New CO2-curing technology reduces water consumption by up to 80%, CO2 emissions by up to 70%, and curing time to one day

A white paper on water use in the global production of cement and concrete finds that a savings of two billion tons of water per year could be realized with the adoption of a patented process developed by Solidia Technologies® that cures concrete with carbon dioxide (CO₂) instead of water. Starting with a sustainable cement, the CO₂-curing technology reduces water consumption in the production of concrete up to 80%, carbon emissions up to 70%, and the curing time to one day.

“Water Savings in Concrete Made from Solidia Cement”

"Water scarcity and rising CO₂ emissions are among the most pressing concerns of our time," commented Solidia’s Chief Technology Officer and paper co-author Nicholas DeCristofaro, Ph.D. "With Solidia Cement™ and Solidia Concrete™, we can address these environmental challenges with innovative solutions that offer tangible value to manufacturers and inestimable value to the planet."

Entitled “Water Savings in Concrete Made from Solidia Cement,” the paper’s additional authors include Solidia Technologies Director of Research and Development Vahit Atakan, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist Jitendra Jain, Ph.D., Research Scientist Deepak Ravikumar, Ph.D., and Senior Research Scientist Larry McCandlish, Ph.D.

Abstract

Concrete is the second most consumed substance in the world, after water. Portland cement-based concrete is made by mixing aggregates (both coarse and fine), ordinary Portland cement (OPC), admixtures (mineral or chemical) and water. Over 30 billion tons of concrete were produced in 2011, consuming over three billion tons of OPC. The water-to-cement ratio for a typical concrete formulation varies from 0.35 to 0.4 (0.35 ton of water per ton of cement). Based on these numbers, it is estimated that 1.3 to 1.5 billion tons of water (3 x 10⁹ tons of cement x 0.35 ton of water per ton of cement = 1.3 billion tons of water) is chemically consumed annually during concrete production. Because concrete may take up to 28 days to fully cure, additional water is often added to the concrete to compensate for evaporation. When this added water is considered, the overall water consumed annually during OPC-based concrete production is estimated to be between 2.15 to 2.6 billion tons, or 2.15 to 2.6 trillion liters.

Solidia Technologies has developed a new class of sustainable cement, hereafter referred to as Solidia Cement, that reacts with gaseous CO₂ rather than with water to form Solidia Concrete. Like their OPC-based concrete counterparts, concrete objects made with this sustainable cement require the incorporation of water for shaping and forming only. However, the water used in concrete formulations based on Solidia Cement is not consumed chemically and can be recovered during the CO₂ -curing process.

On average, 70 to 80 percent of the water used in the Solidia Concrete formulation can be recovered during CO₂-curing process. The remainder of the water is retained in the concrete and can be recovered if needed.

If Solidia Cement were used instead of OPC, the amount of water consumed during the production of concrete could be reduced around 0.26 to 0.45 billion tons. This corresponds to an annual global water savings approaching two billion tons, or two trillion liters.

The white paper can be downloaded at www.solidiatech.com.

Solidia Technologies® makes it easy and profitable to use CO₂ to create superior and sustainable building materials. Solidia was honored with the 2013 R&D Top 100 Award, named a finalist in both the 2014 CCEMC Grand Challenge First Round and the 2013 Katerva Award, shortlisted to both the 2013 Cleantech 100 and MIT’s Climate CoLab, and named a 2014 Best Place to Work in NJ. Based in Piscataway, N.J., Solidia’s investors include Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Bright Capital, BASF, and BP. Follow Solidia Technologies at www.solidiatech.com and on LinkedIn and Twitter: @SolidiaCO2.

YUI+Company, Inc.
Ellen Yui, 301-270-8571
m: 301-332-4135
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Rehrig Pacific Company, a leading supplier of roll-out carts, recycle bins, commercial containers and software systems to the waste and recycling collection industry, has announced the release of its latest version of the proprietary Container Asset Recovery Tracking System (CARTS). Rehrig Pacific offers CARTS 5.0 to customers as a software as a service (SaaS) model. New features include an improved and more user friendly interface, with quick search account manager tools and dashboard reporting features that capture a snapshot of valuable customer data specific to all aspects of their business. The new dashboards include a detailed overview of new container distributions, account database creation, container management and work orders, container inventory utilization and daily collection operations.

