Water

Water is vital to human life and healthy ecosystems around the globe. It is also a natural resource we depend on in our manufacturing processes, and we must pay close attention to ensuring responsible water consumption and management.

We seek to conserve water across our operations and to discharge wastewater that is properly treated to avoid degradation to the surrounding environment. We also look to develop applications for our products that help conserve and protect water resources, including the use of our masterbatch material in durable water piping.

In 2021, we saw an increase in total water consumption and to a lesser extent, total water withdrawal, while water discharge decreased slightly. The increases are correlated with a rise in production and the increase in water use from air pollution control and energy recovery projects. Consequently, we achieved 31% of our 2025 goal to reduce water withdrawal intensity compared to a 2019 baseline. This occurred despite the increase in total water withdrawal, as we saw a greater increase in production volumes. We have a water sustainability goal team actively working with our sites to assess water usage and identify opportunities for improvement.