The EU’s IPPC directive 96/61/EU compels process plants to reduce dramatically the loss of chemicals through unanticipated leaks, evaporation, flaring, or spills. The new legislation is wide-ranging and introduces a concept of ‘Best Available Technique’ (BAT), urging plants to find the best available solution for reducing fugitive emissions right the way along the process, from areas such as design, product selection, fitting and fitter training, to maintenance, site monitoring, and so on.
As such, it requires companies to change the way they operate: industry must begin to make decisions on the basis of what is the best available product and operating method, and move away from its current cost-orientated framework.