No life without water

Billions of people lack adequate access to water. We are addressing this issue even though water stress is not prevalent at 90 percent of its sites.

With the Water Stewardship Program, we are pursuing ambitious goals. Four sites will reduce their total water withdrawal by 15 percent by 2023 compared to 2019 in a pilot project. The company is transferring the experience gained from these pilot projects to all other sites worldwide. The selected sites are located in so-called water stress areas. 

Qingdao in China

The Qingdao site is located in the Dagu River Basin in Shandong Province, a region with extremely high water stress. The Rhein Chemie business unit produces additives and high-performance bladders for tire production there. The only water source is municipal water. The site requires very little process water during production, most of which is returned to the water cycle after treatment. For example, a large part, 90 percent of the water consumption, is used by the employees themselves for showering. A solar system was installed in the shower rooms to save energy and reduce consumption, including water-saving showerheads and water mixing valves. Water flow and pressure at all taps were also optimized. Emily Fang, general manager of the site, says: "Although water consumption is mainly used for social life, we are actively working to reduce it. Because we know that water is one of the most important natural resources in the world."

Nagda and Jhagadia in India

Colleagues in India at the Nagda and Jhagadia sites are taking a similar approach. Together with colleagues from MEx, they have developed and implemented initiatives for Nagda that save about 14 percent of water consumption. As Nagda is severely affected by water stress, intensive investments have already been made there in recent years. A dedicated wastewater treatment plant treats wastewater from surrounding towns for industrial use. In addition, a wastewater treatment plant with Lewatit® ion exchangers has been put into operation. The water obtained from this plant is used in production. Overall, more than 50 percent of industrial water consists of municipal wastewater. Together, the measures prevent contamination of the Chambal River, which is essential for the region's population and reduce dependence on conventional water sources. The unique feature is that the site does not discharge any water - existing water is constantly recycled and sent back into the cycle.

In Jhagadia, a reverse osmosis plant ensures that up to 30 percent of the previous water consumption is saved. This plant also recycles industrial water to such an extent that it can be reused. In addition to these measures at our LANXESS sites, the Indian colleagues are researching how access to water is made easier for the inhabitants of the surrounding villages. Specifically, they are investigating how they can collect and use rainwater even more efficiently and effectively. In Nagda, we have already won several awards for this commitment. "In recent years, we have intensively analyzed our water consumption and tried to reduce it with suitable technologies. We have already successfully implemented some sustainable solutions: With our zero-liquid-discharge (ZDL) plant, we reduced our water consumption in Nagda by 75 percent. This plant and the reverse osmosis plant in Jhagadia have set new standards in the region. The environmental authority, therefore, sees us as a role model for the entire industry," says Neelanjan Banerjee, Managing Director & Region Head India. He is confident that the implementation of the MEx initiatives in Nagda will further improve the water balance.

Latina in Italy

"We have our sights firmly set on our goal and are just starting to install a new cooling tower. It will significantly reduce our water consumption," says Maurizio Belloli, head of our Latina site in Italy. Latina is located in the Rio Martino catchment area. The area already has high water stress. Colleagues on-site are also analyzing production processes. "In this way, we identify potential ways to reduce water consumption further. We also want to increase the water recycling rate further," says Belloli. We are also committed to community water projects. In Latina, colleagues are working with the community to determine how access to sanitary facilities can be improved.