Nature.is

Hazardous Chemicals / Synthetic Chemicals - guidelines

Products that people buy and use on a daily basis contain chemicals whose purpose is to enhance the life of the product, make them softer, decrease the risk of fire, etc. Our consumption pattern is reflected in the home in a way that most people do not realize. Það er til dæmis hægt að greina yfir 150 mismunandi efni í “rykrottum” á hverju meðalheimili. Many of those chemicals have been classified as harmful by the EC, that is, they are poisonous, lipidic and do not biodegrade in the body. The great amount of many chemicals in our home is the main reason that chemicals increase faster in humans than in the natural environment. Domestic chemical use is the main source of synthetic chemicals in nature.

With new legislation within the European Union in 1981, it became necessary to register, not evaluate, all chemicals that are produced and sold within the EC. Applications for registration were received for 100,106 chemicals. It is estimated that today there are up to 70,000 chemicals in use within the countries of the EC, and of those, there are around 30,000 which are produced in higher quantities than one ton per company per year. Only around 5% of the chemicals used have undergone some kind of risk assessment. Therefore our knowledge of the impact of chemicals in general on both human health and the environment is still severely limited.

Many people believe that the chemicals used today as constituents in, for instance, shampoo’s , clothing, construction materials, toys and other things are all carefully tested and accepted by the environmental and health authorities. It is more apt to say that those chemicals are not forbidden since there is no law or regulation in effect which demands that the producer check the danger of those chemicals before they are used in the product or sold in another way.

It is however the duty of public authorities to investigate the chemicals in use and if such is the case, prove that they can be harmful to human health and the environment. Then those chemicals can effectively be banned. The burden of proof, thus, lies with the public authorities not with the companies that market the chemicals. Nature.is considers it only natural that the general consumer is informed about the effects of the various chemicals that are or can be part of a product. It is, therefore demanded by law that the producer/seller list and report to the public authorities what type of classification and which safety and precautionary measures apply to the chemical in question based on current law and regulations. There is, therefore, only a demand that the producer/seller in question report to the authorities the information required by law that he has to report anyway, on, for instance Material and Safety data sheets or on the commercial labeling of products.

Information about classification along with safety and precautionary labels is to be found in regulation 236/1990 [pertains to the classification, labelling and handling of hazardous chemicals and consumer products which contain such chemicals)] with later changes. Here it is correct to point out that in some cases the producer of the chemicals has to supply MSDS (Material Safety and Data sheets).

Example:

Chemicals such as flame retardants with bromide found in electric appliances, electrical chords, textiles, curtains, tapestry and furniture are considered harmful to the environment and may also have an effect on fertility and in other ways impair the health of human beings.

Plasticizers, so called phtalates, used in glue, paint, varnish, cosmetics, perfumes, plastic in floor materials and in certain toys are considered harmful to the environment and they too may also have a detrimental effect on fertility and in other ways impact on the health of human beings.

Biological chemicals with TBT which is, for instance, found in boat paint, textiles, clothing, leather products and floormats, besides being harmful to the environment are considered irritants for the skin and eyes.

Surface active chemicals for example, in soap and detergents that are harmful to the environment can also produce eczema and other skin diseases.

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Environmental Standards for Companies

What are Environmental Standards?

Environmental standards are by nature not different from financial goals. The purpose of both is to measure the concrete results of the company’s production in the different areas. But even though it’s easy to assert that financial and environmental goals are interdependent, there is one fundamental difference. The financial goals have developed through decades or even ages while environmental standards are a relatively new phenomenon. Businesses didn’t start setting environmental standards and priorities until around 1996 when the ISO 14001 standard was first approved. This fundamental difference between financial and environmental goals is, however, of a great practical significance.

The fiscal accounting of companies usually aim at managing in an accessible manner the key financial figures. The systems are constructed so that all the most relevant financial information can be derived from the system in order to strengthen the company’s position in the world of strong competition. Environmental information is by default not incorporated into the information systems of companies as financial information is. To define environmental standards and goals is actually not difficult as such. The complexity arises when figuring out how and where to collect environmental information from the company’s information system.

As environmental information is often somewhat limited, there is a general tendency to measure those environmental factors that can be measured instead of measuring those factors that are critical. The basis for all standards and goals is to know the basic position before the standards and goals are put forward. Without knowing the current position it is very difficult to know whether specific goals have been met or standards have been fulfilled.

Not knowing the current position is probably the most common mistake companies make when defining their environmental goals. The goals often become nothing else than a pretty purpose without possible verification of whether they have been reached or not. A basic precondition for all goal making is to define the current position before the goals and standards are defined.

The Nature of Good Environmental Standards:

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Hinn óbeini sparnaður umhverfisstarfs

Þó svo að hinn beini sparnaður sem hlýst af umhverfisstarfi sé mikilvægur er hinn óbeini jafnvel enn mikilvægari.

