Solvent Emissions Directive (SED)

Introduction

New legislation has recently been introduced to limit emission of volatile organic compounds, commonly known as "solvents or VOC's. The Solvent Emissions Directive (SED) came into force in England and Wales in March 2002 through Part 1 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to be replaced by the Pollution Prevention and Control (England & Wales) Regulations 2000. This requires a range of activities to obtain an authorisation/permit and comply with its requirements in order to limit solvent emissions.

What does the Directive do?
What are solvents and why limit their emissions?
What does the Directive require industry to do?
Who enforces the Directive?
When will the Directive apply?
Where can I get more information?
What activities are covered?

What does the Directive do?

The aim of the SED is to prevent or reduce the effects of VOCs in the environment (mainly into air) and the potential human health risks by solvent-based activities adopting specific actions and procedures set out in the Directive.

Some activities listed in the SED are not currently covered by such a regulatory regime. These include vehicle bodyshops between 0.5 -1 tonne per year solvent usage, stand-alone surface cleaners using more than 1 tonne per year, and dry cleaners.

A list of sectors covered and their minimum threshold values specified in the SED is set out in the note
What activities are covered?.

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What are solvents and why limit their emissions?

Organic solvents are chemicals used in paints, inks and adhesives. They are used for the application of a film of paint, ink or adhesive onto a surface, after which they evaporate to leave a decorated, printed or adhered finish. Solvents are used extensively to clean surfaces prior to coating and to remove greases and soils, for instance during manufacturing. Due to their wide range of uses, the Solvent Emission Directive applies to a cross-section of industry sectors from printing to dry cleaners.

Their emissions need to be controlled because many solvents undergo chemical reactions in the atmosphere, which cause a number of indirect effects, in particular the formation of ozone. Elevated concentrations of ozone in the air can impair human health and damage some building materials, forests, vegetation and crops. The Directive also targets some specific compounds for control because they are directly harmful to human health or the environment.

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What does the Directive require industry to do?

In general, activities operated above the solvent consumption threshold will need to either:-

• meet an emission limit value in waste gases and a fugitive emission limit value; or
• meet the total emission limit value; or
• implement a solvent reduction scheme to reduce emissions from the installation equal to those that would be achieved by meeting the total emission limit value.

There are stricter requirements for those activities using potentially more harmful substances such as halogenated VOCs, which are assigned the risk phrase R40, or VOCs that are classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction and which carry the risk phrase R45, R46, R49, R60 or R61.

For further information, visit DEFRA.

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Who enforces the Directive?

The Environment Agency is responsible for enforcing the Directive for processes covered by Integrated Pollution Control under Part 1 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (Part A) and those installations covered by Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control covered by the Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999 (A1 installations). Local Authorities are responsible for enforcing processes under Local Air Pollution Control/Local Air Pollution Prevention & Control under the aforementioned legislation. In addition, certain activities like dry cleaning are yet to be regulated in this way.

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When will the Directive apply?

In general, existing installations have until 31 October 2007 to comply with the Directive. However, specific components of the Directive are required to be met within tighter time limits:-

1. If you are using certain substances or preparations containing VOCs that are classified as carcinogens, mutagens or toxic to reproduction, these should be replaced as far as possible by less harmful substances within the shortest possible time.
2. You may choose to achieve the emission limits required by the Directive by using a VOC reduction scheme. If you intend to use a VOC reduction scheme, then you must notify the appropriate regulator by 31 October 2005.

For new installations, you must comply with the Directive before operations start.

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Where can I get more information?

You can find out more about the Directive by visiting the DEFRA website.

Disclaimer This note is intended to serve as an informative and helpful source of advice. However, readers must note that legislation and guidance are inevitably subject to change. This note should, therefore, be read in conjunction with prevailing legislation and guidance, as amended, whether or not mentioned here.

Acknowledgements This leaflet acknowledges information and advice published by DEFRA.

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What activities are covered?

The following table lists the range of activities covered by the Directive and the minimum solvent consumption above which an authorisation or permit is needed.

Extract from Annex A: The EC Solvent Emissions Directive

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