Approximately 250 people are employed at Eastman Chemical Middelburg B.V. in the Netherlands. The facility covers 25 acres and was started in 1968. The Middelburg site produces 80 different resin products. The main applications for those products include adhesives, printing inks, coatings, paper production, paint, the food industry, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, textiles and building products. The facility exports more than 90% of its total sales to 70 countries worldwide.
Eastman's Middelburg site is strongly committed to Responsible Care® and is currently ISO-900, ISO 14001 and ISO 22000 certified.
The Middelburg plant has developed a new environmental plan (BMP 4) for 2006 to 2010. Several projects to minimize waste, energy usage and emissions are drafted and will be implemented during this time.
Some projects already underway have resulted in safety and environmental improvements. For example, a 40% reduction in VOC emissions was achieved by connecting a scrubber to an incinerator. Also, energy efficiency improved by 10% due to an extension of the Regalite plant and a Six Sigma study on wastewater resulted in a reduction of wastewater and a 10% reduction in organic load (COD). In 2007, the installation of a new hot oil unit with a low-NOx burner helped reduce NOx-emissions, and the incinerator was provided with a steamboiler which converts waste heat into steam. That steam is then used for heating other parts of the production process. This has resulted in a 10% reduction of CO2 emissions and a 15% reduction in the use of natural gas.
In 2007, engineering began for expanding the Regalite plant. Also a new and larger hydrogen plant is expected to help improve the facility’s energy efficiency.
As a Seveso site, Eastman Chemical Middelburg B.V. has a health and safety system in place. In 2007, the site successfully completed a BRZO audit by BRZO authorities.
Behavioral Based Safety was implemented at the Middelburg site following a Safety Cultural Assessment. As a result of the assessment, improvement opportunities were identified and addressed. The Middelburg site ended 2007 with no OSHA recordable incidents. The goal for the site is to create an interdependent safety culture.
The Middelburg site’s environmental management system was recertified and the site was certified for ISO 22000, which is the norm for food safety and hygiene. The Middelburg site succeeded in achieving certification as the first manufacturing site for chewing gum resins in the world. Due to new European legislation the site has submitted IPPC environmental permit applications.
Also in 2007, the site’s Community Advisory Panel continued to meet to improve communications between the plant site and its neighbors in the community.