Clariant is a chemical company with a long-standing history and some of its production sites are more than a hundred years old. New locations were chosen because of the required infrastructure in already existing industrial settlements. For these reasons, Clariant’s properties for plants and office buildings are located today almost exclusively in industrial parks or appropriate commercial districts. Because of these targeted locations, animal and plant species included on the Red List of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) and on national protection lists are not visibly affected by Clariant’s business activities.
Clariant does not operate any sites in biological reserves or in areas with a high biodiversity value. If forests, which are generally unprotected areas, are located in the immediate vicinity, Clariant ensures that the nature of the plant and the activity carried out there do not have an appreciable adverse effect on the flora and fauna there. In areas recultivated by Clariant following bentonite extraction (such as Southern Bavaria), certain types of animals that are on the Red List of Threatened Species have even repopulated.
With regard to plants located next to rivers, Clariant has laid down strict environmental regulations so that its activities have no registerable impact on the surrounding flora and fauna. The waste water produced by Clariant in the year under review had no measurable impact on biodiversity. Clariant mostly operates plants in integrated industrial sites without sensitive adjacent areas.