Environmental profiles on chemicals (EPC): A substitution tool i.a. used in the textile industry

When dealing with cleaner technology and product development within industries using a lot of different chemicals, substitution is essential. In many cases substitution of hazardous chemicals with less hazardous ones will diminish the environmental impact from the industry in question. But among many different chemicals it can be difficult to prioritize and evaluate areas for substitution. The EPC-tool was thus developed and it has been used successfully within the Danish printing industry and the Polish textile industry. The EPC tool combines key emission and key consumption figures with hazard assessments of the chemicals used in production and thus creates an environmental profile of the industry, process or product in question. The preceding EPCs are used for pointing out hazardous chemicals used in relatively high quantities and therefore candidates for substitution. The EPCs created after substitution are used for describing the improved environmental performance of the industry. The hazard assessment scoring part of the EPC-tool is used for choosing the best substitutes – from an environmental point of view – among various technically suitable candidates. Three different hazard-ranking systems were used. One for chemicals discharged into public sewage systems (environmental hazard), one for chemicals discharged directly into the aquatic environment (environmental hazard) and one for health hazard. The ranking systems are developed on the basis of the principles of environmental hazard classification as described in the EU Council Directive 67/548/EEC including its amendments. This paper will present the result from the use of the tool with in the Polish textile industry where large reductions in environmental impact have already taken place and are still going on.