Water management

Policies and commitments

  • Responsible management of water withdrawal, use and discharge, in accordance with MYTILINEOS’ Environmental Policy.
  • MYTILINEOS’ voluntary participation in the Global Sustainable Development Initiative: CDP - Water Security by which it expresses its commitment to the responsible management of potential risks related to the management of water resources stemming from its activities, through an annual assessment.

Impacts and major risks

Impacts

  • Potential impact on marine organisms from the discharge of seawater used to cool the Company's power plant towers, at a temperature higher than the extraction temperature.
  • Access for employees and citizens of local communities to safe and drinkable water and sanitation facilities to meet their needs.
  • Change in the drinkable/salt water ratio of the aquifer (groundwater) used by the Company both in its production activities and in meeting the needs of the settlements in local communities, due to water logging.

Major risks

Possible future changes to the water withdrawal limits and discharge parameters in the Environmental Terms Approval Decisions of the Company's industrial plants, particularly in the Metallurgy and Power & Gas Business Units. It refers to a potential risk that may result in increased capital and operational maintenance costs associated with the development of alternative water suppliers.

Management/Control practices

  • Regulatory compliance regarding water management is ensured by strictly following the Environmental Terms Approval Decisions and Water Use Permits of all industrial plants.
  • Regular communication by the Company with the relevant authorities and regulatory bodies to identify and assess the future potential of regulatory changes relating to sustainability issues, including water.
  • Internal targets are set annually for water consumption.
  • Environmental managers in each of the Company's BUs are assigned to monitor the objectives and responsible management of water resources in all industrial plants.
  • An Environmental Management System certified by ISO 14001 is in place, through which potential incidents are managed and addressed, with the development of plans to minimize the risk of leakage and the implementation of predictive, preventive and corrective measures to ensure the good condition of the water.
  • Care is taken with regard to the management of water discharges resulting from MYTILINEOS' activity, in order to ensure that they are fully controlled.
  • Continuous improvement and enrichment of the Company's practices in this area is sought through voluntary participation in the global CDP - Water Security initiative.

Effectiveness of the actions

  • -2% reduction of water withdrawal for use.
  • -6,5% reduction of total water consumption.
  • -58,6% decrease in the megalitres (ML) of withdrawn water per million Euro of revenue.
  • the Company maintained a B score (on a D-/A scale) which places it in the top tier of the 2nd index category "Management level".
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