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Johnson Matthey places high priority on its responsibility for the environment and the health and safety of its employees, customers and the community. As a high technology company we believe that we have an important role to play in sustainable development. Johnson Matthey's leadership in autocatalyst technology contributes to improving air quality throughout the world. Development of fuel cells and solar cells provide a real opportunity to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and our pharmaceutical materials products enhance the quality of life of many. Leadership in these important areas of technology is matched by a determination to achieve the highest standards of Environmental, Health and Safety practice within the business.
Our policy requires the careful assessment and control of environment, health and safety within Johnson Matthey's operations. We have formalised this responsibility by ensuring that these issues are represented at Board level and that all employees are aware of policy and their individual responsibilities. Now in its fifth year, our Environment, Health and Safety sub-committee of the Board ensures compliance with the corporate Environmental, Health and Safety Policies set out below. Each of our locations around the world is required to formulate its own particular arrangements, including performance targets, to meet the key objectives set out in the corporate policies. The policies, which now include a formal system of Risk Assessment, are disseminated widely and supported by training and the monitoring of progress and controls through regular audits. During the year we have continued to place emphasis on the quality of our management systems and our UK Chemicals business became the first Johnson Matthey operation to gain the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System standard. In North America, the Pharmaceutical Materials team at West Deptford, USA, achieved five years without a lost time accident, during a period of rapidly expanding operations at the site. Catalytic Systems Division's Devon, USA, plant was awarded the 1997 Paul Derksen Award for Environmental, Health and Safety Excellence on behalf of the Board.
JM's Continuously Regenerating Trap exhaust after treatment system for heavy duty diesel vehicles was one of the first 200 'Millennium Products' to be named by the UK government. For more than 20 years, catalytic converters have been the most effective way to tackle pollution from all types of petrol and diesel vehicles. In the UK by the year 2000, Johnson Matthey autocatalysts alone will reduce carbon monoxide emissions by 1.2 million tonnes per year, nitrogen oxides by 300,000 tonnes per year and hydrocarbons by 230,000 tonnes per year.
Environment
- Ensure that site operations meet legal and company requirements.
- Design and manufacture products to optimise their environmental performance.
- Eliminate all polluting releases from operations. Where elimination is not presently achievable, the intermediate goal is reduction.
- Promote high standards of energy management.
- Undertake comprehensive waste management programmes based on the following hierarchy of options – prevent, minimise, re-use, recycle and safely dispose.
- Minimise the impacts of past, present and future operations through effective planning and adequate provision of resources.
- Ensure that operations cause minimal visual impact or nuisance to the public.
Health and Safety
- Ensure that all locations meet all legal and company health and safety requirements.
- Manufacture current products in a manner which ensures a safe working environment through each phase of the production process.
- Strive toward an end goal of eliminating unsafe practices at all locations.
- Promote high standards of safety awareness through employee involvement and management commitment at each location.
- Operate processes at all times to minimise danger to the surrounding community.
- Provide immediate and effective response in event of accidents and emergencies.
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