Overview
Responsible handling of potential risks
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Responsible handling of potential risks
The REACH Regulation requires all manufacturers and users of chemicals to accept responsibility for the safe handling thereof. As far as Bayer is concerned, this means that, for all substances and preparations we produce, we must provide product information and recommendations for their safe handling in all the applications known to us and should pass this on to downstream users. The same applies to our suppliers.
In order to implement the necessary registration, evaluation and, if necessary, authorization of chemicals in line with the Regulation, the Group Management Board is planning an internal Directive entitled “REACH Implementation in the Bayer Group,” which will come into force in 2007. It will define responsibilities and necessary organizational and infrastructure conditions and give recommendations for implementation.
Pharmaceuticals, crop protection products and biocides are exempt from the compulsory legislation under the EU REACH legislation passed in December 2006 because they are already subject to their own comprehensive licensing regulations
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In order to implement the necessary registration, evaluation and, if necessary, authorization of chemicals in line with the Regulation, the Group Management Board is planning an internal Directive entitled “REACH Implementation in the Bayer Group,” which will come into force in 2007. It will define responsibilities and necessary organizational and infrastructure conditions and give recommendations for implementation.
Pharmaceuticals, crop protection products and biocides are exempt from the compulsory legislation under the EU REACH legislation passed in December 2006 because they are already subject to their own comprehensive licensing regulations
.Environment and health strategy: Prepared for dialogue
The European Environment and Health Strategy published in June 2003 sets out to determine on a broad basis any connections between environmental influences (e.g. chemicals) and health impairments. This gave rise to the SCALE Initiative, which focuses on children as a particularly sensitive section of the population. SCALE stands for “Science, Children, Awareness, Legal instruments, Evaluation.” In the first step, which is scheduled to last until 2010, the initiative will focus on gaining a better understanding of the causes of respiratory diseases, asthma and allergies, and cancer as well as development anomalies and hormone malfunctions in children. This year, the European Commission will publish an intermediate report. So far, the priority has been on collecting data, but the phase of political evaluation and implementation is now about to begin.
With its product portfolio, Bayer contributes in many ways to improving the living conditions of children. Moreover, Bayer shares the opinion of the European Commission that evaluating the effects of industrialization and industrially manufactured substances is an important step towards safeguarding the health of children. We are convinced that this should be done on the basis of the existing risk assessments, which contain all the necessary elements to ensure the safe handling of chemical substances. At the same time, it is important, in the scientific studies on possible risks such as for children’s health, to take account of all the key aspects. Through its commitment to many programs like the international chemical associations’ Long-Range Research Initiative, Bayer is participating in important research projects in this field.
An important part of any product development is the evaluation of the benefits and possible risks of a new technology or a new product. Bayer has been involved, for example, for a long time in safety research in the field of nanotechnology. Through its active membership of industrial associations – Bayer is a founding member of the DECHEMA working group “Responsible Production and Use of Nanomaterials” – and its participation in publicly sponsored projects, the company is amassing a wealth of fundamental knowledge in this field. In Germany, it is involved in two ongoing projects, NanoCare and TRACER. Both projects are supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of its “WING” initiative (“Materials Innovations for Industry and Society”) and focus on the safety aspects of nanomaterials. In addition, Bayer MaterialScience is currently implementing a product stewardship program for carbon nanotubes, Baytubes®, in which their mode of activity is being analyzed and clarified. This will make an important contribution to the further development of the test methods needed to ensure product safety.
With its product portfolio, Bayer contributes in many ways to improving the living conditions of children. Moreover, Bayer shares the opinion of the European Commission that evaluating the effects of industrialization and industrially manufactured substances is an important step towards safeguarding the health of children. We are convinced that this should be done on the basis of the existing risk assessments, which contain all the necessary elements to ensure the safe handling of chemical substances. At the same time, it is important, in the scientific studies on possible risks such as for children’s health, to take account of all the key aspects. Through its commitment to many programs like the international chemical associations’ Long-Range Research Initiative, Bayer is participating in important research projects in this field.
