Zinc for Human Health | Environmental Responsibility | Sustainable Development | The Vital Micronutrient | Zinc in the Environment

Environmental Responsibility

Over the past two years the Galvanizers Association of Australia (GAA) has worked in partnership with EPA Victoria to facilitate improved environmental performance of the galvanizing industry. This move follows the global trend exhibited by the mining industry to adopt a quadruple bottom line for assessing corporate performance – shareholder return, social & environmental performance, and governance.

Galvanizers Association of Australia and EPA Victoria have developed an electronic environmental management system (EMS) that specifically addresses environmental issues facing the galvanizing industry. The EMS is designed to enable galvanizers to control all environmental aspects of their operations and to improve performance by developing and implementing cleaner production initiatives.

Being electronic based the EMS allows operators to monitor and track progress of multiple plants at the one time. Top level management can use the electronic EMS to extract accurate, up-to-date information from any location where Internet access is available, allowing efficient, well informed decision making. The electronic EMS has advantages over paper based management systems, which tend to be cumbersome and require high maintenance to remain effective.

In 2001 five Victorian galvanizing plants successfully implemented the EMS. The five plants have reported benefits including:

• improved consistency (product quality)
• achieved and maintained legislative compliance
• continual demonstration of corporate due diligence
• reduced generation of industrial wastes
• mitigated impact on local air quality
• mitigated impact on local surface water quality
• reduced consumption of raw materials
• reduced consumption of utilities
• improved production efficiency; and
• reduced costs

Implementation and maintenance of the EMS will allow galvanizing plants to stay at the forefront of technology and to continually improve their environmental performance.

Architects and builders now have the assurance that the galvanizing products they use have been manufactured in an environmentally and socially responsible manner that meets international standards and protocols.

The EMS framework can be implemented at any galvanizing plant anywhere in the world and is provided free of charge to members of the GAA. For detailed information on the product and/or the partnership please contact:

Stefan Fiedler
EPA Victoria
40 City Road
Southbank, Victoria
(03) 9695 2627
stefan.fiedler@epa.vic.gov.au
http://www.epa.vic.gov.au

George Thomson
Galvanizers Association of Australia
124 Exhibition Street,
Melbourne, Victoria
(03) 9654 1266
gaa@gaa.com.au
www.gaa.com.au

Dr Tim Hamilton
Environment Essentials
14 Byron Avenue
Lower Plenty
(03) 9441 0021
0412 070 511
www.enviroessentials.com.au
tim@enviroessentials.com.au