Water
Our approach
Since our production is based on fermentation with subsequent downstream processing, which uses a considerable amount of water for cooling and processing, this is a topic we have to and want to address.The four main water sources affected by Jungbunzlauer’s operations are the rivers Thaya in Austria, Rhine in Marckolsheim in France, Neckar in Germany and the Welland Canal in Canada. Water is drawn from these rivers mainly for cooling purposes and for use in other parts of the production process. While so called non-contact cooling water is directly returned to the river in question, process water is treated first in state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plants at all our production sites before it is returned to the water source.
Each production site has a wastewater treatment plant to ensure the correct treatment of water effluents. Local regulatory requirements are fulfilled. There is a dedicated employee in each plant responsible for the treatment of wastewater. Guidelines on water handling are summarised in the Responsible Care® Report of the respective production site. In our wastewater treatment plant we utilise some waste streams in anaerobic digesters to produce biogas, which is used on site for the production of steam.
The water consumption as well as water treated in wastewater treatment plants in our production sites is measured and recorded in the annual Responsible Care® Report. Each production plant and each office location manage water usage individually.
Our ambition
We aim to reduce our water consumption and improve our wastewater management as much as possible. Additionally we strive to adhere to all set limits regarding our wastewater treatment. We also continuously try to improve the recycling of water streams, where feasible.
Individual improvement goals regarding water are set in each production plant and progress is measured.
Examples of water reduction projects implemented in 2021 in our production sites
- Reduction of cooling water in Port Colborne, Canada by optimisation of water flow
- Optimisation of cooling water consumption for a production line in Ladenburg, Germany
- Recycling of vacuum pump and sealing water in Marckolsheim, France
- Recycling of backwash and recirculating cooling water as well as water streams in the wastewater treatment plant in Pernhofen, Austria
- Water savings by redirection of water streams
Key measures and evaluation
In 2021, water recovery and usage were optimised in our production plants by implementing new processes or reconstructions. This has contributed to a reduction in water consumption for the individual projects. There are also processes in place to maximise the reuse of water in our sites.
In 2021, we started to assess data on water withdrawal, discharge, and consumption according to GRI 303: Water and Effluents 2018 in order to improve our water and effluents management. Our data collection revealed that the water withdrawl was in total 82,041 ML/a and the water consumtion was 82,382 ML/a.
| Measures | Targets 2021 | Progress and achievements 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Water reduction projects in production sites | Achieve water reductions by implementation of individual projects in our four production sites | Water saving projects have been identified and implemented in our production sites In 2021, an additional state-of-the-art biogas digester for the production of biogas from waste streams will become operational |
| Management of water evaluation | Improvement of data collection in production plants | Data collection for water and wastewater management optimised for all plants. For the future assessment according to GRI Standard |
Outlook
We will continue to monitor and record our water usage and implement measures to reduce water consumption where possible. We also strive to improve comparability of data on water use in our different production sites. Data on water usage will be evaluated on an annual basis for all production plants.
Specific projects planned for 2022 and beyond regarding water savings are a reuse of water streams and wash water in Port Colborne and the optimisation of recycling of cooling water in Pernhofen.