Optimising water use for sustainable manufacturing
⭐ Winners⭐, Time for change, France
A leading project by: ARKEMA (France) – Subcategory: Circularity and Climate neutrality
The Optim’O programme, initiated in 2016, aims to optimise water usage across all manufacturing sites worldwide. This initiative is deeply rooted in sustainable development and operational excellence policies, focusing on the technical and economic aspects of water usage in manufacturing processes to derive profitable projects that improve water efficiency.
Reducing Environmental Footprint
The project is committed to reducing the environmental footprint of manufacturing activities. Key objectives include:
- Reducing the emission of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) in wastewater.
- Minimising water withdrawal from the environment.
- Decreasing the emission of other pollutants such as Total Suspended Solids (TSS) and metals.
Ensuring Compliance and Anticipating Future Regulations
The programme ensures thorough compliance with applicable permits and limits, while also anticipating the implementation of more demanding future regulations related to water.
Promoting Sustainable Development
The project promotes sustainable development by implementing and developing water management systems and practices at all sites. It actively participates in key water-related questionnaires from major rating agencies, aiming for the best ratings among peers. The initiative also focuses on reducing, recycling, and reusing water in production processes.
Optimising Operational Costs
The project aims to optimise operational costs related to water usage throughout its lifecycle across plants. This includes costs associated with resource acquisition, purification and treatment for usage, wastewater treatment and discharge, recycling and reuse, water-related incidents, and the consequential costs of water restrictions.
Achieving Ambitious Objectives
The programme has set ambitious objectives:
- A 60% reduction in COD emissions by 2030 compared to 2012, with a revised target of a 65% reduction by 2030.
- A 25 % reduction in water withdrawal by 2030 compared to 2019.
- Zero exceedances beyond applicable regulations and limits.
- Achieving an A rating in the CDP Water Security questionnaire.