“For over the last seven years, the CARTS software has been leading the efforts of providing an automated container asset management program for the solid waste and recycling industry”

“For over the last seven years, the CARTS software has been leading the efforts of providing an automated container asset management program for the solid waste and recycling industry,” said Dustin DePanfilis, Director of the Environmental Services Group. “Today, Rehrig has millions of containers under management with CARTS and we are excited to release its new features to our valued customers and the industry as a whole.”

“The intuitive design makes training staff easy and cost effective. Powerful reporting tools provide meaningful information to determine areas of our operation that may need attention and with live collection data feeds you are able to track production on the day of collection,” said Gene Ginn, Assistant Solid Waste Manager, City of Largo, Fla. “Container Inventories and repairs are easily trackable and insure quality customer service in a timely manner.”

The overall functionality of CARTS 5.0 was created to improve container capital utilization. As the solid waste industry continues to grow, so does the number of container assets deployed to support this business. In the past, keeping up with the movement of these assets has been a challenge and customers have been experiencing significant container losses for years, which ultimately results in increased and unnecessary container capital expenditures along with the risk of servicing non-paying accounts for those container assets that are not recovered.

The CARTS 5.0 software not only creates an extremely accurate billing database, but it also has the capability of proactively tracking movement of containers within a specific service area. This type of functionality can minimize container capital loss and help prevent the risk of servicing non-paying accounts. In addition, in the 5.0 version of CARTS, customers can take advantage of the new inventory utilization tools, which provide visibility of all container asset types and sizes in multiple locations as well as predict when inventory will be depleted and needs to be replenished.

Founded in 1913, Rehrig Pacific Company has grown to become a world-leading manufacturer of roll-out carts recycle bins and commercial containers for the waste and recycling collection industry. The company is also a plastic pallet and reusable transport packaging manufacturer serving the agriculture, pharmaceutical, bakery, beverage, dairy, retail and materials handling industries. Rehrig Pacific offers a growing number of container asset management and service tracking hardware and software systems. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Calif., Rehrig Pacific serves customers with manufacturing and service locations throughout North America and Mexico with sales offices in South America.

REHRIG SALES CONTACT:
Rob Eck
National Sales Manager
Environmental Services Group
407-857-3888
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First Capital, a national commercial finance company, announced it has provided a $20,000,000 revolving line of credit to Gulf Packaging, Inc., a national distributor of packaging supplies and equipment.

“Gulf Packaging is the type of company that can benefit significantly from the lending programs First Capital provides as a privately owned non-bank lender. We were able to provide Gulf Packaging more working capital to support them in achieving their growth strategy.”

First Capital was referred to the company because of First Capital’s ability to create a flexible financing structure to fund Gulf’s corporate consolidation and sales growth. In addition to refinancing the previous lenders, proceeds were used to finance the consolidation of various affiliates that will allow Gulf to streamline operations and take advantage of larger market opportunities.

Harry R. Novak, Senior Vice President and Regional Business Development Manager for the Chicago market office stated, “Gulf Packaging is the type of company that can benefit significantly from the lending programs First Capital provides as a privately owned non-bank lender. We were able to provide Gulf Packaging more working capital to support them in achieving their growth strategy.”

“The First Capital team worked overtime to create a financing facility with the size and flexibility for us to realign our business strategy,” remarked Arman Sarkisian, CEO of Gulf Packaging, Inc. “With this new facility we will be able to service larger national customer programs and leverage our buying power.”

First Capital provides working capital financing ranging from $2 million to $25 million primarily to small and middle-market business owners with annual sales ranging from $10 million to $250 million. Credit facilities are in the form of Asset-Based lines of credit.

This transaction will be serviced by First Capital’s ABL Central Region managed by John Curtis, EVP and ABL Central Region Manager. For further information relating to this deal or interest in other financing provided by First Capital’s ABL Central Region, please contact Mr. Curtis at 405-917-1104 or Mr. Novak at 312-867-3131.

