Registration document 2007 - Total.com

Environment
Pursuant to French law No. 2001-420 of May 15, 2001,
TOTAL S.A. is obligated to supply information on the social and
environmental consequences of its activity, and to meet the
requirements of the implementation decree of February 20, 2002,
to provide information about the environmental objectives of its
subsidiaries outside France. This information is specified in Article
148-3 of decree No. 67-236 of March 23, 1967, as amended, on
commercial companies.
The following paragraphs present information on the environmental
policy objectives proposed by the parent company. More detailed
environmental information does not seem relevant for TOTAL S.A.,
given, on the one hand, the type of activities conducted by it as a
holding company, and, on the other hand, the type of activities
conducted by the Group.
The Group has operations in over 130 countries, in areas as
diverse as the upstream and downstream oil and gas industry,
energy production and chemicals. The Group’s social and
environmental report Sharing Our Energies contains, in its section
on the environment, detailed information on the way the various
entities of the Group conduct their environmental policies. This
report summarizes the consequences of its activities on the
environment, describes and explains their qualitative and
quantitative impacts, specifies the actions conducted, and
presents the performance of the entire Group in environmental
matters and the commitments it has made or proposes to make.
The Safety, Environment and Quality Charter constitutes an
essential reference in the Group's culture and testifies to its
commitment to the safety of its activities, people’s health, respect
for the environment, and the quality of its products and services.
This charter, which is translated into several languages, should
be appreciated in the context of the operational realities of each
of its businesses.
It is based on ten key principles which are detailed in an
accompanying guide that is designed as a support for managers
to implement them into daily activities.
The ten principles fall into three broad categories: the industrial
activity itself, the employees and third parties:
• As regards the industrial activity, no development project,
no extension of an industrial facility, and no new product launch
can be undertaken in any country where a Group subsidiary
operates without a prior detailed analysis of the risks
concerning health, safety and the environment within the
business unit in question. Verification that these risks have
been taken into account and the adoption of the necessary
prevention, correction and compensation measures is done at
the time when the project is examined by the business units
concerned. Major projects for investment, acquisitions and
disposals are reviewed by the Group’s Executive Committee,
having first been presented to the Group Risks Committee.
This committee includes a representative of the Sustainable
Appendix 3 - TOTAL S.A.
Social and environmental information
11
Development and Environment department and a representative
of the Industrial Safety department.
This procedure for the evaluation and prevention of risks, prior
to the commencement of any project, relies on the scientific
analysis of the substances used and produced and their
effects, and on environmental impact studies and technological
risk assessments, pursuant to the regulations in force in the
countries of operation and the industry’s guidelines. In recent
years, particular emphasis has been placed on health impact
analyses and progressively incorporating the end-of-life issue
for products and facilities. Close attention is also given to
biological diversity, especially in areas of particular ecological
sensitivity, identified with the support of scientific organizations.
The Group’s sites in relation to ecologically sensitive areas are
currently being mapped.
These different aspects, with their highly scientific and technical
components, are an integral part of the decision-making
process and are based on preliminary studies. Actions are
currently underway within the business units to harmonize the
methodologies on which these studies are based.
Once the project has started, the valuation and prevention
process is conducted regularly during the entire lifetime of the
project, in order to verify that the impacts on the environment
and safety risks are reduced as much as possible.
In accordance with the Safety, Environment and Quality Charter,
the prevention objectives are incorporated in the various
environmental action plans established over two, three or more
years, and cover the reduction of emissions of polluting
substances into the atmosphere and water, reduction of
consumption of water and certain raw materials, improvement
of energy efficiency, reduction of the production of waste at the
sites and recovery of the waste that is produced. Each
business unit sets figures for certain target objectives for
improving its environmental performance and circulates this
information at its sites, based on the particular features relevant
to each.
Regarding greenhouse gas emissions, the implementation in
2005 of the European Union CO 2 emissions quota trading plan
represents a new stage in the policy to combat global warming
and constitutes a real technological challenge for the Group.
In December 2006, the Group committed to reducing by 50%
by 2012 the volume of gas burned at its exploration production
facilities, taking the year 2005 as a reference. These
greenhouse gas reductions and corresponding actions are
detailed in the Group’s social and environmental report
mentioned above.
Close attention is also paid to soil and groundwater
contamination, in the context of specific risk and pollution control
assessment programs. Studies aimed at harmonizing the
assessment methodologies and the criteria for drawing up action
plans for pollution control are in progress.
TOTAL - Registration Document 2006 279