An important part of any product development is the evaluation of the benefits and possible risks of a new technology or a new product. Bayer has been involved, for example, for a long time in safety research in the field of nanotechnology. Through its active membership of industrial associations – Bayer is a founding member of the DECHEMA working group “Responsible Production and Use of Nanomaterials” – and its participation in publicly sponsored projects, the company is amassing a wealth of fundamental knowledge in this field. In Germany, it is involved in two ongoing projects, NanoCare and TRACER. Both projects are supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of its “WING” initiative (“Materials Innovations for Industry and Society”) and focus on the safety aspects of nanomaterials. In addition, Bayer MaterialScience is currently implementing a product stewardship program for carbon nanotubes, Baytubes®, in which their mode of activity is being analyzed and clarified. This will make an important contribution to the further development of the test methods needed to ensure product safety.
Environmental compatibility: New concept for sustainability check
Based on our experience with the Bayer Eco-Check introduced in 2000 for assessing product risks, we are developing a new tool that will enable us to present our activities on sustainable development in an overall context and thus track the changing demands of our stakeholders.
Added together, the many measures implemented throughout the company make an important contribution to easing the burden on the environment. Bayer is active in a number of fields. For example, the media services provider Dynevo (a subsidiary of Bayer Business Services) has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC), and can now offer its customers the printing of publications on FSC/PEFC-certified paper. In return, Dynevo had to prove that the company is able to track every single stage of the production of printed media printed on certified paper – from the forest enterprise via the paper manufacturer and paper wholesaler to the consumer.
Added together, the many measures implemented throughout the company make an important contribution to easing the burden on the environment. Bayer is active in a number of fields. For example, the media services provider Dynevo (a subsidiary of Bayer Business Services) has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC), and can now offer its customers the printing of publications on FSC/PEFC-certified paper. In return, Dynevo had to prove that the company is able to track every single stage of the production of printed media printed on certified paper – from the forest enterprise via the paper manufacturer and paper wholesaler to the consumer.
Genetic engineering: Product safety ensured
Safety and environmental compatibility are the overriding considerations for our genetically engineered products, too. We do not sell such products or processes unless their safety and environmental compatibility can be ensured to the extent made possible by state-of-the-art science and technology. This is the commitment expressed in our “Policy guidelines for responsible use of genetic engineering,” which were issued in 1998 and revised most recently in 2006/2007.
Kogenate® from Bayer HealthCare is one example of a successful health care product that has been produced for many years using genetic engineering methods. This drug product for the therapy of hemophilia contains over 2,300 amino acids and is the most complex protein molecule being manufactured using this technology.
Our canola seed, sold under the brand name InVigor®, demonstrates convincingly that plant biotechnology is safe; it has held a leading position in growing regions in North America since it was launched ten years ago. This seed, developed by Bayer CropScience, combines high yields and tremendous resistance to disease and unfavorable weather conditions with LibertyLink herbicide tolerance, and has become the most successful canola variety in the United States and Canada. Moreover, strong demand in the food industry for oil pressed from InVigor® canola is being driven by its positive nutritional profile.
High-quality canola oil with tailored properties is not only a useful component in a healthier diet but also points the way to solutions for increasingly urgent questions surrounding the future, such as climate protection and raw material supply issues. Against this background, research activities at Bayer CropScience are focused particularly on increasing yields – also under difficult climatic conditions – and developing plants which can provide energy.
Kogenate® from Bayer HealthCare is one example of a successful health care product that has been produced for many years using genetic engineering methods. This drug product for the therapy of hemophilia contains over 2,300 amino acids and is the most complex protein molecule being manufactured using this technology.
Our canola seed, sold under the brand name InVigor®, demonstrates convincingly that plant biotechnology is safe; it has held a leading position in growing regions in North America since it was launched ten years ago. This seed, developed by Bayer CropScience, combines high yields and tremendous resistance to disease and unfavorable weather conditions with LibertyLink herbicide tolerance, and has become the most successful canola variety in the United States and Canada. Moreover, strong demand in the food industry for oil pressed from InVigor® canola is being driven by its positive nutritional profile.
