MOSCOW (MRC) -- Hexion Inc., a major American manufacturer of phenol and bisphenol A (BPA), has recently announced that in order to help address climate change, it has committed to reduce absolute carbon emissions by 20% by 2030, according to BusinessWire.
A leading producer of adhesives, coatings and composite resins, Hexion’s commitment encompasses “Scope 1” and “Scope 2” emissions, which are direct and indirect greenhouse emissions from operations and consumed energy. The reduction target is compared to 2017, the baseline year of operations.
Hexion is also reviewing its “Scope 3” emissions, which are those associated with all other aspects of the company' business, such as raw materials, product use and disposal, waste generation, business travel, and the impact of associate commuting, among others. The establishment of the greenhouse gas reduction commitment follows a 2020 materiality assessment where Hexion engaged with various internal and external stakeholders. From that assessment, the company determined its most important areas of focus, which included formalizing the following goals:
- Minimizing climate change impact - Hexion will strive to protect against climate change throughout its business lifecycle by efficiently using natural resources, optimizing existing processes and enhancing products and technologies through continuous innovation.
- Developing innovative sustainable products - Hexion is committed that by 2030, all new products will incorporate sustainable attributes.
- Enhancing worker safety/well-being - By 2022, Hexion will offer a voluntary well-being program that addresses associate physical, mental, and financial well-being with the goal of 50% associate participation in the program by 2025. Hexion also re-affirmed its commitment to continue to drive toward zero recordable injuries.
- Reducing spills and releases - Hexion has committed to reduce spill mass and releases by 80 percent by 2025.
- Maintaining product stewardship - Hexion remains committed to implementing the Responsible Care Product Safety Code and will continue to be transparent and communicate to key stakeholders regarding its stewardship programs such as risk reviews and reduction of substances of concern.
As further validation of its commitment to more sustainable operations, Hexion also recently received its first ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award, one of the highest honors bestowed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR program. Hexion was recognized for numerous successes in waste reduction and energy efficiency throughout the company since 2014. In that time, Hexion has reduced global energy intensity by 28%, executed more than 250 sustainability projects, and produced water and energy savings of approximately USD14 million, including USD2 million in 2020 alone. Each year, the ENERGY STAR program honors a group of businesses and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through superior energy achievements. ENERGY STAR Award Winners lead their industries in the production, sale, and adoption of energy-efficient products, services, and strategies. These efforts are essential to fighting the climate crisis and protecting public health.
As MRC informed before, Hexion shut down its BPA plant in the Netherlands for scheduled maintenance in early November, 2020. The turnaround at this plant with a capacity of 120,000 mtyear of BPA, located in Pernis, the Netherlands, lasted until the end of November, 2020.
Bisphenol A is used as a hardener in the production of plastics, as well as plastic-based products. It is one of the key monomers in the production of epoxy resins and polycarbonate (PC).
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated consumption of PC granules (excluding imports and exports to/from Belarus) rose in January-May 2021 by 8% year on year to 42,200 tonnes (38,900 tonnes a year earlier).
Hexion Inc., formerly Momentive Specialty Chemicals Inc., is a chemical company based in Columbus, Ohio. It manufactures thermosetting resins and related technologies and specialty products. Hexion has two divisions: the epoxy, phenolic and coating resins division and the forest products division.
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