Water
Water is used at Trelleborg’s plants for cooling, cleaning and sanitation. During 2006, the Group consumed a total of 5.9 million m3 of water (6.1), an improvement of 13 percent relative to sales. Most of the water used is pumped from the wells at the facilities or from watercourses in the vicinity of the plants. One fourth is municipal drinking water. The Group’s water costs in 2006 amounted to SEK 19.4 M (20.4).
The most important water-related issues for the Trelleborg Group are to use process water more efficiently through such measures as recirculation, thereby reducing the total water consumption – and, in cases where water is discharged directly to groundwater or surface water, to protect the environment from harmful substances.
One fifth of the plants apply some form of water recovery, and these watersaving measures reduced consumption by 7.1 million m3 in 2006.
The majority of the Group’s plants (68 percent) are connected to municipal wastewater treatment plants and 18 percent have their own treatment plants. In the remaining instances, no special wastewater-treatment measures are required. In a few individual cases, depending on the content, wastewater is treated separately as hazardous waste.
Monitoring of discharged water normally focuses on chemical oxygen demand (COD), nutrient substances (phosphorus and nitrogen) and metals (such as zinc, nickel and iron). In 2006, the total COD amounted to 271 tons and nutritive substances to 8 tons.