First Capital provides customized and timely working capital financing solutions primarily to small and middle-market companies engaged mainly in manufacturing, distributing and business services with annual sales greater than $10 million. Lines of credit are in the form of Asset-Based Loans, Factoring or Invoice Purchasing arrangements ranging from $200,000 to $25 million. Originally formed in 1988, First Capital is one of the largest independent asset-based working capital lenders in the country. Headquartered in New York City, the firm has additional offices in Atlanta, Boynton Beach, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Oklahoma City with regional sales offices located across the United States.

First Capital
Laura Schreiber, 001-561-623-1918
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The demands made of chain drive systems in today's world can be extremely tough and the working environment can be just as hard. Applications which are exposed to frequent washdowns, harsh weather conditions or involve a chain being submerged in water require a superior level of corrosion resistance built into the drive chain to ensure continued reliable service.

Tsubaki, one of the world's leading manufacturers of premium quality chain products, has invested considerable research and development into the design and production of its latest N.E.P. (New Environmental Plating) chain. Each component of the chain is engineered to provide a greatly extended service life compared to competing products and thereby deliver reliability and peace of mind to the customer.

The Tsubaki product retains the same strength as carbon steel chain, but, in addition, has undergone a special surface treatment process. The link plates, bushes and bearing pins of the chain have a special three-stage coating applied in order to provide the maximum protection from the operating or environmental conditions. In addition, the chain rollers have a special coating designed to resist corrosive conditions and the severe dynamic contact between roller and sprocket.

N.E.P. chain is suitable for use in environments exposed to seawater, acid rain and other adverse operating conditions. Environmentally compliant, N.E.P. chain also offers the advantage of not containing any chemically hazardous substances such as Hexavalent Chromium, Lead, Cadmium and Mercury, as regulated by RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances).

Kilowatt ratings for N.E.P. chain are the same as those for corresponding sizes of Tsubaki standard BS chain, but with a higher working temperature range: -10°C to +150°C. For operations above 60°C a special high temperature lubricant is required, which is available from Tsubaki Europe.

About Tsubaki

Established in 1917, Tsubakimoto Chain Company is the world’s premier manufacturer of power transmission products with strong market positions in premium quality ANSI & BS roller conveyor & engineering chains and associated power transmission components such as cam clutches, reducers & linear actuators. With a turnover exceeding $1.4 Billion US Dollars & 5,000 employees, the Tsubaki group includes 46 production locations and 63 group companies worldwide. Our production and sales networks are now more developed than ever.

Tsubakimoto Europe B.V. serves Power Transmission customers in the Pan-European market, Africa and the Middle East from European headquarters located in Dordrecht, the Netherlands, along with a local subsidiary based in Nottingham, serving the UK market & Ireland. Tsubaki also has a German subsidiary located in Gilching.

Tsubakimoto Europe B.V. : Shigumo Uchiyama
Tel: +31 (0)78 6204000 Fax:
Web: tsubaki.eu
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RScientific field-trip organisers GeoTenerife (www.geotenerife.com ) hosted a conference on sustainable energy on the island of Tenerife at the RAC Club at Pall Mall on Friday 2 May 2014.

The conference was well-attended by UK-based companies specialising in various areas of renewable energy, along with representatives from charities and educational institutes.

They were joined by members of the Cabildo de Tenerife, with Miguel Diaz Llanos (Councillor responsible for Energy) and Eduardo Pintado Mascareno (Councillor responsible for Commerce) attending on behalf of the island.

Also present were delegates from the embassies of Ghana, Guinea and Mauritania, all of which have shown an interest in Tenerife’s Africa TREE Project.

Sharon Backhouse, director of GeoTenerife and the event host, said, “There are a number of fabulous business collaborations available for British companies.

“People often see Tenerife as nothing more than a holiday destination, but there is so much more to the island than people realise, and hopefully our guests will make the most of these opportunities.”

The conference started with the attendees being addressed by President Carlos Alonso of the Island Government of Tenerife, who said, “We are keen to welcome scientists and students who wish to come to our small yet perfect paradise.

“Our sun, wind and waves are inexhaustible resources that we can no longer afford to waste.”

The Councillor responsible for Energy, Miguel Diaz Llanos, gave an informative talk on the various initiatives implemented by the Tenerife government. He specifically called for UK investors to submit tenders for their proposed RFP for a waste-to-energy project, full details of which will be announced by the Cabildo de Tenerife next month.

