Eco balance

One way to check and co-ordinate the elements of our environmental policy, as well as measuring progress, is the Eco Balance, which has been operational throughout Roto Smeets Group since 1994. The Eco Balance is a mass balance of all inflows and outflows of materials and has displayed a clear, continuous improvement in recent years, compared with 1994, the reference year.

The data produced by Roto Smeets Group are coordinated and validated by TME – the Institute for Applied Environmental Economics – which specialises in the economics and management of the environment and natural resources.

The Ecobalance measures the streams in the individual Roto Smeets Group plants and the plants as a whole. It is not just a record. If performance is accurately captured in terms of numbers, it becomes possible to set precise goals with plans for action, the results of which can also be precisely measured. Because the Ecobalance reveals the companies’ complete material budget, it can be used not only to manage emissions but also to help in the efficient management of raw materials and ancillary chemicals in the production process.

A more accurate picture is gained by comparing results for the previous five years.

Explanatory notes to the 2009 charts:

For Roto Smeets Group 2009 was a difficult year. The paper volume processed dropped by 6%. Since the environmental index figures are based in tons of paper input, the general indices, which are not directly related to the product, at first sight seem to be poorer than 2008. This is the case in particular for energy consumption. In absolute terms the energy consumption actually fell by 6.5%. As announced, a number of presses have been taken out of service, leading to a (minor) increase in the amount of recyclable waste. Packaging increased in particular due to a change to different pallets. Improvements over last year are scores that are directly related to production (index figures per ton of paper input), such as water consumption and process materials; in fact, performance in the emission of volatile organic compounds and the removal of hazardous waste was very much improved over last year.

WATER

Waterconsumption (in m3/tonne paperinput) 2005-2009

Compared to 2008, water consumption per ton of paper input declined slightly. Constant
attention to this consumption index has for a long time now been translated into a gradual
cut: consumption (per ton of paper input) is approximately 14% less than in 2005.

ENERGY

Energy consumption (Gigajoule/tonne paper input) 2005 - 2009

A significant part of the energy consumed is for space heating (mainly gas) and lighting
and is thus only to a limited extend related to production. In 2009 the Roto Smeets Group
adopted a number of measures and made investments to save energy. Examples are
the construction of a central press conduit system (to link presses that previously had
their own independent compressed air supply) and the replacement of two offset
presses by a single press with integrated afterburner. Other energy savings measures
have been employed in the office areas, too, such as movement sensors, low-energy
lighting, etc. Energy consumption comprises all energy used: electricity, gas and district
heating. Since we represent energy consumption per ton of product, the index would at
first sight appear to be unfavourable, given the decline in production. If one compares
the increase in energy consumed (a little more than 1%) with the 6% cut in the order
portfolio, it can be seen that the energy savings programmes have done their work. In absolute terms the energy consumption actually fell by 6.5%.

EMISSIONS

Emissions of VOC to air (kg/tonne paper input) 2005-2009

Roughly 19% of the total quantity of VOC (in 2009) consists of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) used
in the offset plants. Other VOC emissions relate to volatiles from other moistening
water additives, cleansers, and (in rotogravure) toluene from printing ink. This last
substance made up about 64% (in 2009) of the total VOC mass. Earlier, in 2003–2008,
Roto Smeets Group had succeeded by stages in roughly halving VOC emissions per ton of
paper input. This trend could not be maintained in 2008 as an incident occurred
(see further on). VOC emitted by the Roto Smeets Group plants (per ton of paper input)
was once again considerably lower in 2009. It is not only lower than 2008 (a roughly 15%
cut), it also shows a slight improvement over 2007 (3% cut). This thus shows that Roto
Smeets Group VOC emissions would appear to be back on the earlier, downward track.

Rotogravure
A significant factor was that earlier, in 2008, the active charcoal bed in one of the
toluene recovery plants in a rotogravure plant became saturated, which allowed more
toluene to pass through. In 2009 this plant was able to cut VOC emission once again by
nearly 24% per ton of paper thanks to the improved operation of the toluene recovery
plant. The other rotogravure plant achieved just about the same performance in 2009 as
in 2008. The two rotogravure plants together cut toluene emission (per ton of paper input
to the rotogravure presses) by more than 17%.

The rotogravure plant work continuously to improve their performance. One way is
by installing concentration-dependent air extraction above the press and employing
high-pigment inks, which means a thinner toluene-containing layer of ink is impressed
on the paper.

