Owens Corning Environmental Strides Spotlighted at EU Conference; “Integrated Approach” Brings Fast Advancements in Emissions Control at Battice, Belgium Plant

BRUSSELS, Belgium, November 24 , 2003 – Owens Corning is one of eight companies being recognized at a European Commission (EC)-sponsored conference, (November 24 and 25, 2003), “The Environmental Performance of EU Industry.” The tour of the Owens Corning glass fibre manufacturing facility in Battice, Belgium will highlight the plant’s swift advancements in emissions reduction, the aggressive schedule of environmental improvements the Battice facility has achieved to date, initiatives currently underway, as well as future efforts in continuous environmental improvement tied to sustainable business growth.

“Sustainable manufacture is a key issue for all business,” said Raymund Trost, Owens Corning Vice-President and General Manager, Dry Used Chopped Strands, “and the commitment that we have demonstrated to the process at our Battice plant will significantly benefit our customers in meeting their own future business needs, as well as regulatory requirements. Owens Corning’s customers can be confident that our products will contribute positively to them achieving and maintaining their own sustainability targets.”

Using what it refers to as an “integrated approach” toward environmental productivity improvements, Owens Corning has “re-invented” its manufacturing process and product composition in order to meet current applicable limits as well as anticipate future ones derived from “benchmark levels” associated with “IPPC - Best Available Techniques”. The efforts have resulted in reductions of up to 90 percent in emissions associated with the plant’s manufacture of the company’s Advantex® Continuous Filament Glass Fibre (CFG) product brand.

“Owens Corning’s initiative to eliminate/reduce emissions associated with manufacturing is simply the right thing to do to support sustainable growth,” said Freddy Dethier, Owens Corning’s Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) leader for its composites business in Europe and Asia.

This “integrated approach”, now fully implemented in Owens Corning’s Battice facility, has set what may well be a CFG industry benchmark by achieving substantial reductions in emissions during the CFG manufacturing process. Rather than adopting traditional “end-of-pipe” techniques, which often transfer part of the emissions to another environmental media, Owens Corning has developed a unique “integrated approach” to eliminate emissions that incorporates new CFG composition and advanced melting technologies. To date, this innovative approach has resulted in:

* An up to 90 percent reduction in fluoride emissions by creating a CFG glass composition for Advantex that does not require added fluorides;

* A more than 85 percent reduction in particulates through the removal of boron oxide from the Advantex composition;

* An 80 percent reduction in nitrogen oxides by adopting advanced combustion techniques that combine oxygen/gas firing with electric boosting; and

* A 20 percent increase in overall energy efficiency during the manufacturing process, directly reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

The Battice facility has also implemented technological upgrades for wastewater treatment and recycling (ultra-filtration), resulting in:

* More than 50% reduction of water consumption

* About 80% reduction of its wastewater pollutant load.

The environmentally friendly Advantex glass composition still allows the glass to meet both the properties of E-glass for general-purpose applications, as well as the properties of E-CR glass for corrosion-resistant applications.

“While challenging to implement and requiring great effort to resolve technical issues and adapt equipment, the integrated approach has now become the obvious blueprint for Owens Corning to follow,” said Dethier. “Today, we are very pleased to have successfully implemented this technology in all European manufacturing sites and are continuing its implementation in other regions. This approach has positioned Owens Corning on the path of sustainable growth, giving us both increased production and reduced environmental impact.”