Sustainability report

Reducing water consumption AAK Sustainability Report 2020 Better Operations | 45 We are proud to report that water consumption per unit of processed material was reduced by 63 percent in 2020, compared to 2019. AAK’s water consumption Water is a very important element for our environ- ment. Within the processing of plant-based oils and fats, water is mainly used for cooling and is not contaminated when discharged back to its source. Nevertheless, AAK has several ongoing projects aimed at minimizing the amount of water withdrawal used at our sites and the water discharge. The improvement in water consumption during 2020 was achieved through water efficiency projects, a move to non-municipal water where possible (such as sea water) and improved accounting (see page 80). An overview of the figures: • The total water consumption during 2020 was 1,125,617 m 3 . • Combined, the Group’s production sites use approximately 29,368,018 m 3 of seawater for cooling. The discharged water is returned to its source with no change in quality, except that it may be slightly warmer than when entering the Group’s systems • The amount of surface water used was 2,403,830 m 3 and the amount of groundwater was 501,802 m 3 , both lower than 2019 • The amount of municipal water used totaled 2,387,275 m 3 , which is significantly less compared to 2019 (a decrease of 9.8 percent) • Processing water discharge (excluding cooling) in 2020 decreased by 11.8 percent to 1,558,571 m 3 . Building best practices The results from different water projects have been shared across our sites to help us learn from expe- rience. Next we will focus on our freshwater con- sumption, which we hope will provide further clarity regarding our impact and have the same successful outcome. Water withdrawal Total withdrawal (m 3 ) Seawater 29,368,018 Municipal water 2,387,285 Groundwater 501,802 Surface water 2,403,830 1.2 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 2019 1.16 2020 0.43 Water consumption m 3  / tonne processed material The water consumption 2016–2018 per processed unit is not comparable after aligning with GRI 303-5 (see page 68 Reporting Principles). 0.75 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 2016 2017 0.72 2018 0.69 2019 0.64 2020 0.60 Water discharge Per unit processed material m 3  / tonne Discharged water from AAK sites is treated at our own or at muni­ cipal water treatment sites and is subject to strict control by local authorities. -63% -11.8% Contributes to: