Environmental Practices.

Continuous improvement and preventive action form the basis of the approach of the Grupo SOS to environmental policy.

Diagnoses, assessments and audits

In the course of 2007 diagnostic analyses were conducted at two of the Group's new facilities, those of Tavernelle (Italy) and Dos Hermanas (Spain). The results of those analyses are now being used to introduce improvements to reduce the impact of these two plants on the environment. Also in 2007 the Group conducted internal audits of the certified environmental management systems already in place, together with legal audits at various plants. The facilities subject to the provisions of Kyoto were also audited, satisfactorily on all counts.

Management tools

In 2007 the Group focused its efforts on completing and developing the environmental management tool SOSMA.

SOSMA is designed to meet the following requirements:

• * To centralise operating and strategic environmental monitoring indicators to enable instant monitoring of each indicator with respect to both the targets established by the Group and current legal limits.
• * To link environmental performance data automatically with the production figures of each of the facilities, using the resource management and bookkeeping tool SAP.
• * To create an environmental database so that managers responsible for the various production lines can work out process-specific means of improving environmental performance. Functionality sufficient to display maps and plans, authorisation certificates, production flowcharts and photographs.
• * To achieve progress in implementing the latest technical advances as announced from time to time by the European Union in the specialist press, on the basis of each facility being able to print out an instant assessment of its present standing vis-à-vis current standards and set itself targets for future advances.

In 2007 the tool was successfully implemented in the Spanish facilities of Alcolea and Villareja. In 2008 it is due to be installed in those of Jaén, Reinosa, Algemesí, Andújar and Dos Hermanas (Spain), and in Voghera and Tavernelle (Italy).