As China tightens up its controls on air pollution and industrial emissions, including imposing a new tax on volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, chemical giant BASF SE is reporting progress in China on this front.
In its recently released Greater China annual report, BASF said it is continuously exploring new ways to minimize emissions.
The company managed to trim its emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) from its chemical operations in Greater China to 910,355 metric tons, down from 918,331 metric tons in 2013, despite increased production volume at several sites.
The company credited ongoing initiatives such as applying or optimizing low-carbon fuel.
“Many sites undertook energy saving and GHG emission reduction measures in 2014,” it said, using the examples of two sites in Shanghai and one site in Guangdong employing process optimization and reducing consumption.
Specifically on VOCs, BASF said it conducted a workshop in April 2014 about VOC reduction with an expert from BASF Germany. As a result, five sites in Shanghai completed VOC reduction programs that included, for instance, leakage detection and repair measures.
Emissions of air pollutants from BASF's chemical operations in Greater China totaled 548 metric tons, up from 530 metric tons in 2013. The increase was mainly due to production expansions in Jiangsu and Shanghai.
On a global basis, Ludwighshafen, Germany-based BASF has been publishing a comprehensive corporate carbon footprint since 2008, which covers all emissions along the value chain and shows the volume of emissions prevented through the use of our climate protection products.