Managing water resources
The increase in food production needed to feed the planet over the next decades and the effects of climate change make water an absolute priority. As water is omnipresent in our activities, from the upstream animal troughs to the downstream treatment plants, it is our responsibility to use it reasonably. The Group has therefore introduced tools to measure our water footprint and actions to reduce our consumption per processed product volume. Going further, we are developing equipment and facilities to boost the circular economy and the efficiency of our treatment systems.
Thanks to our optimization efforts:
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- 13 % tap water usage, and
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- 13 % wastewater discharges per kilogramme of manufactured product in 2020
CIRCULAR ECONOMY: FROM WASTEWATER TO BIOGAS
Upstream of the treatment plant, several Group sites, such as Winchester (Canada), Brattleboro (U.S.), Corteolona (Italy) or Harvey and Sydney (Australia), pretreat effluents, which involves separating an initial ‘batch’ of matter from the wastewater. The primary sludge obtained, which is very fermentable (as not yet eaten by the treatment plants’ bacteria), can then enter the circular economy by boosting methanation processes for biogas production.
