Page 60 - Sustainability report 2018 Ratti Group

CHAPTER 4 | Ratti’s environmental commitment
Ratti carefully monitors the parameters relating to surfactants and the concentration of colour
in the wastewater, which is closely linked to the variation in production specifications for the year.
homogenisation system over a week in gradual batches. In the production plant
in Textrom in Romania, industrial wastewater
is channelled into a decantation tank in order to separate and subsequently remove the solid part. It is
content of surfactants), in order to avoid the full amount of water discharged by the machinery being sent to the tank next to the homogenisation system instantly. It is instead sent to the
then sent to the Apa Somes group for purification, as authorised and regulated by the contract.
Water deriving from civil use is, however, stored in a reservoir, drained off and disposed of by Strict Prest, in accordance with the relevant contract.
However, at the Creomoda Sarl plant, water is not used for production – it is only for civil use.
With regard to the quality of wastewater, every three/four months an analysis of the water is carried out at the discretion of the purification consortium, in addition to the analyses carried out twice a year as prescribed by the Autorizzazione Unica Ambientale. Ratti carefully monitors the parameters relating to surfactants
and the concentration of colour in the wastewater, which is closely linked to the variation in production specifications for the year.
The COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) and BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) parameters, used
to identify the biodegradability of wastewater, were well below the limits set by the relevant regulations, as was total nitrogen, which came in on average 22% below the limit.
In October 2018 Ratti SpA also conducted the water campaign requested by the ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) protocol, which involved the analysis of MRSL (Manufacturing Restricted Substance List) parameters and
others that the ZDHC programme considers to be fundamental (see also the box below).
In the Textrom Srl plant in Romania analyses of industrial wastewater are carried out annually, as prescribed. In order to lower the COD and BOD parameters, experimental testing is currently under way via treatment with chemical products in the decantation tank.
ZDHC, the international programme to eliminate harmful chemical substances
Zero Discharge of Hazardous
Chemicals (ZDHC) is an international programme born out of various studies on the pollution caused by industrial textiles, tanneries and the footwear sector – suppliers of major global brands.
They key objectives of the ZDHC are:
• To eliminate or replace hazardous chemical substances;
• To develop transparent processes to promote the use of safer chemical substances;
• To develop effective tools, good practices and training to improve the
management of chemical substances;
• To nurture partnerships with stakeholders to promote transparency in relation to chemical substances used/disposed of and the application of good practices.
The ZDHC programme encompasses both the brands and the companies that make up the production chain.
The latter, in order to be considered as qualified suppliers by their customers, must demonstrate that they comply with the ZDHC programme.
The type of substances which, according to the ZDHC may not be introduced into the production cycle and for which
specific limits have therefore been set,
are placed on the MRSL (Manufacturing Restricted Substance List). In addition, companies which comply with the ZDHC programme must manage their wastewater in compliance with the concentration limits set by the Wastewater Guideline for wastewater originating from production processes. Chemical substances must be handled in an appropriate and organised manner, and an audit protocol is in place to assess this aspect.
Finally, in order to replace particularly dangerous chemical substances with those that are ecologically superior, a company must implement a system to research and develop alternative substances.
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