The CLH Group invests more than 31 million euros in environmental projects

• The actions implemented comprise areas such as environmental management, climate change and biodiversity protection

The CLH Group invested over 31 million euros between 2012 and 2014 in the development of environmental protection, which has enabled the company to reduce emissions to the atmosphere and improve the sustainability of its operations.

The company continues progressing in its strategy for biodiversity protection in collaboration with the association for the study and defence of nature GREFA (Rehabilitation Group for Native Fauna and its Habitat) to determine integration in the vicinity of its pipeline network.
So far, CLH has examined different routes of the pipeline that run through protected areas in Madrid, Castilla-La Mancha, Andalusia, Catalonia and the South-Eastern regions of Spain.

The results of these reports have confirmed that its pipeline network respects the environment and is a sustainable means of transportation for oil products that respects surrounding wildlife. The company plans to continue these studies until all the routes of the pipeline that run through special environmental protection areas have been covered.

CLH has also made efforts to certify all its facilities according to the strict EMAS environmental standard. In 2014, the company renewed this certification for its centres in Huelva, Tarragona, Santurce (Vizcaya) and at Bilbao airport, and succeeded in certifying its plants located in Girona and at Malaga airport.

Furthermore, CLH successfully passed the renewal audit for AENOR ISO 14001 certification, thereby reaffirming its commitment to best environmental practices. The company's Environmental Management System has been certified in accordance with this standard since 2008.

For its part, the new environmental analysis laboratory, where the company performs analyses that enable it to monitor its operations in a more precise manner, also obtained ENAC accreditation according to the ISO/IEC17025 standard.

In 2014, CLH performed a new annual calculation and verification of the carbon footprint resulting from its activities. This calculation forms part of the company’s commitment to cooperate in the reduction of greenhouse gases, with the purpose of controlling its emissions and developing initiatives to reduce them.

In this regard, CLH carried out improvement actions, such as the incorporation of low-emission vehicles to its fleet and the implementation of more efficient equipment.
In 2014, CLH completed the recovery works performed on the land previously occupied by the Cala Figuera facilities (Mahón) by applying the bioremediation technique, where biological processes are used to clean the land. New commercial and port activities will be developed in this recovered area.

The company also completed the dismantling process of the old facilities in Salamanca after disassembling the tanks, pipes and other equipment, as well as demolishing the facility buildings. CLH plans to perform the environmental recovery of the land and will apply the most adequate technique to clean up the area according to a study previously performed.

With regard to research projects, the company has continued working on the development of environmental RDI projects, such as the study of wastewater treatment through microbiology techniques, in cooperation with the University of Granada, and the project to calculate risk levels and bioremediation of bioethanol in the form of ETBE in groundwater, with the University of Malaga.

CLH also received recognition as the second most sustainable company in the world in its sector, according to “The Sustainability Yearbook 2015”. The company obtained the Silver Class seal, after an assessment performed by the prestigious agency RobecoSAM, in recognition of the initiatives promoted in environmental, economic and social issues.