GeoTenerife has already received several requests for more information on this and potential solar energy investment on the island, and is currently organising investor trips to the island for UK companies that are keen to learn more and meet the relevant authorities. (If interested, contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ';document.getElementById('cloak487c759d5844d93cb079cc8df8eb5690').innerHTML += ''+addy_text487c759d5844d93cb079cc8df8eb5690+'<\/a>'; ).

After the initial speech, delegates were then treated to talks from a range of Tenerife’s scientists, who spoke to the audience about their innovative projects and the sustainable potential of the island of Tenerife.

The director of the Technological and Renewable Energy Institute (ITER), Guillermo Galvan, spoke about the institute’s work on bioclimatic houses in Tenerife, which make use of the natural elements to great effect.

"Bioclimatic architecture tries to recapture the old dialogue of the house with the outside world, especially to reduce the consumption of water and energy," he said.

“This dialogue has a particular relevance to the kind of sustainable tourism Tenerife is trying to develop."

ITER is learning a great deal from the neighbourhood of 24 bioclimatic houses that they built and are now renting out to tourists. "Having them occupied is perfect for us, it makes them the perfect laboratory. We can study how the bioclimatic houses perform, and make any adjustments necessary," said Galvan.

The director of the Africa TREE (Total Renewable Energy Efficiency) Project, Carlos Pérez, delivered a talk on how the project will work as a joint venture between Tenerife and Mauritania, and the benefits of these projects for the future.

"We are looking for partners. The idea is to work sensitively in Africa, with a project that will earn a healthy return for investors, both local and foreign," he said. The project is being developed in collaboration with the Cabildo de Tenerife, and draws on a number of local specialists and innovators.

The idea is to establish a sustainable village, with the relevant technology to provide renewable energy and distilled water, but also to run a sustainable hotel as part of the project, to attract tourists sensitive to the area's needs and provide a healthy return to investors.

Dr. Nemesio Pérez, the director for the environment at ITER, and Coordinator of the Volcano Institute, Involcán, then gave a fascinating talk on the geothermal potential of the island, and how they can make use of the Mt. Teide volcano, the third largest in the world.

He told the audience: "If we could only tap less than 1% of the potential energy held in the earth's crust, we could supply all our energy needs for 13,500 years."

He explained that although geothermal testing had been done in Tenerife before, with disappointing results, new understanding and techniques meant that he had identified that the areas tested were not in the right place. He outlined his reasoning for identifying what he now thinks are the key places to test, and underscored that Tenerife's geothermal "really is very good."

After lunch, the visitors were treated to another address, this time from Alpido Armas, President of the Island Government of El Hierro. Mr Armas is actively working to ensure that El Hierro become's the world's first territory to be 100% sustainable for its energy needs. "Yes, it is possible! When our Gorona del Viento projects gets up and running in June, we will depend solely on wind and fresh water for our energy needs."

He outlined other sustainable projects and called for international partners, details of which can seen by viewing the address on GeoTenerife's YouTube channel.

The first talk of the afternoon session was conducted by Javier Pérez Marrero, from the Sustainability Observatory for the Biosphere of El Hierro, who discussed the sustainability of biospheres in the province of Tenerife through the use of smart ICT tools to control them. Although specialised, his talk gave us an insight into a highly sophisticated instrument of great value to fragile Biosphere reserves like El Hierro.

The talk showed how anybody can use these tools in order to increase economic development in these areas without providing a detrimental effect to the environment.

The final talk of the day was conducted by Theo Hernando Olmo, the managing director of Agua de Niebla, a company that developed and built innovative technology to collect and bottle cloud water for drinking. The audience fell in love with the romantic notion of collecting pure water from Tenerife's cloud layer, which is low in pollutants and minerals.

When asked about how his technology could be applied to the UK market, Mr Hernando Olmo said, “The UK has some really exciting areas where this technology could be applied, especially in areas over 700m. And we will be happy to talk to anyone interested in developing this technology for the British market."

In fact, GeoTenerife has already been approached by several companies looking to collaborate with Mr Olmo, specifically in the tea and whisky lines, as the water is so pure it does not affect the taste of either.

