Iron technology leader Saint-Gobain PAM UK, part of leading materials company Saint-Gobain, has released its latest sustainability report, setting out the steps it has taken to maintain its commitment to sustainable development.

The company is a leading supplier of ductile iron pipes, fittings, valves, access covers and gratings as well as a leading producer of cast iron above and below ground drainage systems into markets which include water and sewerage, civil engineering and construction.

Saint-Gobain PAM UK’s third Sustainability Report outlines its environmental policy for achieving key sustainable targets, alongside setting future objectives for reducing carbon emissions, energy usage and landfill waste.

Paul Minchin, Managing Director of Saint-Gobain PAM UK commented:

“Our products manufactured in the UK are made from 97 per cent recycled materials. As a leading manufacturer of ductile iron pipe systems, access covers and gratings, above and below ground cast iron drainage systems and fittings, we have an inherent advantage in meeting significant sustainability targets. Nevertheless, we strive to continuously meet ethical and economic goals, and our third Sustainability Report looks forward to the coming years and what we can do to further improve the environmental impact of our operations.

“Some of the most significant improvements in waste management can be seen at our sites in Holwell and Telford. At the Holwell plant, we have reduced waste being sent to our on-site landfill by 83 per cent in 2011. This was achieved through a range of initiatives, such as introducing reusable refractory ladle linings and selling used sand for building block manufacture. Our Telford site has also dramatically reduced its waste. In 2009, 3,200 tonnes of waste were sent to landfill at Telford, whereas 2011 saw this cut to 848 tonnes.

“A significant project has been on the Holwell Cupola furnace– the largest in the UK – which has really helped reduce our environmental impact at a local level. We replaced a wet scrubber system with a new control system, delivering a new dry bag filter solution, helping to meet stringent environmental targets for emissions reduction in particular. A heat exchanger was also fitted to recover waste heat from combustion gases. These steps have dramatically reduced water usage, electricity, raw materials and refractories to landfill. This investment was also a key factor in obtaining CEMARS – Certified Emissions Measurement and Reduction Scheme – accreditation, recognition we are particularly pleased to receive, highlighting our recent environmental efforts."

18% reduction in water use since 2009

Other notable achievements for St. Gobain PAM UK include a 4.3 per cent reduction in carbon emissions between 2010 and 2011, with a target of 7 per cent by 2014, plus a significant reduction in water usage of 18 per cent since 2009 across the company - the Cupola project at its Holwell site has cut water usage by 28,000m3 – a reduction of 63 per cent at one site alone.

The company has a 6% reduction target in place for both abstracted and supplied water by 2013 from a base year of 2010. St Gobain PAM UK has a new water policy which aims to extract minimum resources and to work towards zero discharge of industrial process water in liquid form. The firm is also planning to put a “water standard” in place to form a basis for improving the sites’ water management performance.

Sustainable product innovation and faster lead times

The firm is also bringing to market innovative new products that meet increasingly demanding sustainability standards, which are also faster to build and have lower whole life costs - all key issues in the water sector. Most recent include:

• Blutop – a lighter weight pipe for secondary water distribution systems.
• AquaVantage – a V Profile D400 grating.
• Ult-Emax – a security access cover

Saint-Gobain PAM is currently investing more than  £1.3 million in new, state-of-the-art production facilities in Ilkeston - the first phase, completed in February 2011 saw the full integration of the flange pipe processing plant and stock ground, which will contribute significantly to reducing lead times in supplying fabricated pipes to customers. A further investment is being made on upgrading the pipe finishing facility, which will now be able to accommodate pipes of up to 6 meters  in length.

Click here to read the Report in full.