Fyrsti hluti umhverfisstarfs er umhverfisúttekt. Hún felur í raun í sér að fyrirtækið kortleggur útgjöld sín vegna hita og rafmagns, eldsneytis og aksturs, hráefna, pappírsnotkunar, úrgangsgjöld o.s.frv.

Næsta skref er að setja þetta í samhengi við rekstur fyrirtækisins og búa til lykiltölur til að fylgjast með. Þó það hljómi sjálfsagt þá eykur þetta verulega skilning stjórnenda og ekki síður starfsmanna á eðli rekstrarins, útgjöldum og verðlagningu á vörum og þjónustu. Auk þess verða allir meðvitaðri um kostnað og starfsmenn fara ósjálfrátt að hugsa um umhverfismál og kostnað. Sparnaður og að gera hlutina rétt verður ákveðið gildi innan fyrirtækisins.

Það er erfitt að útskýra þetta öðruvísi en með dæmi. Flestir þeir sem hafa búið erlendis og hafa flokkað úrgang í nokkur ár hafa átt afskaplega erfitt þegar þeir koma aftur til Íslands og það er ekki boðið upp á sorpflokkun. Gildismat hefur breyst og fólk gerir sér ekki grein fyrir því fyrr en það er sett aftur í sömu aðstæður og það var áður en hegðunarmynstrið breytist. Sóun sem var áður ósjálfráð sættir fólk sig ekki við í dag.

Hinn óbeini sparnaður er margvíslegur og snertir fyrirtæki á flestum sviðum.

Fyrirtæki sem er með gott orðspor í umhverfismálum á auðveldara með að afla sér tilskilinna leyfa fyrir starfseminni þar sem að fólk er ósjálfrátt jákvæðara gagnvart þessum fyrirtækjum. Fyrirtækin fá einnig jákvæðari umfjöllun í fjölmiðlum o.s.frv. Þessi fyrirtæki þekkja starfsemi sína betur en flest önnur fyrirtæki og geta yfirleitt brugðist fljótt og málefnalega við orðrómi eða athugasemdum sem annars hefðu orðið þeim til vandræða. Geti fyrirtæki til dæmis ekki gert grein fyrir mengunartölum, mengunarkostnaði eða öðru þegar slys ber að höndum opinberar það að það hafi ekki nægilega stjórn eða þekkingu á málefnum fyrirtækisins sem leiðir af sér grunsemdir gagnvart fyrirtækinu og hefur áhrif á orðspor þess.

Góð þekking fyrirtækja á umhverfismálum leiðir til bætts orðspors og ímyndar um að það sé að gera það rétta. Það í sjálfu sér leiðir til betra orðspors á fjármálamörkuðum eða fjármálastofnunum sem leiðri til betri kjara. Umhverfisstarf bætir einnig samband fyrirtækisins við hagsmunaaðila eins og umhverfissamtök, íbúasamtök og félagasamtök. Það bætir einnig aðgengi að mörkuðum þar sem fyrirtæki sem vinnur að umhverfismálum velur sér gjarnan samstarfsaðila sem hugsa á svipuðum nótum og þeir sjálfir. Umhverfisstarf byggir upp traust opinbera aðila sem leiðir til auðveldara og traustara samstarfs við opinbera aðila varðandi leyfisveitingar og opinbert eftirlit.

Sá hluti sem oftast gleymist er að umhverfisstarf bætir starfsanda og gerir fyrirtækjum léttara að laða að sér hæft starfsfólk. Rétt ímynd fyrirtækja skiptir meira og meira máli þegar fólk velur sér vinnu. Fólk velur sér vinnustað þar sem því líður vel og þar sem það getur verið stolt af vinnustaðnum. Fyrirtæki með rétta viðskiptahugmynd hefur úr stærri hópi atvinnuumsækjenda að velja. Það er ekki margt ungt fólk í dag sem velur sér vinnu með þá framtíðarsýn að geta litið til baka þegar það fer á eftirlaun og sagt “ég spillti náttúrinni”. Til að gera þetta enn sýnilegra, hver vill selja sígarettur allt sitt líf og hafa á samviskunni að 20.000 manns hafi fengið krabbamein.

Fyrirtæki sem eru að gera rétta hluti geta valið úr stærri hópi umsækjanda og þurfa ekki að greiða eins mikið fyrir hæft starfsfólk.

Sjá „Eru umhverfismerktar vörur dýrar“?

Grafik: Guðrún Tryggvadóttir ©Náttúran.is

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What are Environmental Standards?

Environmental standards are by nature not different from financial goals. The purpose of both is to measure the concrete results of the company’s production in the different areas. But even though it’s easy to assert that financial and environmental goals are interdependent, there is one fundamental difference. The financial goals have developed through decades or even ages while environmental standards are a relatively new phenomenon. Businesses didn’t start setting environmental standards and priorities until around 1996 when the ISO 14001 standard was first approved. This fundamental difference between financial and environmental goals is, however, of a great practical significance.

