2007 Reference document (PDF) - Valeo

2.6. Reducing all types of pollution
Minimizing all forms of pollution is another of the Group’s ongoing
environmental objectives, which involve ensuring that industrial
activities are properly integrated into their environment. This concerns
both the performance of products developed by the Group and
the processes implemented to create such products.
The Group has developed the StARS starter-alternator that allows an
engine to be stopped and restarted instantly and silently, resulting
in a notable reduction in noise pollution in urban areas.
Operations at Valeo sites are not particularly noisy, and Valeo is
careful to locate new sites sufficiently far from residential areas.
In accordance with the recommendations of the Valeo Factory Design
guide, the visual impact of sites is taken into account at the time
of their construction, and a large section of each site is given over
to green spaces.
As odor pollution, usually caused by the emission of Volatile Organic
Compounds (VOC), can be particularly unpleasant for local residents,
Management Report
Environmental management and performance
a number of at-source measures have been taken to reduce VOCs.
For example, solvent-based paints have been replaced by waterbased
alternatives, and trichloroethylene has been phased out of the
manufacturing process for clutch facings. The Valeo sites concerned
are equipped with systems for treating these compounds in order to
keep odor pollution below the perception threshold. Such systems
include biofiltration, absorption, condensation and incineration, with
incineration being the most frequently used.
Valeo is also highly aware of the need to protect the health of local
residents near its sites. In 2005, it compiled a directive on legionella
bacteria. This directive is based on French law, which is one of the
strictest in this domain, and is available at all Valeo sites worldwide.
Under this directive, the sites must:
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replace wet cooling towers with dry towers wherever possible;
implement preventive treatment systems to avoid the proliferation
of legionella bacteria;
carry out frequent controls to ensure the effectiveness of
treatments in place.
2007 Reference document - VALEO
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