Together with Veolia Water Technologies, the company is carrying out a global plan to reduce its water consumption. To conduct this plan, Roca Group has established pilot actions on its two main production processes -ceramics and fittings-, in four locations of high hydric stress: Burgos (Spain), Cantanhede (Portugal), Settat (Morocco) and Eskisehir (Turkey).
This project has been put in place with two goals in mind: reduce water stress in the areas where Roca Group operates; and preserve this resource by optimising its circular use. The production processes of ceramics and fittings are the ones that require a greatest amount of water. It is for this reason that the company will start its pilot project in these operations.
To achieve these objectives, and advised by Veolia Water Technologies, Roca Group will implement a circular strategy for water management. It consists on reducing its use in all phases of the manufacturing process: avoiding the use of fresh water sources when it is not strictly necessary; recycling it; digitalising and controlling its use; segregating it; quantifying it and giving it a value; reusing it and adapting its quality to each particular use in order to start the cycle again.
In other words, the project is based on the 6 Rs system: Reuse, Recycle, Recover, Regenerate, Replenish and, as a consequence, Reduce fresh water consumption.
In the first phase, Roca Group is carrying out an audit to identify the opportunities to implement the pilot actions in the four factories acting as representatives of the ceramics and fittings production processes.
In a second phase, the recommendations and improvements in processes and equipment obtained from the pilot will be scaled up to the rest of the factories. There will then be a subsequent draw-up of the final roadmap and its implementation, with the aim of moving towards water neutrality within five years.
