Environment

It is our long-standing policy to conduct business in a manner that considers the environmental as well as social and economic needs of the communities in which we operate. We seek to drive incidents with environmental impact to zero, and to operate in a manner that is not harmful to the environment.

Our Operations Integrity Management System (OIMS) provides the framework for managing safety, health, security and environmental risks at our facilities. For new projects and developments, environmental and social impact assessments are conducted, with results integrated into project decision making. An Environmental Business Planning process is used systematically to identify and integrate environmental improvement initiatives into local business decisions.

Throughout our activities, we are committed to continuous efforts to improve environmental performance. A leadership-driven initiative called Protect Tomorrow. Today. reinforces expectations to all business lines for superior environmental performance.

Reducing our greenhouse gas emissions

We recognise that the impact of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on society and ecosystems may prove to be significant and justifies taking action.

Worldwide, we are working with the scientific and business communities on leading research to identify economically viable technologies that can meet future energy demand while dramatically reducing global GHG emissions. This includes work on advanced fuels, lubricants and combustion technologies, as well as support for the Global Climate and Energy Project (GCEP) at Stanford University, which represents the largest-ever privately funded research effort in low-GHG energy.

Our efforts to manage GHG emissions include actions to reduce energy use and emissions in our own operations. We focus on recovering and reusing heat, improving facilities to reduce heat loss, and improving energy utilisation. Through our proprietary Global Energy Management System, we incorporate energy efficiency improvements into the routine operation of our business.

Protecting the local environment

In 2009, our ethylene plant at Fife won two awards from the US-based Wildlife Habitat Council. The awards recognised the site’s success in developing environmental education programmes for local schoolchildren and in encouraging employee involvement in environmental initiatives.

At our Fawley refinery and Leatherhead offices we place particular emphasis on protecting the local environment for our local flora and fauna. Our Leatherhead site supports a wide range of wildlife, including badgers, foxes, squirrels, herons, woodpeckers, grass snakes and even adders. The thriving saltmarsh that borders the site at Fawley is a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) that’s home to over 20 species of birds. The rest of the site is surrounded by a thick screen of some 50,000 established trees and shrubs, which provide a natural woodland habitat.