Mr. Lebot, you’ve just returned from the UN climate con-
ference, COP23. Is the chemical industry taking responsibility
for reaching the climate goals?
Benoît Lebot: The chemical industry is no different from other
industries in this respect. We all have to face the fact that
climate change has long been a reality. But we can limit the consequences
of climate change. However, the known solutions
for limiting greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the Paris
Agreement are not being harnessed sufficiently.
… because the industry isn’t committed enough?
Benoît Lebot: I’m sure that industrial companies like ALTANA
have already made great progress. But is that which has been
achieved commensurate with the long-term goals we agreed on
in Paris? To prevent global warming of more than 1.5 degrees
Celsius, we have to change the way we are managing economic
development. I do see encouraging steps being taken, but do
not think we have fully mobilized our forces, which is indispensable
to this end. In particular, governments and institutions are
called upon to push ahead dialog at all levels – government, the
private sector, and society as a whole – as well as an exchange
of best-practice solutions.
Tricia Schaffrik: I agree with you, but I’d like to add one
important point. Energy and sustainability management is also a
cultural issue. If a company or a nation is not prepared to
anchor this conviction in its culture, it cannot be successful in the
end. That’s why we at ALTANA are establishing the necessary
Benoît Lebot is the Executive Director of IPEEC (International Partner-
ship for Energy Efficiency Cooperation) in Paris, whose members
include 17 of the G20 countries. Lebot studied civil engineering. Before
joining IPEEC in 2014, he worked for the United Nations Develop-
ment Program (UNDP).
Tricia Schaffrik studied mechanical engineering at West Point Military
Academy and completed her master’s degree in St. Louis (U.S.). She
began her career at ALTANA in a branch of the ELANTAS division in the
U.S. Since 2015, she has been head of Global Engineering Services in
the ECKART division in Hartenstein near Nuremberg.
links between our management programs and our corporate
culture.
What considerations played a part in the decision for a
combined heat and power plant at your site in Hartenstein
near Nuremberg?
Tricia Schaffrik: We took the decision in an environment of
rising electricity prices, when the use of combined heat and electricity
production was supported by subsidies. And not least
of all, we sought to develop our own ideas on how to reduce
CO² emissions. Building the plant was a big investment for
us. We want to make our contribution, there’s no doubt about
that. But we also have to think and act economically as a
company.
What other measures have you taken?
Tricia Schaffrik: Since 2007 we have pursued several projects,
first and foremost the switch from oil to natural gas, but also
the reduction of compressed-air leaks, heat recovery from compressors,
as well as the use of highly efficient motors and
controlling them via frequency converters. The successes achieved
are the low-hanging fruit, as it were, which we are able
to harvest quickly. However, we’ve reached a point where it is
becoming more and more difficult to identify further savings
potential. At bottom, the methods used to successfully manufacture
our products have not changed for around 100 years. But
now we have to change these established processes to further
increase our energy efficiency.
Benoît Lebot: That’s music to my ears! The determination to
take the next step, to initially improve every single plant and then
to take a step back again, in order to understand the entire
process and its consequences for climate protection, to be able
to take appropriate action … This attitude and approach illustrate
what it’s all about. We have to transform into a knowledge-
based economy. The most important untapped potential is
that which is in our heads. And there are already a number of
instruments, including ISO 50001…
… a worldwide valid standard of the International Organ-
ization for Standardization (ISO), which aims to support
34 Dialog with our Stakeholders