Business News

Sustainability Progress Report: Reducing Water Consumption

Wednesday 06. August 2008 - This is one in a series of articles on the DuPont 2008 Sustainability Progress Report that will appear in DuPont News.

The 2008 Sustainability Progress Report highlights the DuPont 2015 sustainability goals, the company’s progress against them, as well as examples of progress.
One of the goals is to reduce water consumption by at least 30 percent over the next 10 years at DuPont sites located where the renewable freshwater supply is either scarce or stressed (as determined by the United Nations global analysis of river basins). For all other sites, DuPont will hold water consumption flat on an absolute basis through the year 2015, offsetting any increased demand from production volume growth through conservation, reuse and recycle practices.
Total water consumption is down 5 percent.
An example includes the DuPont Coatings site in Guarulhos, Brazil, where employees implemented educational and awareness programs; conducted audits to determine leakage and waste reduction; developed a strengthened environmental management system; replaced showers with more cost-effective ones; installed faucets with time switchers and hydrometers at strategically set spots to control usage; and initiated a permanent program of leakage elimination. These actions resulted in a 55 percent reduction in the use of potable water at the site.