HoW VECAP WoRKS
VECAP achievements over the last 10 years can
be traced back to the combined efforts of a team
of professionals with knowledge of flame
retardants production and application processes,
and of the industry’s commitment to take
responsibi l ity for environmental concerns.
Members of the Product Stewardship Team
currently include the brominated flame retardants
suppliers within EFRA, as well as Cefic and a
representative of the European polystyrene foams
industry.
The VECAP Product Stewardship Team, supported
by Cefic’s Statistical department, develops the
tools needed for the methodology, including the
questionnaire used for the estimation of potential
environmental emissions.
The Product Stewardship team develops the
questionnaire in collaboration with downstream
users, considering every step of the user process
in order to cover all potential emission points.
Once the user has completed the questionnaire, a
survey report is issued by the VECAP team
highlighting sources of potential emissions. Based
on the survey results, users receive recommendations
on how to best achieve emission reductions. If
these recommendations are implemented, an
updated emission report is issued and sent to the
user which, in some cases, can be followed by
further recommendations, since continuous
improvement is key to the success of the programme.
A full survey of every user is not undertaken each
year, as the VECAP team focuses on ‘new’
participants and areas where the greatest
emission reductions may be expected based on
analysis of the previous year’s survey.
tHE VECAP tEAM AnD EMISSIonS SuRVEY tool
EMISSIonS DAtA
CollECtIon & REPoRtIng
The questionnaire is first collated by each
supplier, who highlights potential emissions
identified, and enters them in a dedicated
database. Cefic’s Statistical Services then
consolidate, compile and analyse the answers.
Data are then treated to obtain estimated potential
emissions in g/t sold in Europe for each product.
Although working in close cooperation, Cefic’s
Statistical Service and the other VECAP team
members act independently. Cefic’s Statistical
Service is the only party with access to confidential
data of individual potential emissions of all
participants. The rest of the team only sees the
compiled and anonymized results as required by
the strict rules of the Statistical Service.
VECAP 2013
European Annual
Progress Report
21