The fiscal accounting of companies usually aim at managing in an accessible manner the key financial figures. The systems are constructed so that all the most relevant financial information can be derived from the system in order to strengthen the company’s position in the world of strong competition. Environmental information is by default not incorporated into the information systems of companies as financial information is. To define environmental standards and goals is actually not difficult as such. The complexity arises when figuring out how and where to collect environmental information from the company’s information system.

As environmental information is often somewhat limited, there is a general tendency to measure those environmental factors that can be measured instead of measuring those factors that are critical. The basis for all standards and goals is to know the basic position before the standards and goals are put forward. Without knowing the current position it is very difficult to know whether specific goals have been met or standards have been fulfilled.

Not knowing the current position is probably the most common mistake companies make when defining their environmental goals. The goals often become nothing else than a pretty purpose without possible verification of whether they have been reached or not. A basic precondition for all goal making is to define the current position before the goals and standards are defined.

See “The Nature of Good Environmental Standards“.

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What comes in must go out

What comes in must go out

Rather fancifully it can be said that defining environmental goals depends on measuring what comes in and must go out. By measuring that which we consume and release we can estimate how much is wasted within the company. More waste means more environmental damage, which usually is also connected to economical values as well. The environmental standards usually try to make more from less, which also can be called more environmental efficiency.

What comes in

By defining what comes in we are discussing for instance the following options:

• Use and purchase of raw materials
• Water use
• Warm water use
• Energy use
• Fuel use
• Energy use (fuel use, electricity and warm water put together)
• Use of chemicals
• Use of paper
• Purchase cost of other products as a percentage of annual turnover (both factors are expected to change depending on inflation)

An example of environmental goals are:

• Warm water use per employee or per square meter of space
• Electricity use per employee, space volume, produced units or annual turnover
• Fuel use per each driven km as a percentage of the annual turnover
• Total paper use, as a percentage of turnover or number of employees
• Purchase cost as a percentage of total turnover
• Percentage of environmentally friendly products of total purchased items
• Certain percentages of vehicles should spend less than 7 dm3 per 100 km
• Chemical use per square meter during cleaning with reference to the type of detergent used

What goes out

Outflow is usually divided into the pollution of water and the ocean, atmospheric pollution and waste. Here we may be considering the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, aerosol pollution, sulfuric pollution or other emissions that can be traced back to the industry in question. It is most common that companies assess their waste production for the simple reason, that it is usually easy to assess, even though it not always the most important environmental factor.
It is becoming more common that companies assess carbon dioxide pollution rather than energy use, as renewable energy sources such as methane and hydrogen are becoming more common. Outside Iceland energy sources such as ethanol and biofuels, windmills etc. are becoming more prevalent. It is possible to influence aerosol pollution by using the right vehicles and tires. Waste can be minimized using sorting at the source and also by buying the right products. Buying garbage is creating garbage right from the start.

Examples of environmental goals of waste going out:

• Emissions of carbon dioxide as the percentage of annual turnover or as per driven km
• Number of methane cars or cars using renewable fuels
• Percentage of waste depending on total purchasing
• Percentage of unsorted waste
• Percentage of cars using studded tires or tires that have no HA oils

Other goals

Other goals that companies create for themselves are related to activities that can be influenced without repercussions for the production process of the company itself. Those goals encompass for instance, increasing environmental awareness among employees or encouragement for employees to become more environmentally friendly. Sometimes the company creates possibilities for employees to engage in environmentally friendly activities in their spare time. Companies can for instance allow employees to engage in an environmental project one working day each year, if the project reflects the goals and values of the company in question.

Examples of such goals can be:

• Number of employees which have received environmental education or some kind of introduction to environmental affairs
• Number of employees which use public transport or who drive together to work (companies can for instance pay for bus fares)
• Number of employees which sort their waste at home (or which have a recycling bin)
• Number of employees that engage in environmental projects supported by the company and employer

Summary
Here above, the main factors have been discussed which are necessary to keep in mind when companies set their goals both related to the environment and otherwise. The goals can be very different depending on companies and their type of business. Service providers often set goals for themselves which are related to waste disposal, employees and fuel use, while producing companies emphasize better use of raw materials and energy usage. It does not matter which type of company we’re talking about. Everyone can set thenself a goal. The first step, to assess the situation as it now is, is the most important step. Usually many unexpected things are revealed during such assessment. To design environmental goals is a process that can take a couple of years. It is easy to set the first goals, because many environmental aspects can be selected. At the same time the first goals can be difficult to define, as the basic position is often not known and it is a learning process to find and summarize the information so that it reflects the goal in question. This learning process can last from 12 to 36 months.

Grafik: Guðrún Tryggvadóttir and Signý Kolbeinsdóttir ©Nature.is

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