As a result of these investments, greenhouse gas emissions from the four plants in the Netherlands are being reduced by 2 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent. This is about 3% of total industrial CO2 emissions in the Netherlands. The reduction in emissions is also equivalent to the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by 550 million trees, which is roughly the total number of trees in the Netherlands. For this reason, Minister Cramer symbolically planted a tree next to the nitric acid plant to mark the inauguration of the dinitrogen oxide capturing unit. For the Chemelot site, the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions amounts to over 1 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, which is about 20% of the site’s overall carbon dioxide equivalent emissions. DSM’s global CO2 equivalent emissions are being cut by about 15% and its emissions in the Netherlands by 50%.

According to Jan Zuidam, deputy chairman of the DSM Managing Board, the investment has resulted in three winners. “The environment, the Dutch government, which is aiming to make the Netherlands a cleaner country and through this development is making a big step towards realizing the Kyoto targets, and DSM.” Mr Zuidam is referring not only to DSM’s sustainability policy but also to the fact that the environmental investments in the new units can result in economic benefits for DSM against the background of the European CO2 emissions trading system.

Nitric acid is an intermediate made from ammonia that DSM uses for the production of fertilizers in Geleen and IJmuiden.