High-quality canola oil with tailored properties is not only a useful component in a healthier diet but also points the way to solutions for increasingly urgent questions surrounding the future, such as climate protection and raw material supply issues. Against this background, research activities at Bayer CropScience are focused particularly on increasing yields – also under difficult climatic conditions – and developing plants which can provide energy.
Sustainable farming: A balance between economy and ecology
The aim of the products supplied by Bayer CropScience is to increase the productivity of crops, improve their quality, and reduce loss of yield due to pests, diseases and weeds. In this way, the company can contribute to making optimal use of natural resources like soil and water, thus creating an efficient agricultural basis for a healthy food supply. The principle of integrated crop management, which Bayer CropScience supports, helps to further this goal. Its objective is to combine cultivation techniques, crop rotation, the selection of crop varieties, fertilizers, crop protection products and harvesting techniques in a way that best suits the individual location. This also means for crop protection that biological, biotechnological and chemical methods of pest and weed control must be used in concert with each other. Chemical crop protection is used in a very targeted way. Land use in the context of integrated crop management helps to maintain and establish habitats, for example by encouraging the creation of field margins, which in turn leads to sustained biodiversity.
Crop protection products: Support in dealing with obsolete stocks
Large quantities of obsolete pesticides have accumulated particularly in those countries where procurement was governed by planned economies rather than in response to farmers’ needs. In Africa, many stocks are left-overs from pesticide donations provided under international development assistance programs, often decades ago. The products come from a variety of manufacturers. Bayer CropScience has played an important part in ensuring that over 10,000 tons of these obsolete crop protection products have been disposed of safely since 1990.
Further progress is expected to be achieved by the “Africa Stockpiles Programme.” This 15-year multi-stakeholder project, in which the World Bank, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the UN Environment Programme, the conservation organization WWF, the non-governmental organization PAN (Pesticide Action Network) and industry are involved, is intended to help with the disposal of obsolete pesticides from Africa. A meeting of all stakeholders, at which Bayer CropScience was also represented, was held in September 2006 in Cape Town, South Africa. Future action and specific measures to be taken were determined for the seven designated priority countries: Ethiopia, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Tunisia.
Further progress is expected to be achieved by the “Africa Stockpiles Programme.” This 15-year multi-stakeholder project, in which the World Bank, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the UN Environment Programme, the conservation organization WWF, the non-governmental organization PAN (Pesticide Action Network) and industry are involved, is intended to help with the disposal of obsolete pesticides from Africa. A meeting of all stakeholders, at which Bayer CropScience was also represented, was held in September 2006 in Cape Town, South Africa. Future action and specific measures to be taken were determined for the seven designated priority countries: Ethiopia, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Tunisia.
Animal studies: Reduced as much as possible
Studies involving animals – mainly rats and mice – are legally stipulated and will continue to be an indispensable part of developing safe new active substances and products. The requirements of the EU’s new REACH Directive in fact reinforce the need for these studies. This subject concerns all three Bayer subgroups. The company is part of a broad-based industrial coalition whose aim is to improve the welfare of animals used in studies and to continue reducing the number of animals used in each test .
ERAPharm (Environmental Risk Assessment of Pharmaceuticals) is a project supported by the European Union. Experts from Bayer Schering Pharma, Berlin, Germany, are involved in the project as scientific advisors. The emphasis is on identifying potential environmental risks associated with human and veterinary pharmaceuticals. The first results of the project will be presented at a conference in September 2007. The long-term impact of hormones is another important topic. Bayer Schering Pharma is carrying out ecotoxicology studies with fish to establish the effect of hormones on their development and reproduction. The objective of these studies is to evaluate concentrations of these substances which are relevant to the environment as they can be transferred to surface waters from effluent cleaning plants. Estrogens have been characterized in detail, and studies are now being expanded to cover progestins.
.ERAPharm (Environmental Risk Assessment of Pharmaceuticals) is a project supported by the European Union. Experts from Bayer Schering Pharma, Berlin, Germany, are involved in the project as scientific advisors. The emphasis is on identifying potential environmental risks associated with human and veterinary pharmaceuticals. The first results of the project will be presented at a conference in September 2007. The long-term impact of hormones is another important topic. Bayer Schering Pharma is carrying out ecotoxicology studies with fish to establish the effect of hormones on their development and reproduction. The objective of these studies is to evaluate concentrations of these substances which are relevant to the environment as they can be transferred to surface waters from effluent cleaning plants. Estrogens have been characterized in detail, and studies are now being expanded to cover progestins.
