Safety and the environment
The safety of people and their environment is a first priority for Catom in all of its activities. Catom attaches great value to full compliance with all requirements in the areas of safety, quality and the environment. Catom has its own environmental and safety policy for this.
Blending biofuels
It goes without saying that Catom complies with the statutory blending obligations with respect to biofuels; in 2021 17.50% (2020: 16.40%). Catom seeks to strictly use second generation (‘double-counting’) biofuels for this purpose, thus surpassing the legal requirements.
Reduction Energy Consumption
During the reporting year, the Catom group took significant steps towards the reduction of its energy consumption and the related emissions. We have continued to focus on route planning transport volumes and motor fuels volumes loaded, inter alia by using remotely readable volume measuring systems. The transported volume increased by 5.46% in 2021 and the average deposited volume increased by 4.56%. In 2021, 2 more Euro 6 trucks were added to the fleet: one for fuel distribution and one for the distribution of AdBlue. We managed to maintain the fuel savings of 3.6% per kilometre in 2021, after the investments made in 2019 and 2020. The investments in the petrol stations brought about a significant reduction in electricity consumption thanks to the replacement of conventional fluorescent lighting by much more energy-efficient LED lighting. The new petrol station we built in Middelburg in 2016 has been designed and completed as a zero-energy structure. Limited reductions in energy consumption were also achieved at our offices.
Sustainable fuels
For customers wishing to implement a responsible policy in terms of the environmental impact of fuels, Catom has introduced GTL (Gas To Liquid). This is an advanced diesel fuel that produces less smell and noise and thus reduces the emission of fine particles. Since GTL is free from sulphur and aromatics and has a high octane content, it leads to cleaner combustion. This innovative product developed by Shell is only made available by Shell to a number of its large customers, including its branded distributors (resellers). Catom has thus gained a unique proposition. This product is especially interesting for large municipalities that aim to improve the air quality in their city centres.
Also HVO fuel was introduced for our customers. HVO fuel is fossil-free, biodegradable, it reduces the emission of particulates and has a sulphur emission of almost 0 grams/km. HVO can be obtained in various blend ratios with diesel. If 100% HVO fuel is used, the reduction of CO2 emissions may be reduced to up to 89% in the who chain.
Compressed natural gas is sold at 1 petrol station we acquired in 2016 and at 1 petrol station we acquired in 2018. In addition, a charging point for electric cars was installed at the new petrol station in Middelburg.
ISO14001: 2004 (environmental management system) and VCA
ISO14001 standard 2015 (environmental management system) and VCA*: in August 2021 we successfully completed the recertification process of ISO 14001 and VCA at the new standard (2017), and we now have new VCA* and ISO 14001 certificates: 2015 in the name of OK Oliecentrale B.V. All mandatory internal and external audits were carried out in 2021, including the external BRZO+, WABO and ISCC audits (regarding the storage, transport and blending of biofuels).
RI&E
The RI&E we carried out in May 2021 was approved by an external certified company. In 2021 we had an EED carried out by a company certified for that purpose and the final report will be received in mid 2022.