The day finished with a quintessentially British High Tea in the Terrace Room, giving everyone one last chance to mingle and exchange knowledge before heading home.

The conference was deemed a success, with a good turn-out and a strong selection of interesting speakers, and GeoTenerife is particularly excited about the possible spinoffs that will come from the event.

Related Article - GEOTHERMAL - The Geothermal potential of Tenerife

About GeoTenerife:

GeoTenerife is a British company that coordinates scientific bespoke trips to the island of Tenerife for UK Universities. It also organizes conferences and webinars on the island, bringing experts from Tenerife to the UK.

Our desire to promote the potential of the island is backed by over fifteen years of experience in the field of renewable energy. We work with investors interested in projects in Tenerife and schools of all levels in the UK.

Our events are specifically coordinated to the requirements of each group responding with activities tailored to their courses and levels of study.

Our goal is to redefine the island of Tenerife: not just a sun and beach destination, the island has resources and potential to be a key destination for global travel and scientific study of the highest level.

For further information about GeoTenerife please contact the event organiser, Director Sharon Backhouse on 07793 063232 or email enquiries @geotenerife.com .

Atlas Copco Compressors has achieved three new certifications for its operations in the UK following the completion of a nationwide training programme focusing on the management of quality, health and safety and environmental impact. The triple certification comprises ISO 9001for quality, ISO14001 for environment and OHSAS18001 for safety.

Steve Matthews, Atlas Copco’s newly appointed QSHE Manager said: “Achieving these global benchmark standards adds to the company’s credibility and boosts confidence in its products and services. It demonstrates the company’s determination to deliver quality systems through tested procedures, while ensuring its management systems provide staff focus and discipline within a compliant framework.”

Achieving triple certification has enabled Atlas Copco Compressors to adopt a systematic approach to continual management improvement within its operations in the UK, thereby reducing waste, improving resource efficiency and minimising running costs.

The ISO 9001 standard relates to quality management systems and is designed to help organisations ensure that, while meeting statutory and regulatory requirements related to their products, they are able to increase customer and stakeholder satisfaction through the delivery of quality products and services.

The ISO 14001 standard is an integral part of the European Union’s Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), which concerns performance improvement, legal compliance and reporting duties. This environmental management standard is designed to help organisations minimise how their operations and processes negatively affect the environment and to comply with applicable laws, regulations and other requirements.

OHSAS 18000 is an international occupational health and safety management system specification, designed to minimise risk to employees and implement improvement to an existing OH&S management system. Central to achieving OHSAS certification are strong policies and procedures to demonstrate a company’s due diligence and provide assurance on all health and safety issues.

Atlas Copco has also set its sights on achieving ISO 50001 and plans to help customers secure a 20% improvement in energy efficiency by 2020. Additional training packages are already in place for management and staff to meet the new international standard for energy management, building upon the original BS 16001 standard. Its purpose is to enable an organisation to follow a systematic approach in achieving continual improvement in energy performance, including energy efficiency, energy security, energy use and consumption. The standard aims to help organisations continually reduce their energy use, energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

Atlas Copco Compressors is the GB sales and service operation of the Atlas Copco Group providing oil-free and oil-injected stationary air compressors, gas and process compressors, turbo expanders, nitrogen generators, air treatment equipment (such as compressed air dryers, coolers, and filters) air management systems, and custom designed engineered packages. 

Atlas Copco Compressors’ sales and distribution network means that specialist compressed air advice and service is always within easy reach. A team of over 80 service engineers operates across the country, to ensure maximum running efficiency and minimum downtime at its customers' sites.

In the United Kingdom, Atlas Copco also handles the sales and marketing of construction and mining equipment, portable compressors and electric power generators, industrial power tools and assembly systems – all backed up by a nationwide sales, distribution, service and maintenance network. 

Atlas Copco is a world-leading provider of sustainable productivity solutions. The Group serves customers with innovative compressors, vacuum solutions and air treatment systems, construction and mining equipment, power tools and assembly systems. Atlas Copco develops products and service focused on productivity, energy efficiency, safety and ergonomics.  The company was founded in 1873, is based in Stockholm, Sweden, and has a global reach spanning more than 180 countries. In 2013, Atlas Copco had revenues of BSEK 84 (BEUR 9.7) and more than 40 000 employees.Learn more at www.atlascopco.com.

