Luzenac 20-pages - Rio Tinto

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european commission 4 Luzenac Sustainable development indicators for the EU non-energy extractive industry European Commission voluntary scheme for collecting and reporting industry data In the millennium year, the European Commission began a process of engagement with the industrial minerals industry and its stakeholders on the subject of sustainable development. Europe is rich in natural resources and the extraction and supply of minerals play a crucial role in the European economy and society. Minerals provide many of the basic raw materials that are essential for modern society, including construction materials for the building of homes and roads, metals for the production of cars and mobile phones, and specialist minerals used in agriculture, pharmaceutical products and other industrial processes. However, mineral extraction can have significant environmental effects if it is not properly controlled. In the last twenty years, a number of incidents at mining sites coupled with shifting public awareness concerning the environmental and societal performance of industry has led to a change in European policy strategies—requiring more secure and responsible industries whilst maintaining the competitiveness of the different sectors. In May 2000, the European Commission published a Communication on promoting sustainable development in the EU non-energy extractive industry. The Communication identified the need for more transparency and improved dialogue between the main stakeholders and for more voluntary initiatives—all of which are key to achieving a sustainable minerals industry. The extractive industry responded positively and under the auspices of the DG Enterprise’s Raw Materials Supply Group has been working to develop sustainable development indicators for this sector. The indicators cover the three pillars of sustainable development—environmental, social and economic—and include the use of dangerous substances, communication with the local community, health and safety, and land use. This is the first time that SD indicators have been gathered and published in this way. They provide an insight into the key areas of interest to communities and public policy makers. Luzenac played a key role in the creation of the voluntary reporting scheme, serving on the Working Group, alongside Government, NGO and other industry groups, as the official representative of the European Industrial Minerals Association. The scheme is now up and running and the results of the first data collection exercise, covering the year 2001, can be accessed at the following web address: http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/steel/non-energy-extractive-industry/sd-indicators.htm Luzenac is committed to providing this data for its European operations and to urging others to do likewise. It is our hope that this voluntary scheme will grow and that it will provide a mechanism for improved SD performance across the whole industry as well as demonstrate to policy makers and land use planners the need to nurture our industry. For 2001 SD Indicator data for the EU Industrial Minerals industry see page 19. ¬
Building quality relationships with our customers Much of the thinking and resulting action in sustainable development involves how you build and conduct relationships. For Luzenac, our most important relationships are with our customers. Without them we would not exist. They are first among talc for the world 5 equals. customers From the outset we examined how our SD concept could increase business value both for us and for our customers. One important area is the environmental benefits talc brings in its end-use applications. We work closely with customers to enhance these benefits and to develop new ideas. In 2003, for example, we rolled out three innovations for the wastewater treatment, wood-plastic composites and agrochemical markets—all of which contribute to protecting the environment in one way or another (see page 15). Another important area for our customers is Life Cycle Assessment. Life Cycle Assessment is an integrated cradle-to-grave approach to evaluating the environmental performance of products and services. We actively assist our customers in their Life Cycle Assessment processes and provide them with all the technical data they need on our products. In logistics, Luzenac has been working with customers to reduce fuel consumption per tonne of product delivered through better routing, good fleet maintenance, and maximisation of rail and waterway opportunities. We have also improved safety for our customers by integrating safety regulations into our haulage supplier contracts. 2003 also witnessed the integration of our European customer service function into our Business Units based in Toulouse, France. Customers work with a dedicated customer service assistant who is capable of following the sales process through from start to finish and who shares their language and culture. This fully integrated customer service function shortens the offer-to-delivery chain and facilitates contact between our Business Units and their customer base. By making us a more sustainable and reliable supplier, Risk Management—including improved asset protection, business interruption control, and crisis management systems—brings many customer benefits. Indeed, in an era where customers want “just-in-time” delivery and zero storage at their sites, Risk Management is becoming increasingly important. Luzenac invested a great deal of time and effort in these areas last year. Luzenac contributes to safeguarding its customers’ reputations. By keeping our own house in order in HSE and community relations, and by making sure our key suppliers do the same, our customers can rest assured that their talc supplier will be enhancing rather than damaging their own good names. ISO 9001-2000 certification for all Luzenac operations In 2003, we continued upgrading our documented Quality Management System to the current ISO 9001-2000 standard. Whilst all our production sites have had documented systems in place since the early 1990’s, in 2002-2003, Luzenac’s headquarters and R&D labs in Europe and the US were included in the scope of the project. A lot of hard work has been put into this project and we are now proud to announce that all Luzenac operations worldwide are ISO 9001-2000 certified. The desired outcome of this process however is not just the achievement and recognition of obtaining ISO 9000 certification. The bottom-line is that this paves the way for our customers worldwide to receive more consistent, sustainable, higher quality products and service—well into the twenty first century. ISO 9000 certification also serves as a reminder to customers, employees and the community that Luzenac is in the talc business for the long term, and as such, will make the necessary investments in both people and resources to ensure a healthy, equitable, and sustainable future. 2003 targets vs. performance > We presented our SD approach to key customers worldwide, and pursued dialogue with them on HSEC and product stewardship. > We incorporated HSE provisions into many of our outsourcing contracts.
Page 1 and 2: Meeting Today’s Needs. Securing T
Page 3: Welcome… Welcome to Luzenac’s s
Page 7 and 8: Implementing fair and safe employee
Page 9 and 10: Luzenac tests Crisis Management pla
Page 11 and 12: On the 2003 communities agenda In 2
Page 13 and 14: such as elk, mule deer, and bighorn
Page 15 and 16: wastewater treatment New solutions
Page 17 and 18: Fostering supplier and joint ventur
Page 19 and 20: 2001 sustainable development indica

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