The Group is committed to responsible water stewardship in line with the UNSDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, with the assured security of water supply at our South African and Namibian operations being of particular importance as both countries are acknowledged as being water scarce.
In South Africa, security of water supply is under greater pressure given the lack of maintenance of key infrastructure by government, worsened by the impact of load-shedding. This makes it essential for Mpact to ensure that water is conserved wherever possible, used as efficiently as possible, and that water supply is assured to the extent possible.
Driving down consumption
Pleasingly, since 2012 our water efficiencies have resulted in a steady decline in both the use of water and in wastewater output, primarily due to the extensive programme of investing in new equipment and equipment refurbishments across our Paper and Plastics businesses over the past few years.
We set new targets of 5% reduction in water use per tonne of manufactured product by 2027 against the baseline year of 2019. It is pleasing to note that we exceeded this target in 2022.
Water consumption continues to improve due to efficiency enhancements and improve monitoring and more accurate measurement. Importantly, our management teams and employees are becoming more aware of the importance of saving water, driven by “real life” examples such as Cape Town’s Day Zero drive, brought about by severe drought in the Western Cape, and increasing curtailment of water supply caused by load-shedding and decaying infrastructure. Awareness has also been driven by the increased costs associated with water usage.
Deep dives to understand water risks
Given this, in 2022 Mpact participated in several deep dive studies undertaken by third parties at our Mpact Paper Converting sites in Walvis Bay, Namibia and Epping in the Western Cape, South Africa, and at our Mkhondo and Felixton paper mills.
These studies were done to improve our understanding of the mitigation risks associated with water (including water availability and water quality), and the implications of both direct (water tariffs) and indirect (e.g., energy, treatment-related) water costs.
Key recommendations for the Paper Converting sites included installing rain tanks and other measures to reduce municipal water consumption, improved monitoring of boiler water flows, fixing water leaks and replacing older equipment with newer models to increase water efficiency.
Ensuring water security across our operations
While we have several initiatives in place to ensure short-term water supply, such as rain water harvesting and storage tanks, reservoirs and boreholes, 95% of the Group’s water usage is associated with the paper manufacturing processes at our mills. The design of new or upgraded plants includes an emphasis on improving water use efficiency and we are focused on recycling process water.
Nonetheless, we continue to look for opportunities to drive efficiencies, with the Spring Mill in particular working on a number of projects including the implementation of better controls, the improvement of water reuse, and ensuring leaks are detected early and repaired immediately.
Reducing our impact
Mpact’s only direct impact on the oceans is the wastewater discharge from Felixton Mill that joins the Richards Bay outfall pipeline system. Since the mill’s upgrade in July 2017 to become 100% recycled paper-based, wastewater volume has reduced and quality significantly improved. Wastewater quality discharged is monitored and is externally verified by the CSIR twice a year in terms of Mhlatuzi Water’s effluent discharge licence.
