Managing the chain: Akzo Nobel wants to be 'best of class'

Health, safety and environment data for 2000 Managing the chain: Akzo Nobel wants to be 'best of class' Arnhem, the Netherlands, August 17, 2001 - Akzo Nobel has introduced a new way of reporting its health, safety and environment (HSE) performance. Today the Company announced its HSE data for the year 2000. The figures show the Company's performance for five key aspects of HSE relating to targets set for 2005: specified emissions to air, water and soil besides information about safety and illness absence. The five parameters give an overall picture of the HSE climate throughout Akzo Nobel. They will be officially audited from next year. Behind these figures is a lot of detailed data from Akzo Nobel sites throughout the world, may of which publish their own environmental report and make it available to the community. Dag Strömqvist, Member of the Akzo Nobel Board of Management responsible for HSE, explains the benefits of the new reporting system: "Under the previous system, we set our business units targets and we more or less collected data from the different sites and published some of the results. It was really a question of collecting the figures and publishing them rather than managing them. Now we have chosen to consolidate figures relating to five specific parameters on a corporate level. The business units concentrate on putting together their own plans for meeting these targets, reducing levels at their respective sites and working towards improvements. In this way, we also get a clear overall picture of how the three groups, Pharma, Coatings and Chemicals, are doing. "We are publishing less data, but it does not mean that we are doing less. In fact, we are doing more. We can now focus on each site and work on improving local performance. It is our aim to bring all the sites to a similar level by adopting the highest standards. If you build a plant in Asia for example, the authorities may have more relaxed regulations than the Netherlands. However, we will take the strict regulations and apply them company-wide. This means that we won't try to save money by taking short cuts. We will adopt a standard to try to make us 'best in class'." One of the HSE topics currently being highlighted within Akzo Nobel is Product Stewardship. All the Company's business units need to implement a fully fledged Product Stewardship management system, to be operational by 2003. "Our products must be managed and used safely every step of the way, through development, manufacture, packaging, distribution, use and ultimate disposal," said Strömqvist. "The key phrase is: the cradle to grave process. In addition, Product Stewardship is linked with aspects such as eco-efficiency and, ultimately, sustainable development. The latter is an issue towards which we are working: we are currently developing a sustainable development program for Akzo Nobel." Note for the editor Akzo Nobel, based in the Netherlands, serves customers throughout the world with healthcare products, coatings and chemicals. Consolidated sales for 2000 totaled EUR 14 billion (USD 13 billion, GBP 8.5 billion). The Company currently employs 67,500 people in more than 75 countries. Financial results for the third quarter of 2001 will be published on October 24, 2001. Internet: http://www.akzonobel.com For more information please contact: Akzo Nobel N.V., Mrs. Christine Wunderlich, Corporate Communications, tel. +31 26 366 4343 Akzo Nobel's HSE figures for 2000 Chemical oxygen demand (COD) of discharge to surface water (tons) 1999 2000 Target (2005) 3996 4381 3000 COD of discharge to surface water rose mainly due to an increase within Chemicals. Group contributions in 2000: Pharma 4% Coatings 8% Chemicals 88% Emission of organic compounds to air (tons) 1999 2000 Target (2005) 5762 5100 4000 Emissions decreased mainly due to improvements in Chemicals and Pharma. Group contributions in 2000: Pharma 20% Coatings 53% Chemicals 27% Non reusable waste (tons) 1999 2000 Target (2005) 144554 153304 115000 The increase of non-reusable waste was caused primarily because the definition of this parameter has been changed. The figure reported in 1999 was an estimate. Group contributions in 2000: Pharma 9% Coatings 35% Chemicals 56% Frequency rate (lost time injuries per million hours worked) 1999 2000 Target (2005) 3,65 3,35 2,5 The frequency rate improved company-wide. All three groups contributed. Group rates for year 2000: Pharma 3,2 Coatings 3,9 Chemicals 2,4 Total illness absence rate (%) 1999 2000 Target (2005) Not available 2,69 3,5 The total illness absence rate is a newly introduced corporate parameter. The current data are incomplete and data over previous years are not available. ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2001/08/17/20010817BIT00280/bit0001.doc http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2001/08/17/20010817BIT00280/bit0001.pdf