Ref. Ares(2020)957073 - 14/02/2020
Ref. Ares(2020)1965934 - 07/04/2020
From:
Sent:
jeudi 13 février 2020 18:56
To:
URPILAINEN Jutta (CAB-URPILAINEN); BARTELT Sandra (CAB-URPILAINEN);
BORISSOVA Lora (CAB-URPILAINEN); LAHTI Taneli (CAB-URPILAINEN);
MONTERO MELIS Diana (CAB-
URPILAINEN); SAVIGNAT Renaud (CAB-URPILAINEN); SORO-PESONEN Kaisa
(CAB-URPILAINEN);
Cc:
VIRTANEN Arto (CAB-URPILAINEN);
Subject:
Meeting with chemical industry company Kemira on GD, wastewater
directive and circular economy
Subject: Meeting with chemical industry company Kemira on GD, wastewater directive and circular
economy
Date: 13 Feb 2020
Participants:
Arto Virtanen
Kemira, Finnish chemical industry company, requested a meeting with cab Urpilainen to present their
views on
the urban wastewater treatment directive, circular economy and on
Green Deal. Kemira
operates in pulp and paper as well as in water intensive industries and municipal water treatment.
Kemira is a market leader in Europe (with 30% share of the market) but also in the US and for instance in
Ghana. The company recognizes that up-to-date regulations are necessary drivers for investment and
thus welcomes the recast of
the urban wastewater treatment directive (UWWTD), adopted in the
1990s, as the directive is outdated. Company underlined that:
•
Urban wastewater remains one of the main sources of phosphorus emissions;
•
Emission limit values (especially phosphorus) in water discharges
should be tightened (now the
limit value for phosphorus is 1-2%, but Nordic wastewater treatment plants get currently as low
as to 0,2%. Therefore limit value could be set at 0,5%);
•
The requirements of the directive must be implemented fully and equally in all MSs;
•
Reporting of compliance performance should be reviewed and improved, to better support the
enforcement of the directive;
•
Wastewater treatment plants need to upgrade their technology to protect the quality of surface
and ground waters;
•
Managing storm water flows should be made mandatory at the EU level as safe and cost-
effective solutions exist.
As regards the ongoing debate on
emerging pollutants and particularly
micro plastics, Kemira can
remove 90% of micro plastics from wastewater. Company is currently testing different technologies on
the micro plastics in liquid form (such as on residues of pharmaceutical products).
As regards the forthcoming
circular economy action plan and the
European Green Deal in general,
Kemira welcomes the intention to turn the EU economy from linear to circular model.
The company
criticized, however, the Green Deal communication for its lack of water related initiatives. They