deSter Sustainability Report 2022

JOPPE BROSENS
AND VIKTOR SEUNTJENS
R & D
CHEMICALS
Approach
deSter also commits to limit the impact
on the environment and human health
of its chemicals used throughout its own
operations. Our overall approach is as
follows:
• Lower the use of chemicals
• Limit the use of harmful substances
by strict screening the type of
chemicals used, phase out certain
chemicals or replace chemicals with
a less or nonharmful alternative.
• Apply the appropriate waste
management principles at the end
ofa chemical’s life (reference to the
waste hierarchy in the Waste Management
section of this report)
• Keep an up-to-date quality dataset
of all chemicals (such as lubricants
and cleaning agents) per production
location
• All materials we buy to make our
products must hold safety data
sheets (SDS) and align with the food
safety regulations. These documents
are screened by the quality
department to guarantee compliance.
• All materials we source and use in Europe
need to comply with the REACH
requirements
• All our products come with specification
sheets (spec sheets) and a
Declaration of Compliance.
Chemicals in the production process:
• We strive to choose the least harmful
products for our production processes.
We follow local legal requirements
concerning chemicals and harmful
products.
• Chemicals are always labeled clearly
• Chemicals are stored separately in
protective areas to prevent potential
exposure to employees and the
environment.
• Protective practices and equipment
are available and in common use.
To minimize the potential injury of
any employee in case of exposure to
hazardous chemicals.
• Safety procedures are in place,
clearly posted and trained
• Chemical waste is always seperated
and treated by an external accredited
waste treater.
Actions
All chemicals are held in a database per
facility. ChemDirector is an inventory tool
developed by Group IDEWE and helps to
plan and implement chemical prevention.
It provides a structured up-to-date overview
of the chemical agents used at deSter
Hoogstraten, which can be managed and
updated quickly. An inventory of all chemical
products and substances present at
deSter, is a necessary first step in the prevention
policy. This inventory can enable
correct risk analysis and enable us to draw
up appropriate prevention measures.
We continuously work on reducing the
amounts of chemicals we use and switching
to less harmful alternatives. For example,
in Hoogstraten in 2022, 18 substances
have been replaced by eleven more environmentally
friendly and less harmful
alternatives in 2022.