The full commissioning in the year of the group’s fi rst totally  enclosed ground flare, at the monomers ethylene plant at  Sasolburg, marked a milestone in efforts to reduce our  environmental footprint.  to Sasol Synfuels’ selective catalytic  cracker (SCC). However, in the second half  of the year we experienced encouraging  improvements in the stability and  volumes of the SCC. part of this optimisation programme.  We are engaging the workforce, inclusive  of labour unions, in this transition process  and will primarily make use of voluntary  retrenchment incentives and natural  attrition to reduce headcount.  appropriate application of our grade  variety on offer. Through our sponsorship  of a chair at the Polymer Science Institute  at the University of Stellenbosch, South  Africa, we also facilitate continued  scientific development in this fi eld. Sasol Polymers’ turnover decreased 8%  to R14 321 million in 2010, and operating  profit was largely flat at R958 million  compared with R946 million a year earlier.  The results were negatively affected by  foreign currency translation differences –  in particular changes in the rand and  the euro relative to the US dollar.  Our drive to contain costs ensured that  we reduced our fixed costs, despite higher  utility prices. This leaner, more competitive organisation  provides a stronger platform for  performance in the years ahead.  In line with the group’s strategy to nurture  and grow Sasol’s existing asset base, and  driven by good local demand for  polyethylene material, we recently  obtained board approval to invest  R1,9 billion in building a new ethane/ ethylene separation unit at Sasolburg.  However, reductions in duties on polymer  imports to South Africa, coupled with  steep hikes in the price of domestic  utilities, make the business environment  extremely challenging. Since the start of  the 2010 financial year, South Africa has  cut  ad valorem  duties on polymers from  10% to 2,5%, with further reductions  projected to take duties down to zero  by 2012.  Continued pressure in the market for  polymers necessitated the launch, early  in the financial year, of a turnaround plan  to ensure a sustainable business. With a  focus on improving productivity and  cutting costs, Sasol Polymers reorganised  its South African structure into two  businesses: chlorvinyls and polyolefi ns.  We closed down our small peroxide  business because of poor profi tability.  Despite these challenges, Sasol Polymers  offers two key competitive advantages:  customers have access to our extensive  technical capability and benefit from the  reliability and easy access to high-quality  local supply. At our Polymers Technical  Support Centre in Modderfontein, South  Africa, we carry out scientific testing and  verification of customers’ products. We  advise our customers on the applicability  and grade choices of the polymers best  suited for their business needs. The  product support provided assures our  customers that they have the most  Sasol Polymers is currently executing the  various phases of a restructuring plan that  focuses primarily on the recovery of  production and sales volumes. We expect  to reduce the total staff complement as  Known as EPU5, the plant will provide  additional ethylene capacity of some  48 000 tons in the period beyond the  planned late-2013 start-up. This will  ensure improved fl ow-scheme fl exibility  and better utilisation of the existing  downstream polyethylene plants. Half of  the feedstock to the unit will be from  cracked propane and ethane extracted  from natural gas, with the remainder  being a combination of additional  volumes from our Project Turbo  investments and other monomers sourced  from Sasol Synfuels. This project illustrates  our renewed focus on unlocking the full  potential of the chemical assets in the  Sasol group. 50 Growing our assets Reducing costs, restructuring  the business