Etex-AR2017-WEBSITE

3.1
Environmental report
Protecting our planet
Etex Annual Report 2017
Environmental report
Protecting our planet
Protecting
our planet
Efficient use
of water
Dumped production waste
per metric tonne
of raw materials
2013 0.76%
2014
0.76%
Respect for the environment is embedded in the way we work.
To minimise the impact of our operations on air, land and
water, Etex has ambitions and procedures in place across our
global organisation.
Two main principles shape our
environmental mindset:
1 enhance the efficiency of our production
processes to limit the use of natural
resources and energy;
2 innovate and develop products and
systems that can empower our customers
and other stakeholders in reducing their
own impact on the environment.
qqTo accommodate the
collection process and
enable a good work flow for
separating and capturing
recyclable materials,
recycling bins are placed
in appropriate locations
around our factories.
Water is a precious resource, and we aim
to minimise our water use. The amount of
water we need is different for every Etex
factory and can vary greatly depending on
the type of production activity.
Plants across Etex have programmes to
enhance water reuse and use alternatives
to drinking water. Installing monitoring
systems, such as flow regulators also helps
to reduce the overall use of water.
In 2017, Etex’s water consumption totalled
6,463,696 m 3 . This represents a 2.0% drop
compared to 6,476,963 m 3 in 2016. Our use
of drinking water also decreased, going
from a 28% share in 2016 to 24% in 2017. We
continue our aim to eliminate drinking water
from our manufacturing processes altogether.
2015
2016
2017
Water consumption
per source
0.51%
0.58%
0.76%
Borehole 32.7%
Drinking
Other
23.7%
43.6%
Eliminating
production waste
% of drinking water in relation
to total water consumption
2013 23
2014
20
2015
22
In 2017, the total hard waste dumped
per metric ton of raw materials was at
0.76%, compared to 0.58% the year before.
One reason for this increase was due to
accumulated waste carried over from
2016. Overall, the total waste generated
remains consistent with the past five years.
Ultimately, our goal is to produce zero
production waste, an objective we continue
to strive for.
Furthermore, we recycled 76% of our
total production waste in 2017. Recycling
will continue to be an important focal
point, as it helps us conserve resources
as well as improve the efficiency of our
production processes.
Every Etex company has programmes in
place for internal recycling. The aim is to
recover waste materials that result from
producing our products — such as paper,
cement and water — and channel these back
into our own manufacturing processes or
supply them to external partners.
When possible, we use recovered
secondary raw materials produced by
other companies. For example, our plant
in Romania uses gypsum that results from
the desulphurisation process of a nearby
power plant. Using this secondary raw
material the factory ensures a secure and
sustainable gypsum supply.
2016
28
2017
24
Total water consumption (m3)
2013 6,863,472
2014
6,895,128
2015
6,798,029
2016
6,476,963
2017
6,463,696
64 65