Aurubis Bulgaria is committed to the principles of sustainable development. It wants all of its products and activities to be beneficial for all of its stakeholders: investors, customers, suppliers, staff and neighbours. That is the reason why the plant is dedicated to stepping up its social responsibilities and to reducing the impact of its operations and products on the environment.

Because of the nature of the input materials, all production processes can potentially lead to impacts on the environment. The constant optimisation of these processes serves to prevent environmental burdens and has the highest priority at Aurubis Bulgaria.

In total, about € 400 million has been invested in modernising the facilities since privatisation of the plant in 1997, of which about € 90 million has been spent on direct environmental measures.

An example of this is our capital expenditure in the amount of about € 10 million during 2003 to 2005 in a new wastewater treatment plant.

The construction of a more than € 12.5 million gas treatment system from 2006 to 2008 was another significant milestone. This highly complex facility consists of wet and dry gas treatment installations for the off-gases of the anode furnace and the converter sector and is equipped with a special filter system.

In June 2011 the new investment programme “Aurubis Bulgaria 2014” started, which also focuses on improving environmental protection. A total of 60 % of the budget of € 44.2 million will be used for environmental protection measures, including an additional off-gas treatment facility, which will capture and clean exhaust air streams more efficiently.