CERAME-UNIE Activity

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

The EU is playing a very important role in the formulation of a common environmental policy. The Cérame-Unie Environment Committee monitors all environmental items on the EU agenda having a direct impact on the ceramics industry.
Cérame-Unie has been able to limit the scope of the Integrated Pollution Prevention & Control Directive IPPC to only the biggest installations with a production capacity above 75 tonnes a day. With the additional criteria of a kiln setting density of 300kg/m3 for fine ceramics plants, Cérame-Unie has prepared a common input of the industry for a document registering the environmentally “best available techniques” (BAT) for producing ceramics. Cérame-Unie is actively participating with the Commission at the elaboration of the official ceramics BAT reference document, which will become available at the end of 2005.

The energy effiency of the ceramic industry has greatly improved over the last two decades due to investments in new energy technologies. Cérame-Unie has been able to obtain an exemption for our industry from the EU energy tax, which was introduced in 2004. This exemption covers the use of energy for the mineralogical transformation of clays into ceramic products. This exemption is very important, as energy is an indispensable raw material in the ceramics production process. It results in yearly savings on the energy bill of at least € 100 million.

Most of the EU ceramic installations are covered by the Directive establishing a European greenhouse gases emissions trading scheme. National allocation plans (NAPS) determine the quantity of CO2 emissions allowances that Member States grant to the installations. Cérame-Unie wants to ensure that these NAPS maintain a level playing field for the industry across Europe, and that the competitive position of the ceramic products vis-à-vis alternative products, or imported ware, is not impaired by the EU emissions trading scheme.