For product or sales enquiries please contact 0800 181085.

For further company information contact Joanna Canton Long on 01442 222240.

Chevron Corporation (NYSE: CVX) has announced it has reached a settlement agreement with Patton Boggs LLP, a lobbying and law firm headquartered in Washington, D.C. Chevron had filed counterclaims in federal court against Patton Boggs for its role in a lawsuit against the company in Ecuador. In today's settlement, Patton Boggs has resolved those claims by withdrawing from the fraudulent Ecuador litigation, issuing a statement of regret, assigning its interests in the litigation to Chevron, and making a payment to Chevron of $15 million. Chevron, in turn, has agreed to release all claims against Patton Boggs and its partners.

"We are pleased that Patton Boggs is ending its association with the fraudulent and extortionate Ecuador litigation scheme. Chevron detailed its objections to Patton Boggs' conduct in its counterclaim, and today's agreement brings that litigation to an end. Chevron encourages others to disassociate themselves from this fraud," said Hewitt Pate, Chevron's vice president and general counsel.

On March 4, 2014, Judge Lewis Kaplan of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled that the $9.5 billion judgment against Chevron in Ecuador was the product of fraud and racketeering activity, finding it unenforceable in the United States and holding Donziger liable for RICO violations. Patton Boggs began working with Donziger and the Lago Agrio Plaintiffs in early 2010 in exchange for a stake in the Ecuadorian judgment. Patton Boggs also filed a series of three separate lawsuits on its own behalf in the United States against Chevron. All of that firm's claims against Chevron were rejected by U.S. federal courts. On March 31, 2014, Judge Kaplan granted Chevron's application to pursue counterclaims against Patton Boggs relating to that firm's role in connection with the Ecuadorian action and related litigations against the company. Today's settlement resolves those counterclaims.

In settling this matter, Patton Boggs is the latest party, among many others, to disassociate itself from Steven Donziger and the Lago Agrio Plaintiffs. During the recent seven-week federal racketeering trial against Steven Donziger, there were more than a dozen former insiders and allies who testified against him, including his former co-counsel, environmental consultants, funders, employees and his Ecuadorian collaborators.

Chevron is one of the world's leading integrated energy companies, with subsidiaries that conduct business worldwide. The company's success is driven by the ingenuity and commitment of its employees and their application of the most innovative technologies in the world. Chevron is involved in virtually every facet of the energy industry. The company explores for, produces and transports crude oil and natural gas; refines, markets and distributes transportation fuels and other energy products; manufactures and sells petrochemical products; generates power and produces geothermal energy; provides energy efficiency solutions; and develops the energy resources of the future, including biofuels. Chevron is based in San Ramon, Calif. More information about Chevron is available at www.chevron.com.

Source: Chevron Corporation

Chevron Corporation
Morgan Crinklaw, +1 925-790-6908
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VinylPlus, the sustainable development programme of the European PVC industry, registered a record 444,468 tonnes of recycled PVC last year – keeping the industry on track to meet the challenge of recycling 800,000 tonnes per year by 2020.

The 2013 results were presented today at the 2014 Vinyl Sustainability Forum in Rome. Welcoming delegates and speakers, including international, European and Italian institutions, NGOs, retailers and global PVC industry representatives, VinylPlus Chairman Michael Träger said: “We are very proud to show how VinylPlus is continuously progressing toward its targets. At the heart of our Commitment’s progress is the strong cooperation among PVC industry sector groups, companies, national associations and the factual contribution of our stakeholders. It is for that reason that this year’s Forum focuses on Enhancing the Value of Partnerships and their contribution to a more sustainable future.” He added “our commitment is strong and we will continue to guarantee maximum efforts in driving the PVC industry towards a greener economy and to promote a more sustainable model of industrial production at global level, by spreading our approach, experience and best practices”.

Speaking at the Forum, Councillor for the Environment of the Municipality of Ferrara, Rossella Zadro underlined the importance of a positive collaboration between the public and private sectors at local level: “It is very important that public authorities listen to, understand and have a continuous dialogue with industries implanted in their region, as is the case with VinyLoop^®[1].On this basis, public authorities can play a proactive role in proposing projects and initiatives that are beneficial for all, including for citizens”.

