ACTEGA took over the leadership
of a different division as of November 1, 2012. The aim of the move was to open
up new growth perspectives and exploit synergy potentials better.
• The anonymous counseling center in Wesel for employees with psychological
problems went down well in its first year.
• In 2012, ALTANA reached all of the environmental key performance indicator
targets it had set, and in most cases far exceeded them.
•The environmental management systems of ELANTAS Italia and ACTEGA
Colorchemie were certified in accordance with ISO 14001 for the first time.
• ECKART became the first ALTANA company to receive a certificate in compliance
with ISO 50001 for its energy management system.
• The audit of the new BYK chemical laboratory based on the guidelines of the
Green Building Council was successfully completed. The lab received a LEED
Platinum certificate for ecological construction in 2013.
• ELANTAS Beck India’s new energy-efficient administrative building in Pimpri went
into operation. The architects, who specialize in environmentally compatible construction, received the AESA (Architects Engineers Surveyor Association) Award
for 2013.
• Renovation of ELANTAS PDG’s administrative building and laboratory began with
several measures to improve energy efficiency.
• ALTANA’s information and communications technology was made more energy
and resource efficient.
Highlights and lowlights 67
• ECKART decided to convert production operations in Günthersthal from oil to
natural gas.
• New construction measures at ACTEGA Rhenacoat led to improved soil and fire
protection.
• ALTANA developed numerous products that help its clients work in a safer and
more environmentally friendly way.
• With an especially flexible sealant material for weight-reduced crown caps
ACTEGA DS makes an important contribution to resource efficiency.
• ACTEGA increased the proportion of water in its raw materials to 34 percent.
Lowlights
• In 2012, ALTANA reported four significant incidents, with one employee
suffering burns in one of the accidents.
• With 7.3 occupational accidents, we did not achieve our target for 2012 of
a maximum of four occupational accidents with lost work time of one day
or more per million working hours (WAI 1).
• There are still not enough women in leading positions at ALTANA.
• Due to violations of environmental and chemicals law, ALTANA had to pay
fines amounting to € 38,660.
• CO2 emissions from logistics could not be recorded yet (see page 45).
• The product “IReflex” did not achieve the expected market success yet.
• Nor did benzpinacol, a safe alternative to peroxides for polymerization,
attain the desired success on the market.
68 Sustainability Report 2012
Programs / goals
Core management tools for increasing performance include
the measurement of performance indicators, the definition
of goals, the development and implementation of action
plans, and the review of goal attainment. The latter is part
of the target evaluation that determines the variable in-
come components of executive managers. The list below
shows our goals for performance indicators and various
measures. The individual ALTANA companies also have
detailed action plans in the context of their respective management systems.
Management
Certification of three companies in accordance with ISO 14001 or similar standards
End of 2013
Certification of additional non-certified companies in accordance with ISO 14001 or similar standards
Ongoing
Certification of BYK’s energy management system in accordance with ISO 50001
End of 2014
Certification of further companies in Germany in accordance with ISO 50001
End of 2015
Implementation of a crisis management system at BYK
End of 2013
Open House event at all German companies
Sept. 2014
Safety summaries for the substances to be registered in 2013 to support the Global Product Strategy
End of 2013
Continued communication of ALTANA requirements for cooperation with suppliers in the context of supplier
visits and audits (Global Compact)
Ongoing
Products
Expanded development of water-based coatings, especially at ACTEGA
Ongoing
Use of renewable raw materials (without quantification)
Ongoing
Additional lifecycle assessments (LCA)
Ongoing
Development of further additives and pigments for waterborne coatings
Ongoing
Development of products for resource efficiency
Ongoing
Development of products for energy efficiency
Ongoing
Development of additional products with FoodSafe seal
Ongoing
Safety
WAI 1 below 3 or WAI 2 below 2.1 occupational accidents per million working hours
By 2013
WAI 3 below 50 lost work days per million working hours
End of 2013
Reduction of significant incidents; no significant incidents in the long run
Ongoing
Programs /goals 69
Safety improvement measures from best practice example
End of 2013
Implementation of Management Development Program (MDP) “Safety on the Job”
End of 2013
Training to avoid and communicate significant incidents
End of 2013
Definition of new occupational safety goals for the period after 2013
End of 2013
Environment
Reduction of specific environmental impact (in terms of gross value added):
CO2 emissions
- 30 %
2007 - 2020
CO2 emissions
- 9 %
2012 - 2020
Drinking water
- 5 %
2012 - 2017
Hazardous waste
- 5 %
2012 - 2017
Non-hazardous waste
- 5 %
2012 - 2017
Hazardous waste for disposal
- 5 %
2012 - 2017
Non-hazardous waste for disposal
- 5 %
2012 - 2017
Various measures to conserve water
Ongoing
Various measures to reduce waste
Ongoing
Switch from crude oil to natural gas for heating and process heat at ECKART in Güntersthal
End of 2013
Various measures for energy efficiency and using renewable energies
Ongoing
Energy generation with a combined heat and power plant at ELANTAS Italia in Ascoli:
regular operation and profitability
End of 2013
Energy generation with a combined heat and power plant at BYK in Wesel
End of 2014
Result of the finished-product logistics project in Germany
End of 2014
Human resources
Increase in percentage of women managers
Ongoing
Sickness absence recording for preventive health care
End of 2013
Additional measures to further establish new Guiding Principles
Ongoing
Definition of further HR key figures
End of 2013
70 Sustainability Report 2012
GRI index
The ALTANA Sustainability Report 2012 follows the G3 guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). The index below
provides an overview of all GRI indicators that were applied
and their status, i.e. the extent to which ALTANA covered
these indicators in this report. ALTANA takes a stance on
further indicators on its website at
www.altana.com/sustainability.
