Atlas Copco operations affects the environment in the production process, through the use of natural resources, and the generation of emissions and wastes, in the distribution of, as well as in the use and final disposal of its products. The Group works to reduce these impacts both in the design of new products, in the continuous product development, and through the ongoing improvements of the manufacturing plants where environmental considerations are integral parts.

A number of key performance indicators are monitored, and some are reported here.

One of Atlas Copco’s most significant environmental goals is to implement environmental management systems ( EMS) in all operations to help minimize environmental impacts. In 2007, 44% of Atlas Copco’s employees worked in an EMS environment. The objective is to reach 100%. All product companies shall be certified according to the international standard ISO 14001.
In 2007, an additional 13 reporting product companies were ISO 14001 certified, representing 91% (92) of cost of sales.

The Group works constantly to improve the efficient use of resources in the manufacturing process, and has, for instance, achieved noticeable reductions of both energy and water use in recent years. 

Atlas Copco estimates and reports CO2 emissions from direct and indirect energy used in production, transportation to and from production sites, and from cooling agents (standardized conversion factors published by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Initiative are used to calculate CO2 emissions, see also www.ghgprotocol.org).
The decrease of CO2 emissions from energy at production sites in 2007 was due to investments in more energy efficient production, for example upgrade of air conditioning system, change into variable speed drive (VSD) compressors and change of production area lighting.
The increase of CO2 emissions in transport during the year was due to the high market demand and corresponding volume growth. To keep the delivery commitments to customers a higher level of deliveries has been made by air freight than in 2006. 

Atlas Copco tracks the generation of various categories of waste in the production process, including regulated (sometimes referred to as hazardous) waste. As the main raw material going into the process is steel, metal scrap is the most significant fraction of waste, and practically all of this scrap is reused or recycled.