Operational Excellence Stories

Hexion has a strong history of driving improvements in our energy, water and waste intensities and recently upgraded our energy, water and waste management program to reach all sites.

In 2020, we completed 52 improvement projects across the globe to reduce our footprint in these critical areas. We also held sessions at 23 sites identifying about 125 actionable projects that could further improve our energy and water intensity and reduce waste generation. As our success is driven by our associates, we have included associates at all levels in these ideation sessions, expanded our employee engagement through improved communication of our climate change efforts, provided materials and training around our sustainability efforts and upgraded our key metrics platform so our associates are better equipped to identify and drive improvements.

Water is a critical natural resource as well as essential to our industrial plants which use water as an ingredient in products, for process cooling and for the production of steam. Our productivity and operation teams continually evaluate projects to efficiently use natural resources and optimize our existing processes such as reducing overall water usage or allowing for recycling of wastewater in lieu of fresh water. Hexion has also committed to performing a water risk assessment for our sites located in water distressed areas during 2021.

Pernis Site Adopts a More Sustainable Innovation

Aug 4, 2021, 14:53 PM by Mallory Cooper, 2021 Sustainability Intern

Under the guidance of Rick Opschoor and Leo Pals, the Pernis site adopted a new more sustainable-shipping innovation earlier this year: Drumclips. The Drumclip innovation is a prime example of an invention that improves upon the sustainability of Hexion’s transportation and packagin

In the past, Hexion utilized wooden pallets to secure the drums that were shipped out in trucks. The pallets were heavy and prone to breaking. Fractures in the wood could easily be missed, and the pressure of securing the pallets to the drums could cause it to spontaneously break while in route, creating a safety hazard for those involved in transport.

Drumclips are providing a safer working environment for Hexion’s associates and customers. The Drumclips are much easier to lift and have proven themselves to be successful at securing drums during shipment without breaking. Additionally, Drumclips are less expensive than the wooden pallets, giving Hexion significant cost savings. The adoption of Drumclips will also help to contribute to the circular economy. Drumclips are made from post consumed resins (PCRs), a form of recycled plastics, which helps give plastics a new purpose at the end of their life.

Those at Pernis are hopeful that Drumclips will continue to spread across the industry and become a standard. Already, truck drivers are keeping the Drumclips after unloading so that they can be used for their next drum shipment, showing how Hexion’s adoption of Drumclips is contributing to building a circular economy across the chemical industry in Europe.

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