Environment

As part of our commitment to sustainable development, we place great importance on minimising our products' impact on the environment, both now and in the future.

As solvents are Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), they can contribute to ground level ozone formation under certain weather conditions (for example, on hot sunny days when there is stagnant or slow-moving air or a recirculation of polluted air) and in the presence of nitrogen oxides (NOx). However, there are other sources of VOCs, including:

• car exhausts   
• fuels   
• natural vegetation

The contribution of solvents to VOC emissions is estimated to be 14% of the total, with vegetation accounting for 43%, transport 22%, and other sources 21%. 

VOC-related regulations

The US and Europe are implementing stricter ozone standards and have in place, or are developing, extensive regulatory programmes to achieve those standards. There are several strategies for VOC reduction, including reformulation, using more efficient applications, or reducing emissions by capturing or recycling vapours. However, effective strategies to reduce ozone formation require taking other factors into account, including NOx levels, VOC levels and sources, geography and climate. 

In Europe, a considerable amount of legislation has been developed over recent years to improve air quality. This includes the Solvents Emissions Directive, the National Emission Ceilings Directive, the Auto Oil program, the Integrated Pollution Prevention Control Directive (IPPC) and several national initiatives. 

Link to the European Solvents Industry Group's fact sheet on Ozone Air Quality (opens in a new window) , which provides an assessment of the contribution of further European legislation to ozone reduction.

For further information on the Solvents Emissions Directive follow the link in the 'related websites'box (right) or visit the ESIG website.

In the US, VOC-related legislation includes the Clean Air Act and 1990 amendments. Canada and Australia have also implemented ozone standards and associated regulations.

For the list of Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) contained in the Clean Air Act please follow the link in the 'related websites' box (right) to the HAP section on the EPA website.

Other environmental impacts

Solvents play only a negligible role in global warming, compared to other contributory factors and no role of significance in stratospheric ozone depletion (our portfolio does not include chlorinated or fluorinated solvents anyway) or secondary aerosol formation. VOCs from vegetation sources tend to be more reactive and are most important in the formation of secondary aerosols.

The Shell Chemicals Solvents organisation is committed to scientifically sound improvements of our environment. We take an active role in making sure that the legislative processes use sound science and take cost-effectiveness into account when creating new environmental laws. We are also active in supporting our customers with advice on the responsible use of our products.

If you are a customer and would like more information on air quality issues, please log in to the Customer Lounge (use link in left-hand navigation) and access the HSE/Technical area.