The Association for the Surface Treatment of Aluminum (VOA) is actively involved in the development of the BREF STM (Best Available Techniques Reference Surface Treatment of Metals and Plastics). The aim is to help define the European and global standard for efficient, environmentally friendly production. Many VOA members have already participated in order to ensure a level playing field in the environmental sector throughout the EU.
The BREF STM has a decisive impact on the future of the surface finishing industry throughout Europe and describes the current state of the art in Germany and ultimately at European level. The aim is to describe bindingly applied technologies, taking into account the cost-benefit ratio, with which a generally high level of protection for the environment can currently be achieved most effectively and which can also be verified by the responsible authorities. All BREF documents are updated every ten years with a processing time of around four years, as the requirements continue to evolve, not least due to new findings in science and research.
National expert groups, in Germany under the leadership of the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) and the Technical Working Group at European level, began their work in June 2021. A comprehensive questionnaire was drawn up for the numerous, differently positioned EU companies. The figures from the survey, which was completed in the third quarter of 2023, form the basis for the development of the BREF-STM, which consists of two parts: the fact sheet plus the Best Available Technique Conclusion (BAT Conclusion), which summarizes the relevant requirements.
As a result of the EU's European Green Deal, the BREF process is moving more into the focus of plant-related environmental protection at EU level. In addition to emissions, topics such as decarbonization, circular economy and chemicals management are also gaining in importance. The consumption values for energy, water and raw materials are of particular interest. In future, the data collected from VOA member companies will be used to derive emission values that are binding throughout Europe. The BREF STM therefore defines the future limit values for emissions into the air and waste water for both the German and European surface finishing industry.
The first workshop for data evaluation by the office in Seville is planned for the beginning of 2024; the publication of the new BREF STM planned for fall 2026 will probably be delayed by a few months according to VOA estimates.
In the so-called "Seville Process", the VOA is pursuing the goal of incorporating the level of environmental protection already achieved by German plants into the process of deriving technology-based emission standards in Europe. This is done through active cooperation in data collection and technology descriptions. "The industry associations such as the VOA play an important role in supporting the 'Seville Process' at national level, as they form the interface to the companies that provide their data for the derivation of future emission values by completing the extremely complex questionnaire," says Sandra Leuthold from the Federal Environment Agency.
