Water use

KODS 2030
 

Reduce the specific industrial water consumption by 20%

In 2023, Klabin's percentage reduction in consumptive water use increased from 17.8% to 29.8% compared to the previous year. This significant reduction in the indicator was mainly driven by the decreased amount of total water abstracted (2.38%) and the increase in the volume of water discarded (0.35%), in other words, use, as well as total water consumption at the industrial units, was lower than in the previous year. A revision of the Company's strategic planning and operations, in addition to the expansion of industrial activities considering processes with greater water consumption efficiency, were the main influencers of the results that make up the Klabin S.A. consumptive use. 

In the Pulp and Paper businesses, which correspond to 98.7% of the Company's overall indicator, the reduction in abstracted water (1.35%) was proportionally greater than the reduction in the amount of treated effluent (0.35%), contributing positively to the indicator. The result is mainly related to the implementation of operational actions to reduce the amount of water abstracted from water resources, the conclusions of the expansion processes (Puma II - Phase 2), and the start of operations at the plant, which represents 51.4% of the total water abstracted by Klabin S.A. 

It was expected that, with the implementation of Phase 2 of Puma II, Klabin S.A.'s consumptive water use results would change, since the project is more efficient than the operations already in place. The project's estimates, after defining the technologies that would be implemented, considered that the indicator would be reduced by 25% compared to the base year (2018). In 2023, the startup and commissioning of PM28, BCTMP, and the second line of the kraft fiber line resulted in a greater generation of effluents in proportions larger than the need for water intake from the water resource. This start-up and commissioning scenario, together with additional one-off contributions to the effluent flow (lowering the level for cleaning and, consequently, directing the unit's lung lagoons to the ETP inlet) contributed to a slightly greater reduction of 29.8% in consumptive water use. 

For the Packaging and Recycling businesses, which account for 1.28% of the Company's overall indicator, there were no major variations in the proportion of specific results for water collection and treated effluent disposal during operations carried out in 2023. 

The results obtained during the year are generally directly influenced by the start-up and commissioning process of the Company's new operations. For the year 2024, these operations will continue to stabilize and reach the projected capacity, so that Klabin's consumptive water use results will continue to be monitored to ensure that the positive results are maintained and the goal of reducing specific water consumption by at least 20% is achieved by 2030. 

Klabin S.A. remains committed to seeking alternatives aimed at greater efficiency in production processes concerning water consumption. 
 

Other actions performed 

Creation of a Water Management Working Group, an internal forum made up of members from all of Klabin's businesses and responsible for governance, planning and implementation of actions to reduce/reuse water and reuse effluents, especially in areas of water stress. This group works to strengthen small actions to reduce water withdrawal in the Company's operations and monitor implementation. 

Engagement in river basin committees in the regions of significant consumption (Paraná and Santa Catarina), with active participation in water resource plans, including discussions on shared use and mechanisms for charging for water use. 

Participation in the Intermunicipal Consortium of the Piracicaba, Capivari and Jundiaí (PCJ) River Basins, composed of local governments and companies, which aims to recover the water sources in its area of coverage. 

Participation in these actions helps Klabin interact with other companies and, through benchmarking, search for new solutions for industrial operations with the aim of reducing water consumption. 

Future actions 

Execution of actions related to increasing water reuse and improving processes for water efficiency in all of Klabin’s plants, prioritizing initiatives in units located in areas of water stress and in plants with high water use. 

Continuing to hold bimonthly meetings with the Water Reduction Working Group for advances in managing the resource, in addition to critical analyses to monitor the indicator and define actions to improve results in the industrial plants. 

Development of the Klabin Water Resources Management Plan, with the participation of the sectors involved and internal (industrial and forestry units) and external (supply chain, community and public management) coverage. 
 

Challenges

Maintenance of water consumption optimization, considering the production increases expected with the Company’s expansion for the next few years. 

Performance for specific total water consumption (m³/ton)

*Until 2019, this indicator was not measured.

** New units acquired by Klabin in 2020.

Specific water consumption is calculated by taking the difference between water withdrawn and water returned to the environment, divided by the Company's total production. Therefore, and also because they are different types of production, businesses, and units, the figures above do not reflect the reduction percentage in specific consumption per unit or business. 

There was a 29.8% reduction in specific water consumption in 2023 concerning the base year 2018 in industrial operations. This significant reduction in the indicator was mainly influenced by the completion of the expansion processes (Puma II - Phase II) and the start of operations at the plant. It was expected that, with the implementation of Phase 2 (PM28) of Puma II (Paraná), Klabin's consumptive water use results would change, since the project is more efficient than the operations already in place. 

For the Correia Pinto Unit, there was a reduction in water withdrawal as well as a threefold reduction in disposal, impacting the increase in the consumptive use indicator. 

In Monte Alegre, the indicator was mainly impacted by changes in the production process and the temporary shutdown of PM1. 

At the Otacílio Costa Unit, there was a significant reduction in water withdrawal due to improvements made to reuse cooling water from the Lime Kiln bearings, replacing the use of water for log washing, along awareness actions regarding water use. 

KODS 2030
 

100% of the localities where we operate initiatives to increase territorial water security

Klabin conducts actions aimed at increasing water security in the regions where its units are located. They include the installation of more efficient Effluent Treatment Plants (Betim, Itajaí, Manaus, Rio Negro, Goiana, São Leopoldo, and Horizonte); participation in the Hydrographic Basin Committees of the Tibagi River (Ortigueira and Monte Alegre), Canoas River (Correia Pinto and Otacílio Costa) and in the PCJ Consortium (Piracicaba, Paulínia, Jundiaí-DI and Jundiaí-TP); development of the Klabin Caiubi Program (Monte Alegre/Telêmaco Borba, Ortigueira, Otacílio Costa, Lages, Correia Pinto, Feira de Santana, São Leopoldo, Angatuba, Jundiaí-DI and Jundiaí-TP), which takes the topic of water security to environmental education in the municipal schools; implementation of Hydrosolidary Stewardship in the forestry units (Parana and Santa Catarina), a pioneering methodology by Klabin in its sector, which considers micro-watersheds as a planning unit of the forestry operation to eliminate the trade-off between wood production and water production, establishing water regulation. 

In 2023, the Company increased the percentage of locations with initiatives to enhance water security from 74% to 78%, with the installation of a new Effluent Treatment Plant at the Horizonte Unit as part of its expansion process. 

In addition, all industrial plants are regularly assessed using the WRI Aqueduct tool to identify water stress, guiding the Company in prioritizing territories covered by initiatives related to the goal. 

KODS 2030

100% forest operations under own management with hydrossolidary management

The implementation of the hydrosolidary stewardship methodology, a pioneering initiative by Klabin in its sector, contributes to the protection of watersheds, increasing the water security of the communities present in the vicinity of its forestry units. 

This strategy is based on the balance between forest production and water production, allowing the integration of different needs for the input, including neighboring communities and ecological processes. This activity begins in the forestry planning stage, which takes into account the watersheds and neighbors’ water catchment points. 

In 2022, hydrosolidarity management was extended to the Santa Catarina Forestry Unit, reaching 97.3% of forests under Klabin's management. In addition, the mapping of watersheds of the units located in the state of São Paulo was completed in 2022, so that they can be included in the hydrological regionalization map, scheduled to be completed in 2023, and necessary for the expansion of the methodology in the region., and necessary for the expansion of the methodology in the region., and necessary for the expansion of the methodology in the region.