Good environmental practices

The purpose of this instruction is to achieve an improvement in the environmental performance of GRUPO MARTINEZ BIERZO through a series of practical, simple solutions that are easy to comply with by staff.

1. LIGHTING & HVAC

• Make the most of natural light, thus saving on energy costs. This is helped by placing the workstations close to the windows.
• Regular cleaning of the lighting systems so that there are no obstacles (dust, etc.) that reduce the light intensity.
• Take care to turn off the lightning and heating systems in rooms that are not being used at the time, with special attention to office areas, changing rooms and toilet areas (avoid chronic forgetfulness since, if we leave the light in a room on several times for 2 hours, we can spend more than 15 euros/year).
• Check the necessary lighting levels and moderate the light intensity in areas of least need.
• Disconnect machines that are not in use to avoid wasting energy.
• Do not frequently turn fluorescent tubes on and off, as their greatest energy consumption occurs during ignition.
• Take advantage of natural temperature regulation, e.g. in summer half-closed windows or drafts can cool some rooms without the need to turn on the air conditioning. Use these devices only when necessary.
• Keep the temperature at approximately 19ºC in winter, and approximately 27ºC in summer, to reduce energy consumption.
• Cleaning the filters of air conditioners regularly, in this way, we will achieve optimal performance of the device used.
• Improve the thermal insulation of the facilities, double glazing and sealing of doors and windows.
• Ensure that air conditioning equipment is programmed to operate only during the working period, except in situations where prior heating or cooling is required.
• Do not cover the air conditioning systems and check them periodically, to allow them to work correctly and detect possible breakdowns.
• Make sure doors and windows are closed while HVAC equipment is running to prevent leaks and waste.
• Progressively replace the old incandescent bulbs and fluorescent tubes, which use inefficient technology that gives off more heat than light (against which, among other things, air conditioning has to fight in summer). Halogen lights are powerful energy consumers. Of the total energy consumed by an incandescent bulb, only 20% is converted into light and 80% into heat. In addition, a 25W fluorescent bulb illuminates as much as a 100W incandescent bulb and can last up to 10 times longer.
• Use separate switches to illuminate only the needed areas in the same area.
• Before turning on the lights to mitigate the sun’s reflections on computers, try changing the workstations or the orientation of the screens, as well as installing anti-reflective films on the windows or adjustable curtains.
• The walls, ceilings and furniture should be with light tones, so they will be able to reflect the light to a greater extent and to increase the luminosity, without it being an added expense.
• Use timer switches, they are usually applied in areas where the presence of people is not constant, for example, in toilets.

2. OFFICE AUTOMATION AND PRINTING EQUIPMENT

• Set computers to “energy saving”: Often, the energy-saving system is disabled, so you have to ensure its operation, which can reduce electricity consumption by up to 50%.
• Turn off equipment at the end of the working day: This measure becomes more important on weekends and holiday periods. Also, turn off your computer if it will be idle for more than an hour.
• Also disconnect the power supply at the end of the day: The devices consume minimal energy even when switched off, so it is desirable.
• Turn off your computer screen when not in use (meetings, breakfast, etc.): The only energy-saving screen saver is black. It is desirable to set it to activate after 10 minutes of inactivity, keeping in mind that activating the screensaver when activating it consumes twice as much energy as usual.
• Encourage the use of flat-screen monitors and laptops: they consume less energy and emit less radiation. The monitor consumes 70% of the computer’s power (60 W on, 6.5 W standby and 1 W off). The laptop consumes between 50 and 80% less than the PC and the flat screen 50% less than the conventional one (CRT).
• Turn off computer equipment for periods of inactivity of more than one hour, as well as disconnect the transformer from appliances with permanent connections (printers, modems, etc.) when not in use.
• Purchasing criteria for energy-efficient equipment:

• Avoid the use of thermal faxing, as it consumes more energy and paper cannot be recycled.
• Individual printers, photocopiers, faxes, etc., consume less than a multifunctional device, but if more than one function is to be performed, multifunctional devices are much more efficient.

3. PAPER

• Use of paper with labels certified by authorized entities informing the origin of the pulp or, in relation to bleaching, TCF (chlorine-free) and ECF (elemental chlorine free).
• Take into account the environmental impacts according to the origin of the paper pulp and the bleaching process.
• Save documents in digital format, optimizing the number of copies needed, sharing information instead of generating copies for each person.
• Take advantage of the possibilities of Intranet, emails, telephone, etc., to avoid the use of printers and faxes.
• Preferentially and as far as possible use recycled paper. It should not be forgotten that recycled paper is perfectly valid and can have a quality similar to that of conventional paper.
• Before printing, check for possible errors and improvements in the document, using, for example, the “preview” mode.
• Use paper on both sides when photocopying and printing documents.
• All internal documents will be printed by reusing paper or using recycled paper and double-sided.
• Print as a draft to avoid wasting ink and facilitate reuse, especially for internal documents, and recycling.
• Recycle useless paper, using the containers available for this purpose.

