A company must be a vessel of invention bound for t h e future, but a l w a y s m i n d f u l of its wake. To Amoco Chemical, that's environmental responsibility.
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The following seven stories represent just a few of the initiatives one chemical company is taking in a commitment to health, safety and the environment.
A Special ReportfromAmoco Chemical Northeast of Charleston, SC are 6,000 acres of forest marsh and woodlands. It is home to multitudes of deer, wild turkeys, foxes, bobcats and alligators, as well as scores of songbirds and waterfowl. Since 1975, it has also been home to Amoco Chemical's Cooper River facility, producer of more than 1.5 billion pounds of PTA per year. Even before the plant opened, we were concerned about its potential effects on the wetlands and forested tracts. Ecological studies gave us a baseline to compare any impact from our operations. We also made it our goal to improve the area. We replanted native species. We provided yearround feeding plots for the wildlife. And our wood duck-nesting box pro gram earned us the South Carolina Waterfowl Association's Corporate Conservation Award. The success of Cooper River has shown us that with forethought and planning, business and the environ ment can not only coexist but flourish.
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It may be home to our Cooper River Plant, but w e made it a haven for white-tailed deer, wild turkeys and purple martins.
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In order to protect the environment, every day after lunch 650,000 students take up a collection.
Many people believe that polystyrene foam packaging can't be recycled. But 650,000 students and 58,000 staff members in Los Angeles schools are proving otherwise. Since November, 1990, in a program developed by Amoco Foam Products, they've been putting their foam cafeteria trays in specially marked recycling bins. To date, more than three million pounds of polystyrene have been recovered from over 600 schools, and can be recycled into products like foam egg cartons, flower pots, office supplies, toys and park benches. Amoco Foam Products also uses recycled polystyrene to manufacture AMOFOAIVP-RCY insulation, which covers the foundation and walls of a new school addition in Chesapeake, Virginia. Amoco Chemical is helping to lead the way in developing new technology for recycling polystyrene foam. One day, having your house insulated with recycled foam packaging won't seem so out to lunch.
A Special ReportfromAmoco Chemical
Our concern for the environment and public safety causes us to move quickly - and not wait for government regulations or industry to set the pace - when we can improve. At Amoco Chemical's Texas City plant weVe reduced hazardous waste disposal by 99.8% since 1983. We accomplished this waste reduction through a number of intensive projects: modifying production processes, such as reducing the level of hydrocarbons in wastewater by recycling them within the plant; and eliminating potentially harmful substances like chlorinated solvents. These and other efforts have significantly reduced the amount of material released into the environment - air, water and soil. It isn't often that a company is sat isfied to work for ten years and come up with zero, but at Amoco Chemical, we're delighted.
We worked long and hard and couldn't be happier to come up with zero.
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Most people wouldn't welcome a bacterial invasion, but w e invited them to lunch.
Did you know that bacterial microorganisms can devour chemical waste? It's a process called biodegradation. Recently, Amoco Chemical developed the first full-scale anaerobic process, in which biodegradation can occur without oxygen. This revolutionary wastewater-treatment process uses less energy, takes up less space and leaves behind less solid waste. It even contributes energy to fuel the process. The pioneering effort took place at the world's largest purified terephthalic acid (PTA) manufacturing site, operated jointly in Taiwan by Amoco Chemical, the China American Petroleum Company and the Central Investment Holding Company. PTA is the basic material for producing polyester. We're now applying this technology at plants in Illinois and Belgium. The unique undertaking won Amoco Chemical the coveted Kirkpatrick Chemical Engineering Achievement Award. It stands to revolutionize the way petrochemical waste is cleaned up in the future.
A Special Report from Amoco Chemical Imagine super-long-playing video cassettes. Plastic baby food jars. And returnable and refutable plastic beverage bottles. That's the promise of Amoco NDC, an exciting new resin ingredient from Amoco Chemical. When we decided to develop Ν DC on a commercial basis at our Decatur, Alabama facility, we brought in the plant's environmental consultants even as we undertook the design phase. Because of this early involvement, the project was designed so waste streams could be recycled back and reprocessed as usable products and fuel for the process itself - reducing waste and saving energy. In the past, environmental reviews were often done after-the-fact, leading to costly and time-consuming design rework. But in a company that's second to none in addressing environmental concerns, ifs no wonder we do it right from the start.
W h e n you can design in clean air controls f r o m t h e very beginning, a lot of credit has t o go t o your company's environment.
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To preserve the environment, we're on call 2 4 hours a day.
At Amoco Chemical's Geel, Belgium facility, neighboring communities knew that we were concerned with safety and that we regularly monitored our plant's impact on the environment. We felt it was important that we share information with them. So we formed an environmental committee, called the Milieuforum, composed of Amoco personnel and officials from Geel and the surrounding area. Then we set up a 24-hour, toll-free environmental hotline, the "green phone." That way, anyone could call us any time of the day or night to ask questions, report their concerns and stay informed. Amoco Chemical is the first company in Belgium to put such an initiative into operation. Because we know concern for the environment isn't a 9-to-5 job.
When 541 employees work four years without one days-awayfrom-work injury, it's no accident.
Protecting the safety and health of , our employees, the users of our i products and the communities in which we operate is a core value of Amoco Chemical. In 1992, our Decatur, ^ Alabama plant won Amoco Chemical's President's Safety Award for a second time. '^ Decatur's 541 employees neared V four years without a days-away-from- ν work injury. A similar superior record earned our Malvern, Arkansas plant y ; our Most Improved Facility Safety j|0 Award during 1992. C^'* At Amoco Chemical, we know fy^ that sustained safety performance is the result of high quality, ;,. y r , effective plant safety programs \ , t and an unrelenting focus on f ' ^ safety by every single employee. / The Decatur and Malvern plants / are proving that our goal of \ zero injuries in every one of 1, ? our facilities is attainable. ν
[AMOCO] Amoco Chemical Company A m o c o Chemical C o m p a n y , 200 East Randolph Drive, MC4106 Dept. M 6 3 1 , Chicago, IL 60601 7125. Or call 1-800-621-0626 ext. 631 A m o c o Chemical (Europe) S.A., 15, rue Rothschild, 1211 Geneva 2 1 , Switzerland A m o c o Chemicals Far East L i m i t e d , 16th Floor, Great Eaqle Centre, 23 H a r b o u r Road, W a n c h a i , H o n g K o n g The information herein is, to the best of A m o c o Chemical C o m p a n y ' s knowledge, true and accurate. However, no warranty or guarantee, expressed or implied, is made regarding the performance or suitability of any product referred to herein. Nothing herein should be considered as a r e c o m m e n d a t i o n or suggestion for a product or process use w h i c h w o u l d infringe u p o n any patents or violate any federal, state or local laws. OUC. 1 \)V/V>, Printed MI U S Λ.
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