GRI standard disclosure
GRI standard disclosure
Reference
Status
Reference
Status
1 Strategy and analysis
1.1 Preface of the CEO
1.2 Description of key impacts, risks,
and opportunities
4
4.6 Mechanisms to avoid conflicts of interest
11, 12
9 -12
4.7 Qualification of executive bodies for
sustainability
10, 11
4.8 Guiding principles, company values and
codes of conduct
11, 12
4.9 Procedures of the executive / supervisory
board level for overseeing the organization's
sustainability performance
9, 10
4.10 Process for evaluating the sustainability
performance of the executive board
9, 10
4.11 Implementation of precautionary approach
10, 11, 15, 17- 25
4.12 Support for external initiatives
4, 14, 15, 44 2 Organizational profile
2.1 Name of the organization
C, 9
2.2 Primary brands, products and / or services
C, 9
2.3 Divisions and operational structure
C, 1, 9, 10
2.4 Location of organization’s headquarters
C, 9
2.5 Countries with major operations
AR
2.6 Ownership structure
C
2.7 Markets served
1, 10
2.8 Scale of the organization
C, 1, AR
4.13 Memberships in associations and interest groups 14, 15
2.9 Significant changes during the reporting period 9
2.10 Awards received in the reporting period
13, 15
3 Report parameters
4.14 List of stakeholder groups engaged by
the organization
13
4.15 Stakeholder selection
14
4.16 Approaches to stakeholder engagement
13
4.17 Key topics of stakeholders
14
3.1 Reporting period
C
3.2 Date of last report
October 2012
3.3 Reporting cycle
C
3.4 Contact point for questions regarding
the report
C
3.5 Process for defining report content
11, 13, 14
EC1 Direct economic value generated and distributed 1, AR
3.6 Boundary of the report
C, Internet
EC2 Financial implications of climate change
Internet
3.7 Limitations on the scope of the report
Internet
Internet
3.8 Joint ventures, subsidiaries, outsourcing
Internet
EC3 Benefit plan obligations 3.9 Data measurement
EC4 Financial assistance received from government
Internet
Internet
EC6 Spending on local suppliers
Internet
EC7 Proportion of managers hired from the
local community
51
EC8 Investments in infrastructure and services
provided for public benefit
44, 45, 53 - 57
3.10 Changes to the statement of information
provided in earlier reports
5 Performance indicators
Economic
C
3.11 Changes from previous reporting periods
in the scope, boundary, or measurement
methods
Internet
3.12 GRI Content index
70, 71
3.13 External assurance of the report
Internet
4 Governance, commitments, and engagement
Management approach
9, 10
Environmental
Management approach
9, 10
EN1 Materials used by weight or volume
42
EN2 Percentage of materials used that are recycled
Internet
59
4.1 Governance structure
9, AR
4.2 Independence of supervisory board chairman
9, AR
EN3 Direct energy consumption by primary
energy source
9, AR
EN4 Indirect energy consumption by primary
energy source
60
EN5 Energy savings
36 - 40, 59, 60
EN6 Energy-efficient products and services
17,18, 20
EN8 Total water withdrawal by source
42, 61
EN11Use of protected areas Internet
4.3 Supervisory board or independent members of
the executive board
4.4 Mechanisms for shareholders and employees
to provide recommendations or direction to the
executive / supervisory board
4.5 Linkage between executive compensation
and company performance
AR
AR
GRI index 71
Status legend
Completely covered
Partly covered
Not covered
C = Cover
AR = Annual Report 2012
Internet = www.altana.com/sustainability
GRI standard disclosure
Reference
Status
GRI standard disclosure
Reference
EN12Impact of company activity on biodiversity
in protected areas
Internet
EN14Strategies for protecting biodiversity
10, 45
EN16Direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions
60, 61
HR1 Investment agreements with review
or human rights clauses
Internet
EN17Additional relevant greenhouse gas emissions
(e.g. due to business travel)
45
HR2 Percentage of suppliers that have undergone
screening on human rights and actions taken
15
EN18Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
HR4 Incidents of discrimination and actions taken
11
10, 36 - 41, 60, 61 EN19Emissions of ozone-depleting substances
by weight
Internet
Status
Human rights
EN20NOX, SOX and other significant air emissions
by weight
20, 21, 40 EN21Water discharges
43
EN22Waste by type and disposal method
43, 44, 62, 63
EN23Number and volume of significant spills
32
EN26Initiatives to mitigate the environmental
impacts of products and services
Management approach
11, 12
HR5Operations in which the right to exercise
freedom of association and collective
bargaining may be at risk Internet
HR6Operations at risk of incidents of child labor
