Introduction

Legislation has been introduced to limit emissions of volatile organic compounds, commonly known as "solvents" or VOCs. The Solvent Emissions Directive (SED) came into force in England and Wales in March 2002 through Part I of the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) 1990, this has subsequently been replaced by the Pollution and Prevention and Control (England and Wales) Regulations 2000. These require a range of activities to obtain a permit and comply with its requirements in order to limit solvent emissions.

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 have not previously been covered by a regulatory regime; these include vehicle bodyshops between 0.5 and 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 table at the end of this note.

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. Because of their wide ranging uses, the Solvent Emissions 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 air can impair human health and can 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.

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.

Who enforces the Directive?

The Environment Agency is responsible for enforcing the Directive for processes covered by Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control under the Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999 ( A1 installations). Local Authorities are responsible for enforcing processes under Local Air Pollution Prevention & Control under the aforementioned legislation.

When will the Directive apply?

In general, existing installations have until 31st 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.

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

Where can I get more information?

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

You should contact your local Environmental Health Department via Customer Service Direct who will give you advice on whether you need to apply for an authorisation or permit and if so, how and when to apply.