Pollution prevention

Policies and commitments

Focused on the active prevention of any identified pollution risk from the Company's activities, in accordance with the key pillars of its Environmental Policy, MYTILINEOS embraces and fully integrates the internationally accepted Principles of Responsible Business of the UN Global Compact, within which the protection of the environment is highlighted as a special area of commitment. In particular, through:

  • Principle 7, the Company supports a precautionary approach to environmental challenges.
  • Principle 8, undertakes initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility.
  • Principle 9, encourages the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.

Through its business practices and overall approach to environmental issues, MYTILINEOS is committed to promoting a work and social environment that demonstrates respect for Human Rights, and its ongoing concern to preventing environmental incidents that could call into question the protection of Human Rights directly related to the natural environment, in line with the key pillars of MYTILINEOS Corporate Social Responsibility Policy and the Human Rights Policy which sets out the basic principles relating to the respect for human rights and sets the framework for managing employment.

Impacts and major risks

Impacts

Failure to prevent and manage the relevant risks could have a significant impact on the Company’s economic, industrial and natural capital, leading to reduced value generated either through increased costs for addressing these incidents, or through possible administrative sanctions that may be imposed or the Company’s possible inability to continue to conduct its activities.

The proactive management of pollution risks is directly linked to the safe and socially and environmentally responsible operation of all the Company's facilities, as well as to actual positive impacts such as: the prevention of any land and marine pollution and the proper management (recycling, reuse) of waste and spills of hazardous materials into the soil, in accordance with the internationally agreed frameworks, reducing risks to human health and the environment.

Major risks

The possible deterioration of air quality, of surface and ground waters and of the marine environment, as well as pollution of the soil from industrial accidents are permanent potential risks for the Company, which can lead to outages, affect its financial position, strategy and reputation.

Management/Control practices

To address this risk, preventive and suppressive response measures are implemented in all MYTILINEOS Business Units.

In the Metallurgy Business Unit:

  • strict compliance with the Environmental Terms of the Metallurgy activity,
  • continuousmeasurement andmonitoringof gaseous emissions and suspended particulates,
  • measurement and monitoring of water discharges from point sources,
  • compliance with the measures provided for in the Safety Study,
  • conducting industrial accident response drills stipulated in the Safety Study,
  • final disposal of inert and non-hazardous waste in insulated areas with construction of a low water-permeability geological barrier,
  • implementation of Best Available Techniques in infrastructure and industrial waste management,
  • performing chemical analyses of wastewater at workshops and facilities, as well as specific analyses of wastewater discharged for various chemical parameters,
  • good knowledge and training on Emergency Response Plans,
  • operation of a fire protection department equipped with 3 fire engines, a permanent properly trained 18-member firefighting team and coordinating and training a team of volunteer firefighters,
  • appropriate storage anduse of chemicals in accordance with the instructions of the Safety Data Sheets,
  • systematic visual inspections of facilities,
  • preventive use of a floating anti-pollution barrier when unloading heavy fuel oil from tankers,
  • constant monitoring of the quality of natural recipients and comparison against standard quality values.

In the Power & Gas, Sustainable Engineering Solutions(SES) and Renewables and Storage Development (RSD) Business Units:

  • all the procedures provided for in the Environmental Management Systems and the Emergency Response Plans, as well as the facilities' operating and maintenance instructions,
  • monitoring of gaseous pollutant emissions,
  • best available options for reuse, recycling and disposal of the various types of waste generated,
  • training of personnel and readiness exercises for handling spills,
  • preventive maintenance programs,
  • selection of state-of-the-art equipment,
  • systematic visual environmental facility inspections,annual audits by independent external organizations for certification of the applied Environmental Management Systems.

International reference standards

  • there were no incidents of pollution of the natural environment from production activities, nor any industrial accidents in the overall activity of the Company.
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