Do you want to know more about Stora Enso?
Water has a fundamental role in the biosphere regulating the amount of biomass and impacting the amount of carbon in the entire Earth system. The growing population increases the demand for water, and at the same time, human activity is disrupting natural water cycles.
We strive to reduce the impact on our production sites’ water sources and aim to navigate within the science-based planetary boundary for freshwater change.
As freshwater plays a central role in our production processes and is a key component in forest growth, both water availability and sustainable water management are of key importance to us. While water is relatively abundant in most of our production locations, water stress may still impact operations locally and through our wider supply chains.
Some of our sites are occasionally impacted by water stress in terms of availability or increased surface water temperature. We identify water related risk in operations through assessment of water scarcity, failures of water related equipment, flooding, run-off and rising water levels, and raw water temperature implications. We apply the WRI Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas to assess water-related risks at our production units (read more in our Annual Report). Currently, approximately 4% of the Group's total water withdrawal accounts from sites with High Baseline Water Stress.
Water stewardship is an area of increasing strategic importance and provides opportunities to reduce costs by using water and energy more efficiently. Optimising water recycling reduces the need for water pumping and heating which creates energy savings and makes the purification of the remaining wastewater more efficient. Our approach to water stewardship is built upon assessment of local conditions at sites and in the nearby water basins, mapping water use to identify the potential for savings, setting goals according to group-level KPIs and local priorities, investments in technology, target setting, and engaging with stakeholders.
We apply the WRI Water Aqueduct Tool to assess water-related risks at our production units.
Production at our board, pulp and paper units requires large amounts of water. Our units withdraw process and cooling water almost entirely from surface waters. In 2023, 99% of total water withdrawal was from surface water, less than 1% from municipal or groundwater sources.
Only around 4% of water is consumed in production processes while almost 96% is recycled back into the environment. Process water is purified in treatment plants and then discharged, whereas cooling and other non-process water can, in most cases, be released without treatment.
Our industrial units are required to comply with the new Water Management Requirements, which have been established to standardize water improvement work across all divisions and to achieve integrated water, energy, and cost savings.
Only around 4% of water is consumed in production processes while almost 96% is recycled back into the environment.
Sustainably managed forests and plantations have a key role in maintaining natural water cycles. Forests and plantations need rainwater for growth, and active water management in plantations contributes to positive effects on the total water balance as well as water storage, purity and quality. Water available to trees and plants in terms of soil moisture, precipitation and evaporation is also critical for supporting and regulating biosphere processes related to carbon and biogeochemical cycles. To measure our biodiversity progress and quality of harvesting operations, we have set six biodiversity impact indicators, including soil and water. For annual performance on the impact indicators, see our biodiversity webpages.
To measure our biodiversity progress and quality of harvesting operations, we have set six biodiversity impact indicators, including soil and water.
We aim to improve water performance and reduce the intensity of process water discharges through targeted investments combined with continuous improvements in day-to-day activities. As of 2023, we set a new target to reduce process water discharges per saleable tonne with 17% by 2030 from the 2019 baseline year. For total water withdrawal, our goal is to maintain a decreasing trend from the 2016 baseline.
All industrial sites are required to comply with Water Management Requirements, standardising water improvements across divisions.
Recycling of water at the sites, when possible, to reduce the need for water intake.
For more details on Stora Enso’s water management and performance, see our Annual Report. Quarterly figures on water performance can be found in the most recent interim report.
