The Cabot Corporation has released its 2009 Sustainability Report, "
Sustainability Matters: Cabot Corporation's Commitment to Progress," detailing the company’s safety, health and environmental performance over the past three years and its community outreach efforts.
In addition, information on Cabot's global standards and operating guidelines related to ethics and compliance, safety, health and environment, product stewardship and corporate citizenship are also outlined.
Cabot Corporation is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, and is a global performance materials company employing approximately 3,950 people worldwide. Cabot's major products are carbon black, fumed silica, inkjet colorants, aerogels, capacitor materials, and cesium formate drilling fluids.
On environment, the report explains that Carbot has incorporated environmental performance as a critical component of operational excellence and carefully monitor environmental performance events that occur at its facilities.
In addition, information on Cabot’s environmental capital investments in 2008 include:
- modifications and repairs to the water supply system at the Barry, Wales, fumed silica manufacturing facility, allowing the use of recycled cooling water for vacuum pumps;
- upgrades to feedstock pipelines at our Pôrt Jérome, France, and Pampa, USA, carbon black manufacturing facilities, as well as our Tuscola, USA, fumed silica facility;
- redesign and improvements to the dust collection and vacuum systems in the bulk loading area at the Sarnia, Canada, carbon black facility, reducing fugitive dust emissions;
- installation of particulate emissions monitors at six carbon black manufacturing facilities, providing early alerts to potential emissions issues and allowing for proactive corrective actions;
- installation of an ultraviolet disinfection system for sanitary wastewater at the Cartagena, Colombia, carbon black manufacturing facility; and
- installation of a site-wide integrated air monitoring system at the Cabot Superior MicroPowders research, development, and manufacturing facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
On greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, total CO2-equivalents (CO2-e) emissions decreased 11 percent, which correlates with Cabot's 12 percent decrease in total product output due to the global economic slowdown. On a production basis, total CO2-e intensity remained essentially constant at 2.39 MT CO2-e per MT of product. Meanwhile, the company’s total CO2-e emissions from manufacturing, R&D, and corporate/regional administration facilities for calendar year 2008 were 4.40 million metric tons (MT).
In addition, “Cabot participates in Carbon Disclosure Project ("CDP"). CDP promotes the disclosure of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data by the world's largest corporations to create the most comprehensive repository of GHG emissions data. The data is then made available to institutional investors, business leaders, policy makers and the general public. Cabot's 2009 results positioned it well against peer companies.” the company said in a statement.
On water, the company’s water usage in 2008 decreased by 1 percent. However, its water use intensity increased by 12 percent. This occurred because many of its more significant industrial processes (e.g., cooling and air pollution control) requiring a constant flow of water that is not directly proportional to the amount of production.
Related LinksPress release Sustainability Matters: Cabot Corporation's Commitment to Progress