11,12
HR7Operations at risk of incidents of forced
or compulsory labor
Internet
Society
Management approach
9 -11
SO1Impacts of operations on communities
and society Internet
17- 25
EN27Percentage of products and their packaging
materials that were reclaimed by category
SO2Business units screened for risk related
to corruption
11
Internet
EN28Fines / sanctions for non-compliance with
environmental laws and regulations
SO3 Percentage of employee trained in
anti-corruption policies
11
67
SO4 Actions taken after incidents of corruption
11
Social
SO5 Policy positions and participation in public
policy development and lobbying
14, 15, 22, 23, 25
Labor practices and decent work
SO7 Legal actions for anti-competitive behavior
Internet
SO8 Fines / sanctions for non-compliance with
laws and regulations
Internet
Management approach
9, 11, 34, 35
LA1 Workforce by employment type and region
Internet
LA2 Employee turnover by age group, gender,
and region
Internet
LA4 Percentage of employees covered by
collective bargaining agreements
Internet
LA5 Notice periods regarding significant
operational changes
Internet
LA7 Injuries, absenteeism, and fatalities
32, 33, 65
LA8 Risk-control and programs regarding
serious diseases
22, 23, 25, 29 - 35
LA10Average hours of training by employee
category
Internet
LA11Skills management and lifelong learning
Internet
LA12Performance and career development reviews Internet
LA13Composition of senior management and
employee structure (e.g. age / gender / culture) 51, 65
LA14Ratio of basic salary of men to women
by employee category
Internet
Product responsibility
Management approach PR1 Lifecycle stages of products in which safety
and health effects were assessed
19 - 23
Internet
PR3 Principles / processes for product identification 22, 23
PR6 Programs for adherence to laws and voluntary
codes in advertising
Internet
PR9 Significant fines for non-compliance with
laws and regulations concerning the use
of products and services
Internet
72 Sustainability Report 2012
Progress notes on the Global Compact
By participating in the U.N. Global Compact, we commit to respecting human rights, creating socially compatible working
conditions, promoting environmental protection, and fighting corruption.
Principle
Page
Measure taken
Principle 1Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights
29 - 35, 51, 65
Health management, occupational safety,
employee suggestion system
Principle 2Make sure that they are not complicit in human
rights abuses
15
Search for suppliers, supplier agreements,
audits, Global Compact on the Internet
Principle 3Businesses should uphold the freedom of association
and the effective recognition of the right to
collective bargaining
15
Supplier agreements
Principle 4The elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labor
N/A
Principle 5 The abolition of child labor
11, 12, 55
Compliance management system, support
of education initiatives, fair payment
Principle 6The elimination of discrimination in respect of
employment and occupation
11, 12, 49, 51
Fair treatment, compliance management
system, training, investigations, surveys, diversity
Principle 7Businesses should support a precautionary approach
to environmental challenges
13, 68, 69
Energy and environmental management
system, goals
Principle 8Undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility
37 - 45, 68, 69
Process optimizations, technical updates,
programs and goals
Principle 9Encourage the development and diffusion of
environmentally friendly technologies
17 - 25
Management, product innovations, use of
renewable sources and water
11
Training, audits
Human Rights
Labor
Environment
Anti-corruption
Principle 10Businesses should work against corruption in all its
forms, including extortion and bribery
Imprint
Published by
ALTANA AG
Abelstr. 43
46483 Wesel
Germany
Tel + 49 281 670 - 8
Fax + 49 281 670 -10999
info@altana.com
www.altana.com
Responsible for the content:
ALTANA AG
Contact
Corporate Communications
Andrea Neumann
Tel + 49 281 670 -10900
Fax + 49 281 670 -10999
Andrea.Neumann@altana.com
Environment, Health & Safety
Dr. Andreas Diez
Tel + 49 281 670 -10600
Fax + 49 281 670 -10649
Andreas.Diez@altana.com
Design, editing, and layout
crossrelations brandworks GmbH, Düsseldorf
Heike Dimkos, ALTANA AG
Images
ALTANA AG
gettyimages
iStockphoto
Print
Eberl Print, Immenstadt
Printed with products manufactured by ALTANA
TerraGreen® matt coating, G5/100 silky matt by ACTEGA Terra;
formulated with BYK additives
Date of publication: October 2013
ALTANA AG
Abelstr. 43
46483 Wesel
Germany
Tel +49 281 670 - 8
Fax +49 281 670 -10999
info@altana.com
www.altana.com