previous year to 17,800 tons. The key figure related to the
quantity of produced finished goods remained at the prior
year level (34.1 kg / t of produced finished goods). The
amount of non-hazardous waste decreased significantly
by 10 % from 9,600 tons to 8,600 tons. The indicator related
to produced finished goods was reduced from 18.2 kg / t
to 16.4 kg / t. The reasons for the improvements in the waste
volume balance include the optimization of production
processes and the reuse of by-products (details can be found
in the document “Facts and Figures on Sustainability
2020”).
In terms of water consumption, ALTANA managed to
improve both the absolute figures and the key performance
indicators in the reporting period. Consumption of drink-
ing water in 2020 was around 1,150,000 cubic meters (2019:
1,250,000 m³). The key figure derived from this based on
the volume of produced finished goods was 2.19 m³ / t (previous
year: 2.38 m³ / t).
A total of 571,100 tons of raw material was needed,
of which 386,500 tons were fossil raw materials, 21,100
tons renewable raw materials, 116,400 tons non-fossil and
non-renewable raw materials, and 47,100 tons water. Detailed
information on ALTANA’s resource and energy consumption
(differentiated according to electricity, natural gas, and
oil), as well as the environmental indicators can be found at
www.altana.com / facts_figures_sustainability_2020.
In 2020, 92 % of the ALTANA Group’s production
sites met the ISO 14001 standard. Ten sites also have energy
management certification in accordance with ISO 50001.
On Course for Climate Neutrality by 2025
ALTANA plans to reduce its CO² impact in production and
energy procurement to zero worldwide by 2025. The climate
neutrality encompasses the company’s own production,
94 Environment
Improvements in Environmental Performance
The ALTANA Group measures progress in the area of environmental
protection using specific key performance indicators.
In addition to the absolute values, the figures are set
in relation to the quantity of produced finished goods.
ALTANA sets annual upper limits for energy consumption,
water consumption, and waste quantities in relation to produced
finished goods. The development of these indicators
is published in the document “Facts and Figures on Sustainability
2020.”
The ALTANA Group’s energy consumption decreased to
668,000 megawatt hours in the 2020 fiscal year, com-
pared to 675,000 megawatt hours in the previous year. Owing
to the weakening of global economic performance
due to the coronavirus pandemic, the volume of produced
finished goods decreased from 527,000 tons (2019) to
524,000 tons (2020). In spite of this reduction, the specific
energy consumption of the previous year (1.28 MWh / t of
produced finished goods) was maintained.
CO² emissions decreased by around 50 % compared to
the previous year. This reduction was achieved mainly by
switching global electricity procurement to renewable sources
via certificates of origin. In addition, we implemented
projects to improve energy efficiency at various sites (see the
following pages).
This year, for the first time, we are also reporting CO²
equivalents, which apart from CO² include other greenhouse
gases, such as nitrous oxide (N²O). The figure for 2020
is 92,600 tons according to the “market-based” method
(CO² emissions from electricity based on the information provided
by suppliers or certificates of origin). In addition, biogenic
CO² emissions accounted for 330 tons of CO² equivalents.
In 2020, the ALTANA Group managed to further reduce
the amount of hazardous waste, from 18,100 tons in the