4. OFFICE SUPPLIES

5. WATER

• Do not waste water by preventing taps from being left open.
• Control water consumption to prevent possible leaks.
• Repair of breakdowns to avoid unnecessary consumption (leaky taps, etc.).
• Not using the toilet as a trash can saves water and decreases pollution.

6. WASTE

• Separate toxic or hazardous waste (ink cartridges, cleaning product packaging, etc.) from municipal solid waste (paper, cardboard, etc.).
• Separate damaged or exhausted fluorescent tubes from other waste, as they are hazardous waste due to their mercury content.
• Segregate paper and cardboard waste and prepare a container to deposit it for later collection and recycling.

7. BEST PRACTICES IN OTHER RESOURCES

• Reuse obsolete computer equipment for tasks that require less power.
• Use by rechargeable batteries with longer service life.
• Buy recycled products whenever possible.
• Choose products with minimal packaging to reduce waste generation.
• Avoid the use of disposable or single-use products, prioritizing those that are refillable.

1. DECALOGUE OF GENERAL GOOD PRACTICES

• Do not throw food scraps, wrappers or cigarette butts on the floor.
• Remove any waste that is on the company’s soil derived from the activity being carried out and separate it in the corresponding container and place.
• Close the containers after use to avoid possible spills.
• Keep collection containers and drums in their proper place.
• Place the lid on empty metal and plastic containers and place them in their corresponding place.
• Avoid any type of dumping of waste or toxic products (oils, catalysts, solvents, etc.).
• Report any anomalous spills or overflows that are detected in the company.
• Prevent leaks in faucets and hoses.
• Fix fuel (diesel) leaks.
• Avoid all types of polluting discharges in the factory.

2. GOOD PRACTICES FOR PURCHASING, STORING AND HANDLING RAW MATERIALS

• When purchasing work equipment, the materials that compose it must be taken into account, as they may contain toxic, harmful and polluting substances, such as volatile organic solvents, heavy metals, etc.
• Storage areas should be protected from inclement weather and extreme temperatures. They cause premature aging of the stored material, generating a large amount of waste.
• In storage, containers and drums should be located in such a way as to facilitate their complete inspection. This simplifies the condition check and reduces the risk of shocks or collapses that can generate waste and emissions.
• Supplier and manufacturers’ instructions on the storage and handling of supplied materials must be strictly followed. Possible incidents or circumstances that could deteriorate the raw materials will be avoided.
• Hazardous substances must be clearly and correctly labelled to avoid accidents, errors and contamination. Your first-come, first-served will also be checked. By always using the oldest ones, we reduce the waste generated by the ageing of the material.
• The exterior of the factory must prevent waste from being stored to avoid leachate that causes contamination in the stormwater.
• Assess the possibility of having individualized consumption meters on the production machines with the highest consumption to detect deviations.
• Criteria for selecting machines based on their energy efficiency.

3. GOOD PRACTICES IN WATER CONSUMPTION

• Dose the water used for the cleaning process.
• Install aerator dispensers in sink taps and double charge system in toilets.

4. BEST PRACTICES IN EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE AND CLEANING

• Before being cleaned or definitively removed from service, containers must be completely emptied. This will reduce the amount of cleaning products needed and the generation of waste.
• Clean the equipment immediately after use to avoid the formation of hardened deposits that involve large consumption of solvents and water. (Our equipment is not cleaned with water or solvents).
• Consideration will be given to the selection of cleaning chemicals that are less aggressive to the environment (biodegradable, phosphate-free, etc.) and to follow the technical specifications for dosage, as well as that chemical waste should not be discharged into the sanitation network.

5. GOOD PRACTICES IN POLLUTING DISCHARGES

• To control spills due to machinery maintenance, provide a specific area to carry out these tasks.
• Avoid spilling oils, lubricants, cleaning products, etc.
• Have sepiolite and drums suitable for the control of possible resin and/or catalyst spills.

6. NOISE AND VIBRATION

• Ensure that the machinery used is in good condition by carrying out regular maintenance operations to keep it at adequate noise emission levels.
• Have the CE Marking or adaptation to RD 1215 of all machines.
• Do not remove collective protections that minimize acoustic impact.
• Carry out environmental noise measurement by an authorized control entity.