Messer in Switzerland produces its own electricity via a water turbine. The new turbine is a double-regulated, vertical-axis Kaplan turbine for a directly driven synchronous generator. The turbine output is 250 kW, resulting in a maximum electrical power output of 235 kW. Unneeded power is fed into the power grid, especially on weekends.

Air separation units process the surrounding air and produce no toxic or environmentally harmful emissions. Even in the event of a shutdown or a malfunction, only natural components of air are released. We supply our gas products either in gaseous form via pipelines, in cryogenically liquefied form via tank cars for transfer to customer tanks, or in compressed gaseous form in steel cylinders. Only cylinder gases are packaged products. Steel cylinders are usually rented out to customers and returned empty after use. As a result, they are 100 % reusable after the requisite cleaning and inspection and generally remain in service for at least 20 years. We document our total greenhouse gas emissions as CO2 equivalents (CO2e). Since 2018, we have been converting the quantity of emissions for each production facility. Our calculation of greenhouse gases is broken down into direct emissions (Scope 1), indirect emissions from procured energy (Scope 2), and other indirect emissions (Scope 3), in accordance with the GHG (Greenhouse Gas) Protocol. Scope 1 includes all direct CO2 emissions from our production facilities, especially in connection with the manufacture of hydrogen, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide, as well as direct emissions from the combustion of fuel in logistics operations. For 2019, the value for the Messer Group including Western Europe was 78,300 metric tons of CO2 equivalent. The comparable value in 2018 was 74,700 tons. The increase essentially corresponds to the growth in sales plus 1,300 metric tons  of additional CO2e emissions due to logistics in the bulk business. Across the Messer Group including Western Europe, our bulk and cylinder fleet consumed 32.3 million liters of diesel fuel in 2019. In 2018, that figure was 30.2 million liters. In 2019, our fleet traveled a total of 06.2 million kilometers, versus 97.2 million kilometers in 2018. The significant increase in the number of kilometers traveled was due to the strong demand for liquefied gases in China and Vietnam. The average consumption of diesel increased slightly by 2.0 %: from 0.304 liters per kilometer in 2018 to 0.310 liters per kilometer in 2019. Messer operates N2O units that produce nitrous oxide in Croatia, Czech Republic, Serbia and China. That gas is used in medical applications and in the electronics and food industries. In Switzerland and China, Messer operates a total of six company-owned hydrogen plants. Three other hydrogen units that we operate for our customers in Austria and Hungary (on-site units) are excluded from the calculation of our own CO2 footprint. In its gaseous state, hydrogen can be used in many industrial sectors, including as a food additive in hydrogenation or fat-hardening, in heat treatment processes, as an energy source, or even as an emissions-free fuel. Despite efficiency improvements, the Group’s indirect CO2 emissions (Scope 2) increased as a result of sales growth in new air separation units, including the newly acquired units in North and South America, as well as due to higher utilization of existing plants. Through reduction of specific electrical energy consumption, which is documented by energy coefficients, and minimization of the emissions factor relative to the purchased electricity mix, however, the absolute emissions increase remains disproportionately low. Indirect CO2 emissions under Scope 2 comprise the production of the purchased electricity throughout the Group and totaled 4.57 million metric tons in 2019, 1.75 million metric tons of which were allocated to Messer in North and South America. The average emissions factor for North and South America’s purchased electricity mix was 18 % below the value in Europe and Asia. For Messer Group including Western Europe, indirect emissions fell from 3.02 million metric tons in 2018 to 2.82 million metric tons in 2019. This improvement was partly due to updated emissions factors in China and the Czech Republic. The emissions we listed under Scope 3 include all indirect emissions unrelated to the purchase of electrical power. This includes the purchase of product from our competitors, for example, as well as our business travel and our employees’ daily commute to their place of work. In 2019, our subsidiaries in Spain, Switzerland, Croatia, Serbia, Austria, Slovakia, Poland and Romania determined the distance our employees travel from their place of residence to their place of work and the mode of transport they use. The value determined for greenhouse gases emitted during their daily commute to and from work resulted in an overall average of 1.6 metric tons per employee. For the Messer Group including Western Europe, the CO2 equivalence value for Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions, including industrial gases purchased, totaled 175,157 metric tons, which was lower than the previous year. For 2018, we calculated a comparable CO2 equivalence value of 199,493 metric tons. CO2 emissions intensity is measured as the ratio of CO2e per euro of sales revenue. For the Messer Group including Western Europe, it was 2.1 kilograms of CO2e per euro in 2019 versus 2.5 in 2018. Firstly, the Messer Group achieved a significant increase in sales revenue and a dramatic improvement in energy efficiency. Moreover, CO2 intensity fell by 18 % as a result of the purchased electricity mix, partly due to the updated emissions factors.

In 2019, our air separation units consumed a total of 17.3 million cubic meters of water, most of which was used to cool the ASUs’ compressors. Messer’s main manufacturing processes – air separation, CO2 purification and liquefaction – do not require any direct use of water, as solvent, for example. Therefore, no process water requirement exists. However, the processes do generate large quantities of heat, mainly during the compression of the gases. That heat is usually discharged via a cooling water system. Most units use an open cooling loop that circulates cooling water, which absorbs heat from the relevant sources and discharges it to the atmosphere in an open cooling tower. These open cooling towers evaporate part of the circulating water while removing another part to prevent insoluble components – the sludge – from thickening. The sum of evaporation losses and the volume of sludge removed must be reintroduced to the system as fresh water. That added water is the only direct water consumption in the production processes. Directly dependent on the unit’s power consumption, the quantity of additional water required is around two to three cubic meters per hour per megawatt of electrical output.

Alltogether, the Messer Group including Western Europe disposed of 29,011 metric tons of non-toxic waste in 2019, as compared with 24,707 metric tons in 2018. The total quantity of hazardous waste disposed was 478 metric tons, versus 496 metric tons in the previous year.

Our obligation to protect the environment is also reflected by our quality management system, which applies for Messer worldwide. We are certified according to ISO 14001 in 57 consolidated companies. ISO 14001 is an internationally recognized standard developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). It defines requirements designed to help organizations establish, implement, maintain and continuously improve their environmental management systems. In 2019, for example, Messer France obtained certification for four of its locations: the headquarters in Suresnes, the filling center in
Mitry- Mory, the air separation unit in Ugine, and the CO2 recovery unit in Lavéra.