It seems to me the best sustainability measurement for
chemical company water use is water intensity measurement. This measurement is the annual amount of
water a company has used divided by the metric tons of product produced for the
year. Such a measurement has value of comparability
from company to company. The higher the
intensity, the more water a company uses to produce a ton of product
Twelve chemical company 2018 sustainability reports were searched
to find the companies water intensity measurements. Those found are shown in this table:
|
company
|
water intensity measurement (cubic meters of
water used divided metric tons of product produced)
|
|
air liquide
|
measurement not provided and cannot be
computed from data in the report
|
|
basf
|
measurement not provided and cannot be
computed from data in the report
|
|
borealis
|
measurement not provided and cannot be
computed from data in the report
|
|
clariant
|
measurement not provided and cannot be
computed from data in the report
|
|
dsm
|
measurement not provided and cannot be
computed from data in the report
|
|
evonik
|
measurement not provided and cannot be
computed from data in the report
|
|
huntsman
|
measurement not provided and cannot be computed
from data in the report
|
|
lanxess
|
39.3 cubic meters of water per ton of product
produced
|
|
lyondellbasell
|
3.87 cubic meters of water per ton of product
produced
|
|
mitsui
|
measurement not provided and cannot be
computed from data in the report
|
|
ptt global chemicals
|
1.99 cubic meters of water per ton of product
produced
|
|
solvay
|
measurement not provided and cannot be
computed from data in the report
|
Unfortunately, as shown in the table, most companies do not report
water intensity measurements. All the companies
provide various measurements related to water use, such as fresh water withdrawn,
reuse amounts, etc., but only the three companies shown in the table provide water
intensity measurements. Without water intensity
measurements, a needed measurement on how well a company is doing in its water
use is missing. How well a company is using
water in its operations compared to other companies is not possible without such
a measurement as the water intensity measurement. Just knowing amounts of water withdrawn and
other water use data provided in sustainability reports does not offer needed relevancy
about water use, e.g., how much product is produced for amount of water used.
As we move further into the climate change and resource limitations
era, company sustainability goals and accomplishments are becoming essential
for universal well-being. And relevant measurements,
which serve well to guide decision making towards the needed sustainability goals
and accomplishments, are needed. And
these measurements need to be provided in company sustainability reports. Unfortunately,
at the current time, when it comes to water use, such a relevant measurement is
not in common use.