In 2013, EU regulations’ potential impact on recycling because of the presence of  ‘legacy additives’[2] in PVC waste was a serious challenge for the industry as it has the potential to reduce the amount of PVC that can be recycled. This concern is valid for PVC recycling but also for many other recycled materials. VinylPlus made significant efforts to address this issue with the relevant authorities.

In 2013 VinylPlus registered a decrease of 81.4% in the use of lead-based stabilisers in the EU-27 compared to 2007 levels, well on target to completing their substitution by the end of 2015. In 2014, the commitment will be extended to the EU-28.

Raising sustainability awareness is a key component of the VinylPlus programme. In 2013, VinylPlus’ Voluntary Commitment, its progress and its achievements were presented through active participation in high-level conferences, events and exhibitions at European and global level, such as the European Commission’s annual forum on international affairs and development cooperation, European Development Days. In November 2013, VinylPlus became a member of the Green Industry Platform (GIP), a joint initiative of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

In her keynote speech in Rome, Barbara Kreissler, Head of the Business Partnerships Group at UNIDO said “UNIDO is particularly proud to have an industry-wide partnership such as VinylPlus on the Green Industry Platform. The recent milestones they have achieved demonstrate how the private sector can be transformative in nature and can take the lead in achieving an important step towards sustainability objectives and realizing a more inclusive and sustainable model of industrial development. This partnership model is therefore of great relevance not only in the European context, but also for developing and transition economies that are just beginning their journey of sustainable economic growth.”

About VinylPlus: Launched in 2011, VinylPlus is the renewed ten-year Voluntary Commitment to sustainable development by the European PVC industry. The VinylPlus programme was developed in an open process of stakeholder dialogue with industry, NGOs, regulators, public representatives and users. Five key challenges have been identified based on The Natural Step System Conditions for a Sustainable Society.

Amélie de Bien, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Tel: +32 (0)2 6767440; Mobile: +32 (0) 475 897374

[1] With the VinyLoop^® technology (now available for licensing worldwide), difficult-to-treat, end-of-life PVC waste can be recycled into high-quality PVC compounds. Last year, the VinyLoop^® plant in Ferrara, Italy, managed to achieve an increase of 55% (802 tonnes) in tarpaulin recycling compared to 2012.
[2] ‘Legacy additives’ are substances whose use in PVC products has been discontinued but that are contained in recycled PVC.

SOCAR, BP, Statoil, RWE Dea, ConocoPhillips, Trans Adriatic Pipeline are some of the world’s leading oil and gas companies confirmed to present at the 21^st Caspian International Oil & Gas Conference taking place on 4 - 5 June 2014 at the JW Marriott Hotel Absheron Baku, Azerbaijan.

Caspian Oil & Gas is the best attended industry event in Azerbaijan, bringing together almost 50 industry experts who will discuss key issues impacting the regional oil and gas market.

Rovnag Abdullayev, President, SOCAR will give a keynote address and chair a session on international cooperation and executing the contract of the century.  

Other senior-level participants from SOCAR include: Khoshbakht Yusifzade, First Vice President of Geology, Geophysics and Field Development; David Mamedov, Vice President of Refining; and Rafiga Huseynzade, Vice President for Ecology.

Gregory Riley, Exploration Director, Eurasia, BP; Lynn Strickland, Vice President for Asia Pacific and Russia Caspian Exploration, ConocoPhillips; Dr. Martin Wellens, General Manager New Ventures Europe/CIS, RWE Dea will participate in a session on alternative energy sources for expanding the resources base.

Faig Askerov, Regional Director, Regulatory Compliance and Environment, BP Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey will take part in a session on ensuring environmental safety of the Caspian region.

Kenan Yavuz, President, SOCAR Turkey Energy will discuss the role of Turkey in transporting Caspian gas into the European market. His presentation will be followed by a presentation from Kjetil Tungland, Managing Director, Trans Adriatic Pipeline as part of a session on supply route diversification.

Over 660 delegates are expected to attend the Caspian International Oil & Gas Conference.

