IPPC & IPPC PERMITS
While industrial production processes account for a considerable share of the overall pollution (for pollutants such as greenhouse gases, acidifying substances, wastewater emissions and waste), the EU sets the system of Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC – Directive 96/61/EC), which applies an integrated environmental approach to the regulation of certain industrial activities. This means that emissions to air, water (including discharges to sewer) and land, plus a range of other environmental effects, must be considered together.
Wood processing and furniture companies fall under IPPC requirements if:
- They have combustion installations with a rated thermal input exceeding 50 MW;
- Perform the surface treatment of substances, objects or products using organic solvents, in particular for dressing, printing, coating, degreasing, waterproofing, sizing, painting, cleaning or impregnating, with a consumption capacity of more than 150 kg per hour or more than 200 tonnes per year.
Printing companies fall under IPPC requirements if:
- They have combustion installations with a rated thermal input exceeding 50 MW;
- Perform the surface treatment of substances, objects or products using organic solvents, in particular for dressing, printing, coating, degreasing, waterproofing, sizing, painting, cleaning or impregnating, with a consumption capacity of more than 150 kg per hour or more than 200 tonnes per year.
Metal processing companies fall under IPPC requirements if:
- They have combustion installations with a rated thermal input exceeding 50 MW;
- They perform production and processing of metals and have:
- Metal ore (including sulphide ore) roasting or sintering installations
- Installations for the production of pig iron or steel (primary or secondary fusion) including continuous casting, with a capacity exceeding 2,5 tonnes per hour
- Installations for the processing of ferrous metals:
- hot-rolling mills with a capacity exceeding 20 tonnes of crude steel per hour
- smitheries with hammers the energy of which exceeds 50 kilojoule per hammer, where the calorific power used exceeds 20 MW
- application of protective fused metal coats with an input exceeding 2 tonnes of crude steel per hour
- Ferrous metal foundries with a production capacity exceeding 20 tonnes per day
- Installations:
- for the production of non-ferrous crude metals from ore, concentrates or secondary raw materials by metallurgical, chemical or electrolytic processes
- for the smelting, including the alloyage, of non-ferrous metals, including recovered products, (refining, foundry casting, etc.) with a melting capacity exceeding 4 tonnes per day for lead and cadmium or 20 tonnes per day for all other metals
- Installations for surface treatment of metals and plastic materials using an electrolytic or chemical process where the volume of the treatment vats exceeds 30 m3
- Perform waste management
- Perform the surface treatment of substances, objects or products using organic solvents, in particular for dressing, printing, coating, degreasing, waterproofing, sizing, painting, cleaning or impregnating, with a consumption capacity of more than 150 kg per hour or more than 200 tonnes per year.
These requirements are relevant only to few biggest companies in the country.
This chapter focuses more on IPPC permitting than general requirements of IPPC directive, since most of the furniture/printing/metal companies do not have such capacities to fall under the scope of IPPC Directive itself.
Supply chain aspects
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Consumer |
- Provide the information on the emissions to environment occurring during production phase.
- Provide information on chemicals used to treat the furniture/metal surfaces and their potential emissions to air, water during use stage.
- Provide information on source of paper (recycled, non-recycled) used for production and what are environmental benefits for it.
- Provide information on paints (e.g., solvent based or vegetable oil based) and what are the costs and benefits for using less environmentally harmful substances.
- Inform your clients if you use BATs and what are benefits of that.
- Inform your clients if you used environmentally friendly machinery (technologies) and what are the benefits of that.
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Hints for good practice
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For the specific topic related to best pratices (e.g. chemicals, water, air etc.) look to the relevant chapter.
There is also a draft BREF (BAT reference document) developed relevant for the printing. Although this document is binding only for large companies (which fall under IPPC directive), also for smaller companies this document can give some ideas for the improvement of own performance: see in English http://eippcb.jrc.es/pages/FActivities.htm)
There are also existing couple of BREFs (BAT reference documents) developed relevant for the metal processing companies. Although these documents are binding only for large companies which fall under IPPC directive, also smaller companies in these documents can find some ideas for the improvement of own performance available at: http://eippcb.jrc.es/pages/FActivities.htm:
Legislation
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While IPPC takes integrated approach, it relates to many other legislative areas. Table below lists only the very main related legal acts.
Main EU legislation
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IPPC (96/61/EC) |
- For permit application
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all used chemicals (incl. hazardous chemicals) as well as emissions containing hazardous substances to each environmental media should be listed and emissions’ environmental impacts/effects to be specified.
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It requires to prevent pollution by applying BAT and taking appropriate emission reduction measures (e.g. substitution of hazardous substances, containment, engineering control, reduction and/or recycling of wastes).
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The permits must take into account the whole environmental performance of the plant, covering e.g. emissions to air, water and land, generation of waste, use of raw materials, energy efficiency, noise, prevention of accidents, and restoration of the site upon closure.
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The permit conditions including emission limit values (ELVs) must be based on Best Available Techniques (BAT).
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It requires to report on emissions to air and water of substances listed in the annex if the specified thresholds are exceeded.
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Related EU legislation
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Requirements |
EPER (2000/479) |
- EPER requires reporting on 50 pollutants released to air and water every three years.
- Next round for data collection is in year 2006 on emissions in 2004.
Attention! EPER will be replaced by the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) from 2007 reporting period onwards. |
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Protection of groundwater against pollution caused by certain dangerous substances
(80/68/EEC) |
- IPPC permit must include any conditions required to stop or limit the discharge of certain listed substances.
No application to make such a discharge may be granted without prior investigation. |
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Limitation of emissions of VOCs due to the use of organic solvents in certain activities and installations
(99/13/EC) |
- Installations using more than 150 kg per hour or more than 200 t/a solvents for surface treatment, e.g. coating, waterproofing, sizing, painting, impregnating, must comply with IPPC requirements.
- The holders of permits under the IPPC who carry out solvent activities should include VOC emissions reduction scheme in IPPC application.
Attention! VOC Solvents Directive only sets minimum obligations which are not necessarily sufficient to comply with the IPPC Directive. Such compliance may involve more stringent emission limit values, emission limit values for other substances and other media, and other appropriate conditions. Details of emissions from installations falling under both VOC Solvents Directive and IPPC Directive can be accessed via the European Pollutant Emission Register (EPER). |
Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC)
Dangerous Substance Directive (76/464/EEC) |
- Identify 33 priority hazardous substances on EU level and hazardous substances of national relevance.
- List of raw materials containing those substances should be included into application for permit.
- Emissions of those substances to water environment should be identified and included into application for permit together with emission reduction programme.
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The relevant ELVs from any other EC Directives are to be applied as minimum ELVs for IPPC. This means that they set the maximum emission levels of particular substances from particular installations allowed under IPPC. Here comes the list of EC Directives setting maximum emission levels:
- 75/439 - Waste oils
- 76/464 - Dangerous substances discharged to the aquatic environment
- 82/176 - Mercury discharges from the chloralkali electrolysis industry
- 83/513 - Cadmium
- 84/156 - Mercury discharges from other than the chlor-alkali electrolysis industry
- 84/491 - Hexachlorocyclohexane
- 86/280 - DDT, carbon tetrachloride and pentachlorophenol
- 87/217 - Asbestos
- 88/347 - The “drins” and three other chlorinated organics
- 90/415 - Chlorinated hydrocarbons
- 94/67 - Incineration of hazardous waste
- 1999/13 - Organic solvents
- 2000/76 - Incineration of waste
- 2001/80 - Large combustion plant
Further information sources
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