Environment, prevention and
well-being
I. ENVIRONMENT
In 2009 Roularta Media Group again made major efforts to produce in an environmentally and energy-friendly manner. Meeting all legally imposed environmental standards remains an absolute minimum here.
The energy concept of the cooling installation
Investments and other efforts in the recent past mean that today over half of the required cooling is generated without recourse to additional and expensive compression cooling. Besides very considerable energy savings there is also a significant benefit in terms of the required quantity of cooling water.
Roularta Media Group is committed to further developing and refining this energy concept. Thus, in 2009, rainwater was used for the first time as a supplementary source of water for the cooling tower. A central feature of this system is the 300 m³ buffer fed by water run-off from the roof of the new building (over 9000 m²). This obviously considerably reduces the use of mains water. The lower conductivity of rainwater also means that we need to spray less often, which further increases the savings: initial results are indicating a reduction of about 700,000 litres of water per month.
Roularta is currently investigating the possibility of reusing the surface (heat retention) water of the installation for reverse osmosis. Once collected, this surface water (retention water) can be used to further increase the conductivity of the rainwater used in the cooling tower. An additional monthly savings of ± 300 m³ of hard mains water can be realised here in normal circumstances. The reuse of the surface (heat retention) water will also decrease the discharge of industrial waste water.
RMG car fleet becomes greener
For several years already the RMG purchasing department has been paying specific attention to reducing the CO2 emissions from company vehicles. The company is very closely monitoring the efforts of the automotive industry in this area.
The result is a steady decline in the average CO2 emission from new company vehicles, as is clearly shown in the graph below.
Energy Audit Covenant 
To further optimise its internal energy policy, Roularta signed up at the end of 2006 to the Flemish government’s Energy Audit Covenant. Signatory companies commit to submitting an energy plan to the Flemish government’s audit office and to carrying out the proposed measures within the set deadline (four years). They are also required to report annually to this control body on planned/executed measures and amounts of CO2 emissions avoided.
Roularta more than achieved the measures proposed for 2007-2008-2009 in the first energy plan. Meanwhile the competent government department has also approved the second energy plan, to be completed by autumn 2013. For putting together this dossier Roularta called on the services of a specialist external environmental and energy management consultancy. The same consultancy also recently carried out an energy audit of the Roeselare site, based on a number of targeted measurements on machinery and equipment.
The energy plan includes measures with a good IRR (Internal Rate of Return), and breaks them down by return. The higher this IRR, the shorter the investment repayment period. Plans for 2010 include:
- optimising the efficiency of the afterburner on the Colorman newspaper press:
- optimising compressed air consumption, including the introduction of Venturi nozzles;
- optimised control of the blow air and vacuum installation, with a view to energy efficiency;
- thermographic inspection of the building, focusing on eliminating thermal losses.
The already implemented and the projected investments represent very significant electricity and thermal savings, as well as ensuring a significant reduction in CO2 emissions..
Responsible forestry certificates  
In 2009 Roularta was FSC and PEFC certificated. FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council, PEFC for Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes. Following a positive audit, the competent independent regulatory body confirmed that our company contributes convincingly to the responsible forest management that both concepts seek to pursue.
West Flanders Sustainable Enterprise Charter 
The various existing measures and efforts are not the end of the road. Roularta intends to continue to grow ecologically and combine respect for the various items of legislation with attention to sustainability.
To add impetus to this ambition, Roularta recently signed up to the West Flemish Sustainable Enterprise Charter, the successor of the earlier Environmental Charter. Over a two-year period, independent experts from Flemish government bodies (LNE, VMM, POM, ...) audit on a regular basis the efforts and results of the charter signatory companies. This is done in close consultation with, among others, Voka and Bureau Veritas. Roularta is working proactively and with concrete goals around six policy principles and ten themes. These include eco-efficient procurement policy and raw materials deployment, the implementation of best available technologies in production and infrastructure, the impact of the organisation on mobility and the immediate environment, rational use of energy and water, limiting waste flows, compliance with legislation, communication with all stakeholders, social and people-friendly entrepreneurship and so on.
A so-called zero audit determines Roularta’s current level. The company then puts forward an action plan for evaluation. In a second phase comes the monitoring of the action items. The results appear in an annual report. In the event of a positive evaluation the company receives the desired certificate.
Various prevention items are also integrated into this project.
II. PREVENTION AND WELL-BEING
In 2009 Roularta Media Group developed several projects and undertook a number of actions in the area of Prevention and Well-being. Specific items include:
Rush hour accident prevention
The risks incurred by employees travelling to and from work are also the employer’s responsibility. Traffic accident prevention by companies is, however, a little known and indeed often misinterpreted field. Usually companies assume that it is very difficult to manage these risks.
In 2009, Roularta began a traffic safety campaign. On the basis of various tips, info moments during medical examinations, an information document delivered along with green insurance cards, tyre inspections and so on, Roularta focused attention on employee traffic behaviour.
Team-building activities
Roularta regularly organises ‘outdoor activities’. In this case the employer is subject to the same accident prevention principles as when purchasing plant or machinery. This requires prior action to make sure that the provision of services meets expectations in terms of safety and prevention. In 2009 Roularta worked out a ‘procurement policy’ for such activities, with the relevant rules and regulations collated in an annex to the order form.
Rules for warehouse management and related areas
Both during the design and the actual setting up of the storage and associated premises for the new production hall, Roularta looked carefully at the various rules governing warehouse management with the help of a checklist. Considerable attention was paid to storage quantity by product classification, spacing and protective basins, fire prevention and emergency procedures. With the help of action points everything was finetuned to ensure compliance with federal and regional legislation.
Safety administration
The law imposes strict obligations on companies regarding the administration of accident prevention and related fields. In 2009 Roularta focused its attention on the RMM site in Roeselare.
For example the law prescribes that a commissioning report be produced whenever a machine is brought into use for the first time. Besides the administration of machinery and electrical apparatus, Roularta also finetuned areas such as inspections, workstation datasheets, medical examinations, contracts with third parties, external factors of influence, all aspects of fire and evacuation, first aid facilities, environmental reports, annual reports, procurement procedures, etc.
Implementation of the legislation governing heating installations
Vlarem II, Section 5.43 requires air emission measurements to be carried out with a certain frequency, depending on the capacity of the heating installation. According to the type of fuel (oil or gas) there are also provisions covering inspection and (frequency of) maintenance. In addition, a one-off heating audit is required to be carried out. After drawing up an inventory of its heating installations, Roularta made the necessary agreements in 2009 to implement these rules in 2010..
Targeted risk analysis in office environments
Roularta officers visited the different facilities and rated various safety aspects. For each facility a risk analysis was prepared and action points developed. In 2009 attention was focused again on the presence of safety documents, with each facility receiving a prevention folder with various approval certificates and information sheets.
Fire prevention
The law requires each company to publish firefighting safety measures. Roularta optimised the evacuation arrangements for the Brussels facility. With the introduction of a zone plan and a well-informed firefighting team, the evacuation exercise proceeded even more smoothly. At the Roeselare site, considerable attention was paid to the installation of fire-resistant building elements and the conversion of the sprinkler system.
Laser apparats
Various machines and small appliances are equipped with laser technology. In 2009 Roularta located and listed these devices and undertook a risk analysis of this laser equipment. Based on this screening, employees involved received information and training for the safe handling of this technology.
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