Offset
Past measures taken to reduce IPA consumptionin the offset plants were exceptionally
effective, so since 2000 we have been exploring the bottom limit of this IPA dosage:
IPA consumption has been cut by 75% since 2000. Alcohol-free presses have been
introduced, too. In 2009 one of the web offset plants replaced two presses by a single
IPA-fee offset press. Another plant took an IPA press out of service. As a whole, in 2009
the IPA emissions, based on the paper input to all five offset plants together, dropped by
26%. A parallel cut in other moistening water additives (per ton of paper input to offset)
was also achieved, albeit a less dramatic one (18%).

The future
The environmental gains made in offset were achieved in the face of a tendency
among the customers to have their printing done increasingly on wood-content paper,
which absorbs more moistening water (with additives like IPA). Continuous minimum
dosage, more alcohol-free printing or the use of different moistening water additives
remain the most significant spurs to cutting IPC emissions even further in the future.
In the Roto Smeets Group rotogravure plants the permanent solution to toluene emissions
seem mainly to involve greater use of high pigment inks and in expanding concentration dependent air extraction round the presses

ANCILLARY AND PROCESS MATERIALS

Besides raw materials (chiefly paper and ink), Roto Smeets Group distinguishes

between ancillary and process materials.

 Consumption of ancillary materials (kb/tonne paper input) 2005-2009

Ancillary materials include binding material, such as wire and glue, other adhesives and
packaging, which make up very roughly 90% of the total weight of auxiliary materials
used within Roto Smeets Group. In 2009 the consumption of ancillary materials per
ton of paper input increased by about 14% over the 2008 figure. To improve in this
area, the Roto Smeets Group plants have to swim against the tide of rising demand for
a range of packaging options. The plants do attempt to counter adverse trends, partly by
improvements in the packaging line, such as automatic control and even more orderspecific,
custom packaging, and using thinner film. The plants still have to comply with
their customers’ requirements, of course, but prefer to examine with them cheaper
options, or less environmentally burdensome ones, such as biodegradable film.

Consumption of process materials (kg/tonne paper input) 2005-2009

Process materials include chemicals (broadly speaking one third of the total mass), plates
and the associated developer and fixer, cleaning cloths, cleansing agents and disposable
packaging of products supplied to us. In 2009 the consumption of process materials (per
ton of paper input) was about 3.5% lower than in 2008.

In general, though, process material consumption is strongly influenced ‘from
outside’ as a result of the order package and order portfolio (colour use, colour changes,
print run, paper types, etc.), since these determine the number of plates and the
quantity of cleaning materials needed. Apart from that, though, the Roto Smeets Group
plants are always committed to minimizing the consumption of these materials in the
daily conduct of their business.

WASTES

Recyclable waste in kg/tonne paperinput

Recyclable wastes comprise mainly paper, card and packaging film. The quantity of
recyclable waste per ton of paper input was a little higher in 2009 than in 2008,
partly thanks to successful efforts at waste separation, but it was also influenced by
other factors, such as the adhesive binding line that SMD took into production; waste
processing was mostly subcontracted. The announced closure of Roto Smeets Utrecht
also had a negative impact on this index figure.

General process waste (kg/tonne paper input)

The quantity of general process waste per ton of paper input declined slightly below
the 2008 level. The plants work continuously to limit the amount of process waste,
partly by improving waste separation for recycling. The results of their efforts are not
always directly visible, though, since other influences may arise from rebuilding or
housekeeping campaigns.

Hazardous waste in kg per tonne of paper input 2005-2009

The quantity of hazardous waste per ton of paper input was lower in 2009 than in 2008.
The influence of exceptional occurrences (or their absence) is always felt. For example,
in contrast to the previous year, no active charcoal bed had to be carted away from
the toluene recovery plant in 2009, but a relatively large amount of hazardous waste
was generated when an obsolete press was dismantled.

The challenge in the continuing search for ways to cut the amount of hazardous waste
is to compensate for changes in the order portfolio. If the production target is achieved
with more, smaller orders, this has a greater influence on the number of empty ink containers
(per tone of paper) that have to be removed as hazardous waste. Furthermore,
more orders mean that more cylinders have to be fabricated, so more rinse water has to
be removed from the chrome-plating and degreasing baths. It is against this trend that
Roto Smeets Group is continuously looking for ways to improve, such as moving over to
washable polishing cloths or minimising the number of cylinder corrections.

Contact: emily.knegtel@rotosmeets.com