Germany: Current topics from the Chemical Parks
The Trianel Group is planning, on behalf of public services and regional utilities, to build a coal-fired power plant in the Krefeld-Uerdingen Chemical Park. It will supply the Chemical Park with process steam and electricity, and local households and companies in the region with electricity. The benefit of combined heat and power units is their efficient, environmentally friendly generation of energy. When the project is finished, two older coal furnaces in the Chemical Park will be able to be switched off. The new power plant will have higher efficiency, better energy yield and – in relative terms – lower CO2 emissions. The power plant will thus make an active contribution to climate and environmental protection. In the region, it could help to safeguard the competitiveness of the site and thus help to save jobs. The permit procedure has been initiated by the Trianel Group.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is an important chemical building block. Bayer needs it to manufacture high-grade materials. To ensure a reliable supply of raw materials, Bayer MaterialScience has decid-ed to build a 70 km pipeline for transporting carbon monoxide gas between the Chemical Parks in Dormagen and Krefeld-Uerdingen. To ensure safe operation of the pipeline, comprehensive safety precautions, a modern leakage alarm system and an emergency response plan will be put in place. Not only do these precautions go beyond the legally required level, the pipeline will also contribute to reducing emissions: With the aid of modern production processes, CO2 generated in the Dormagen Chemical Park can be used for CO production and, for example, fed to the production plant in Krefeld-Uerdingen. This means an annual saving of 70,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions. In addition to this, the pipeline will enhance the competitiveness and safeguard the future of the Chemical Park. In February 2007, Bayer received official approval for the plans to build the pipeline. The aim is to have the CO pipeline up and running before the end of this year.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is an important chemical building block. Bayer needs it to manufacture high-grade materials. To ensure a reliable supply of raw materials, Bayer MaterialScience has decid-ed to build a 70 km pipeline for transporting carbon monoxide gas between the Chemical Parks in Dormagen and Krefeld-Uerdingen. To ensure safe operation of the pipeline, comprehensive safety precautions, a modern leakage alarm system and an emergency response plan will be put in place. Not only do these precautions go beyond the legally required level, the pipeline will also contribute to reducing emissions: With the aid of modern production processes, CO2 generated in the Dormagen Chemical Park can be used for CO production and, for example, fed to the production plant in Krefeld-Uerdingen. This means an annual saving of 70,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions. In addition to this, the pipeline will enhance the competitiveness and safeguard the future of the Chemical Park. In February 2007, Bayer received official approval for the plans to build the pipeline. The aim is to have the CO pipeline up and running before the end of this year.
Mercury: Solution to a global problem
The increasing mercury content of the atmosphere is becoming a serious problem throughout the world, because the concentration of this toxic heavy metal is increasing by around 1.4 percent a year. More than 70 percent of it nowadays stems from the gases generated by industrial combustion processes (primarily coal), and less than 30 percent from natural sources.
To remove mercury from flue gas, use is generally made of activated carbon filters at the end of the flue gas treatment operation. However, the process is rather cost-intensive and, even in modern German power plants, reduces the mercury output by only 70 percent. In contrast, the Environmental Services Business Unit of Currenta has been using a process of its own in its incineration plants that eliminates up to 99.9 percent of the mercury from the flue gases. The process is highly effective and also relatively inexpensive, with the result that this innovation from Currenta has been put forward for the German Environmental Award 2007.
To remove mercury from flue gas, use is generally made of activated carbon filters at the end of the flue gas treatment operation. However, the process is rather cost-intensive and, even in modern German power plants, reduces the mercury output by only 70 percent. In contrast, the Environmental Services Business Unit of Currenta has been using a process of its own in its incineration plants that eliminates up to 99.9 percent of the mercury from the flue gases. The process is highly effective and also relatively inexpensive, with the result that this innovation from Currenta has been put forward for the German Environmental Award 2007.
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