Proper disposal must be proven and documented in internal records. It is important to know the plant from which the waste originates, the amounts that accrue and the time period during which they accrue, the properties of the waste components, whether the waste can be classified as hazardous, and how it can be recycled or disposed of. The total amount of waste produced by Clariant has decreased significantly in recent years.
Waste data at each individual site is assigned to the respective producers and waste disposal companies and evaluated. Waste disposal companies are chosen and reviewed according to strict quality controls. The reviews are recorded and the information is exchanged among Clariant’s specific sites. These measures, taken together, ensure continuous monitoring and control of all waste streams at the locations.
No longer treatable materials, such as filter dust or distillation residues, are disposed of in special landfills or incinerated. The quantity of these substances is constantly falling thanks to improvements in the manufacturing process and continually reduced amounts of waste.
Recycling before disposal
Clariant tries, wherever possible, to use recycled materials in production. However, due to the specific conditions in the industry, this share is small because recycled raw materials for specialty chemicals, as Clariant manufactures them, usually cannot be utilized due to the high demands on the level of purity and for safety reasons. Clariant therefore uses almost entirely new and – where possible and where it makes sense – increasingly renewable raw materials for direct intermediate products.
It is a different picture for auxiliary materials, for product purifications and separations of materials during the production process. In these instances, there is quite often an internal recirculation, meaning materials are being used multiple times. However, the tracking of these corresponding quantities is not possible in a meaningful way due to the recirculation of materials integrated in the processes.