Throughout its history, Pétromont has always demonstrated a very high degree of social responsibility. As an active member of the Canadian Chemical Producer’s Association (CCPA), Pétromont is involved in the development and implementation of various industrial safety and environmental protection programs. One of them is the Community Awareness and Emergency Response (CAER) program, which has two related purposes: provide local communities with more information about chemical facilities and establish an effective Emergency Response Plan.

Commensurately, Pétromont strongly supports the principles of Responsible Care^®, a major initiative of the CCPA designed to upgrade and sustain high standards of performance in occupational health, safety and environmental protection.

Responsible Care^® Codes of practice

In adhering to the principles of Responsible Care^®, Pétromont has committed to taking every practical measure towards ensuring its chemical products and processes do not present an unacceptable risk to the industry’s employees and customers, to the public or to the environment.

The CCPA has developed six Codes of practice which are statements of what is required of member companies in all aspects of their activities to live up to the principles of Responsible Care^®. The Codes cover the following fields of activity:

	Community Awareness and Emergency Response
	Transportation
	Hazardous Waste Management
	Distribution
	Manufacturing
	Research and Development

The Responsible Care® Award

Formally known as the Pétromont Award, the Responsible Care® Award was created in 1996 to promote initiatives in the environmental field and make elementary and high school teachers' most notable achievements known. This Award, which comes with a $750 grant, is given each year by the Canadian Chemical Producers Association to a teacher for his/her excellence in environmental education by the Riou-Delorme Foundation, co-founded by Pétromont in 1988 to assist teachers in promoting awareness and understanding of chemical and environmental sciences from a perspective of sustainable development.

The Responsible Care® Award is granted within the context of a yearly seminar focussed on the environment, during which some thirty teachers from across Quebec have the opportunity to address the great environmental questions of our era in the company of specialists from various stakeholders. Being in contact with teachers helps us realize how important it is to keep providing them with balanced information on the close links that exist between chemistry and the environment.

^® Registered trademark of the Canadian Chemical Producers’ Association

Pétromont is also an active member of the Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA) and of the Environment and Plastics Institute of Canada (EPIC). Those organizations are dedicated to demonstrate that plastics play a useful and productive role in today’s society. The Plastics Industry also recognizes it has the responsibility to ensure proper use and disposal of plastic waste materials. It seeks to achieve an optimal balance in the application of three principles, called the "3 Rs":

	Reduce at source
	Reuse products
	Recycle materials from the marketplace

Industrial Associations

In its constant concern to integrate into the surrounding communities, Pétromont is a member of the Association industrielle de l'est de Montréal (AIEM) and of the Association industrielle de Varennes (AIV). The purpose of those organizations is to protect the environment by contributing in various ways to the harmonization of industrial activities in an urban environment, including:

	dialogue and industrial mutual aid
	quality of the environment
	quality of life
	community and socio-economic partnerships

Pétromont and the Environment

Varennes – In 1998, Pétromont signed a cooperation agreement with the Québec ministère de l’Environnement et de la Faune with the objective of protecting the environment through prevention, optimal resources management, waste reduction and respect for the environment. This agreement is based on a common will to cooperate so that the policies and practices of sustainable development can continue to be integrated into Pétromont’s activities at its Olefins Plant in Varennes.

Management and the Regional officials for the Montérégie of the Ministry of the Environment of Quebec review annually the environmental results achieved by Petromont and take connaissance of the objectives for the currant year.

Principles of the Agreement

• Voluntary participation
• Abidance by government rules and standards
• Additional initiatives
• Adaptability of the Ministère considering Pétromont’s commitments, without however renouncing its powers and obligations
• Open relations based on mutual trust, voluntary actions and regular exchange of information
• Pollution control, flora and wildlife conservation, and usual reclamation, all in an integrated approach (water-air-soil-wastes)

Environmental Objectives

• Liquid effluent reduction
• Air emission reduction
• Waste management
• Plant soil and ground water knowledge
• Preventive actions
• Environmental communications

Pétromont’s Commitments

• Reduce rejects to process sewer
• Establish phenolic water treatment system performance
• Reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC)
• Study ways to reduce greenhouse gas and CO₂ emissions
• Evaluate hazardous waste disposal sites
• Assess plant soil and ground water monitoring results
• Organize emergency drills
• Improve communications with the communities
• Increase employees’ and the public’s awareness of the environment