Situation

Located in the Val-de-Marne department, in the municipalities of Choisy-le-Roi and Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, the Choisy-le-Roi plant is in a "special protection area for atmospheric pollution".  The plant has easy access to several major highways and is close to Orly airport. Flanked by the River Seine to the west, it is close to two drinking water production plants.  The nearest homes are about 100 m away.

Iso 14001 certification earned in 1999.

The site renewed its certification in 2003, and 2006.

Download :

- site's environmental policy (french)

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Water consumption

In 1998, a site diagnostic survey revealed a problem of excessive water consumption resulting from inefficient use of water for machine cooling, and leakage on underground pipes. A plan to optimize and monitor facilities technically was implemented.

The results were spectacular:  the overall reduction since 1998 amounts to around 95%. Aside from these technical improvements, the employees deserve praise for demonstrating their environmental consciousness in their daily use of water.

At the same time, consumption of both process water and drinking water is monitored systematically on each building and facility. Whenever "normal" consumption (based on previous records) is overshot, the cause is sought and fixed rapidly.

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Water-borne effluents

Daily flows of suspended solids (SS) and organic matter (OM) to the local wastewater system have been reduced by 90% and 80% respectively since 1998. Those strong reductions were achieved by:

• improvements to treatment systems,
• management of discharges (wastewater and stormwater properly separated),
• efforts to raise personnel awareness,
• project management.   

In 1999, the site installed a physical/chemical treatment plant alongside the effluent treatment facility that already existed. The treated effluents are sent to the local sewage network.  The hydroxide sludge, sediment and hydrocarbons produced during treatment are recovered and disposed of separately through approved processes.

In 2002, the physical/chemical treatment plant gained a number of new systems.  Since then, the plant has continued to reduce the volume of wastewater discharged through improved effluent management.

 

 

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SO2 and greenhouse gas emissions

Four central boilers that used heavy-fuel oil to produce steam were replaced in 1999 by a direct gas-fired heating system that regulates the temperature in each area of activity. This system has reduced energy consumption and therefore atmospheric emissions significantly.

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Waste

Ordinary industrial waste (OIW), made up primarily of metal waste, is  recovered in full. A system put in place in 1999 to separate waste at source has considerably reduced the percentage of unsorted waste and so improved the recycling rate.

Action has been taken in several areas:

•  conventional packaging replaced by durable packaging,
• partnerships with suppliers to reduce volumes,
• staff training.   

The decrease in 2007 can be attributed to the discontinuation of assembly of outside orders of gearboxes in mid-2006.
Hazardous industrial waste (HIW) is generated mainly by washing of mechanical parts for reconditioning. HIW tonnage has been cut by more than 60% since 1998.

In 2006, the waste and chemicals storage area was moved to optimize use and management. The new area makes logistics flows more secure and improves soil protection. In 2007, HIW volumes fell for the third consecutive year: on-site treatment of some of our used paint sludge has contributed considerably to this decrease.

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Energy

Energy consumption has fallen by 72% since 1998. As well as a decrease in activity, much of this reduction was achieved through:

• replacement of a heavy fuel oil central boiler room with gas heaters located in the buildings that regulate temperature settings and zoning.
• efforts to raise personnel awareness concerning the correct use of energy, along with the introduction of instruction sheets,
• storage of parts in a single location to allow lower storage temperature settings.
  

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Highlights

 

 Yves Galliou, Environment Manager:

“In 2007 we continued our efforts to reduce wastewater discharges and energy consumption and improve waste sorting. The commitment of the plant staff was key to achieving positive results. The new waste storage area, built in early 2007, consolidated our facilities and guarantees a long-term result”.