Resource use and circular economy

Our production processes for nitrogen and methanol products produce limited by-products and are not waste intensive. Our distribution processes are primarily bulk shipments with minimal packaging required. Almost all the waste we produce is non-hazardous and primarily result from maintenance activities. Each facility monitors and minimizes its hazardous and non-hazardous waste through active waste management programs.

The primary source of hazardous waste is spent catalyst, which is disposed of safely as per local regulations. We minimize potential waste leakage, effluents, or spills through primary and secondary containment systems that are regularly inspected. All processes undergo regular reviews by our HSE teams to identify and implement waste reduction opportunities where possible.

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is almost 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2) as a greenhouse gas and is primarily produced by our nitric acid plants. We have invested in our nitric acid plants to bring our nitrogen oxide (NOx) and N2O emissions down by installing best available abatement technology such as de-NOx or selective catalytic reduction units and catalyst replacements through our responsible catalyst management processes.

As a result of these investments, our global N2O emissions are lower than the global average for nitric acids plants, and our overall NOx emissions are lower than the global average for nitric acid plants. We continue to evaluate ways to achieve further reductions of our NOx and N2O emissions.

None of our production facilities are located near protected areas or areas of high biodiversity, and we are not required to maintain a biodiversity management plan for any of our sites. We comply with all relevant regulatory requirements and environmental policies when assessing new projects, which would include environmental and biodiversity impact assessments wherever relevant.