Addressing a press conference here, Chemplast Sanmar chairman N Shankar and managing director R S Jayaraman said their company was one of the 25 in India to voluntarily comply with the guidelines set by the Global Reporting Initiative, a partner of the UN Environment Programme.

Mr Jayaraman said under the zero liquid discharge technology, there would be total separation of water and solids through reverse osmosis, evaporation and crystallisation. The recovered water would be recycled in the plant. This technology would be in place not only in its Mettur facility, but also in its plants at Cuddallore and Karaikkal, he said.

Mr Jayaraman said the company had switched over from mercury to membrane for its caustic soda production process well ahead of the deadline.

The press conference was called to counter the “negative propaganda” done by a Chennai-based NGO that Chemplast Sanmar was discharging toxic chemicals into the Cauvery.

The report by the Chennai-based Community Environmental Monitoring  had said Chemplast was discharging effluents containing 28 chemicals, including five carcinogens, into the Cauvery. At least 17 of them exceed safety standards, the report alleged.

In a point-by-point rebuttal, Mr Jayaraman said that of the 17 chemicals found to be “above safety levels” prescribed by various agencies, 11 were not handled by Chemplast at any stage of production. Mr Jayaraman said the possibility of generation of dioxins and furans “is eliminated by using a German-designed incinerator”. The emission level of dioxins and furans is well below EU norms, he added.

He said Chemplast had filed a defamation suit against the NGO in the Madras High Court.