To register as a delegate, please contact Elena Popova on +44 (0) 207 596 5144 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For more information about the Caspian International Oil & Gas Conference, visit www.caspianoil-gas.com

The 21st Caspian International Oil & Gas Exhibition will be held in conjunction with the conference on 3 - 6 June 2014 at the Baku Expo Center in Baku, Azerbaijan. Over 290 exhibitors and 5,800 visitors are expected to attend.

The exhibition will be officially opened by the President of the Azerbaijan Republic, HE Ilham Aliyev

Hans-Peter Endress, Thomas Kraus and Antonietta Pedrazzetti join the administrative body of the Endress+Hauser Group

Changes are taking place to the Supervisory Board of the Endress+Hauser Group. The Annual General Meeting elected Hans-Peter Endress, Thomas Kraus and Antonietta Pedrazzetti as new members of the Group’s controlling body. In turn, Dr George A Endress, Dr Hans Fünfschilling and Willi Ruesch have duly retired from the board.

Klaus Endress, President of the Supervisory Board of Endress+Hauser AG since the beginning of 2014, thanked the retiring Supervisory Board members for their many years of service. They had been members of the independent body since its creation in 2002. “Throughout this long period they have given critical and constructive support to the work of the management team and thereby played key roles in ensuring the good development of the Endress+Hauser Group.”  At the Annual General Meeting Hans-Peter Endress, Thomas Kraus and Antonietta Pedrazzetti were appointed new members of the Supervisory Board.

Hans-Peter Endress (67), eldest son of company founder Dr Georg H Endress, is a Swiss citizen. He graduated from a commercial traineeship and a management program at the renowned private business school IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland. In 1980 he joined Endress+Hauser’s British business as financial director, managing the company from 1985 to 2011 in the role of Managing Director and, as Chairman, is still involved with their development today.

Thomas Kraus (47) is an internationally experienced CEO. He spent a large part of his career at the logistics service provider TNT Express. Besides positions as Director of Marketing and Sales and head of the group’s marketing strategy committee he also was in charge of TNT Innight. From 2007 to 2013 he was CEO of TNT Express Deutschland. The German citizen is chairman of the association granting Germany’s most prestigious quality management award (‘Initiative Ludwig-Erhard-Preis’) and advisor of German foodbank (‘Bundesverband Deutsche Tafel’).

Antonietta Pedrazzetti (51) graduated from her studies in business administration majoring in finance at the University of San Diego in the United States. Since 1992 the Swiss citizen has worked for the Diagnostics division of the pharmaceutical corporation F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd and has been responsible for business development with a focus on mergers and acquisitions as well as strategic projects since 2003.

Additional members of the Supervisory Board are Dr Georg Bretthauer, professor of applied IT and automation engineering, the finance expert Dr Klaus Eisele, as well as the former Chief Financial Officer of the Endress+Hauser Group, Fernando Fuenzalida. Dr Heiner Zehntner, a member of the Group’s Executive Board, is the Secretary of the Supervisory Board.

The Endress+Hauser Group

Endress+Hauser is a global leader in measurement instrumentation, services and solutions for industrial process engineering. The Group employs 12,000 personnel across the globe, generating net sales of 1.8 billion euros in 2013.

Structure
With dedicated sales centers and a strong network of partners, Endress+Hauser guarantees competent worldwide support. Our production centers in 11 countries meet customers’ needs and requirements quickly and effectively. The Group is managed and coordinated by a holding company in Reinach, Switzerland. As a successful family-owned business, Endress+Hauser is set for continued independence and self-reliance.

Products
Endress+Hauser provides sensors, instruments, systems and services for level, flow, pressure and temperature measurement as well as analytics and data acquisition. The company supports customers with automation engineering, logistics and IT services and solutions. Our products set standards in quality and technology.

Industries
We work closely with the chemical, petrochemical, food & beverage, oil & gas, water & wastewater, power & energy, life science, primaries & metal, renewable energies, pulp & paper and shipbuilding industries. Endress+Hauser supports its customers in optimizing their processes in terms of reliability, safety, economic efficiency and environmental impact.

History
Founded in 1953 by Georg H Endress and Ludwig Hauser, Endress+Hauser has been solely owned by the Endress family since 1975. The Group has developed from a specialist in level measurement to a provider of complete solutions for industrial measuring technology and automation, with constant expansion into new territories and markets.