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Integrating water reuse and recycling initiatives to promote efficient resource management

OIL & GAS: MINING AND OIL AND GAS SERVICES

Segment    Family    Class

71

14

0

SDG Alignment

6.Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

SDG Target

6.4

Target Description

By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity

Level of Effort

Level of Effort Scale

3

1 -Quick Wins: solution involves adding criteria for the good or service being purchased (ex: certifications), minimal internal process changes.

2 -Long Term Adoption: solution requires some changes to internal processes and/or more capital investment (ex: digital transformation to reduce paper use).

3 – Disruptive Opportunities: requires significant investment and changes to internal processes (ex: retrofitting building)

Category Assessment

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Assessment

• Help establish a baseline: Work with internal teams (Health, Safety and Environment; Sustainability; Operations) to collect and evaluate data of current water use and returns (produced water, water quality, etc) across entire value chain.

• Identify costs associated with waste management of produced water and estimate the long-term costs vs. savings of replacing high-quality freshwater with reuse of a lower quality water or investing in water treatment for recycling

• Research and identify suppliers: Seek out suppliers who specialize in water recycling technologies, equipment, and systems and ensure they adhere to sustainable practices and certifications

Opportunity Identification 

Business: Replacing freshwater with recycled or treated water can lead to long-term cost savings as well as strengthen relationships with local stakeholders

Sustainability: Water management can mitigate the risk of water scarcity or changes in regulation

Strategy Build & Execution

•Collaborate with stakeholders to identify water reduction targets and, if employing water recycling techniques, establish a framework for evaluating suppliers and tracking the system performance, water quality and effectiveness. Also consider how partnerships with local communities and organizations could support investment in water treatment infrastructure

•Incorporate circular economy principles: Look for suppliers who embrace circular economy principles by offering solutions that facilitate closed-loop water systems, which minimize the need for freshwater intake and reduce waste generation, and work with existing suppliers to identify opportunities to move towards circularity

•Engage stakeholders at all levels: Communicate the benefits of water reuse and recycling techniques and address any concerns or risks that are raised. Help organize workshops, consultations, or committees to involve stakeholders in the decision-making process and support education or trainings to ease implementation

•Work with internal teams to establish a framework for evaluating supplier performance, monitoring and recording treatment equipment operation, and tracking maintenance costs. Water usage data should be routinely collected to evaluate cost savings and overall reduction of high-quality freshwater use

Supplier Negotiation & Contract

•Communicate new water reduction and reuse goals with new and existing suppliers and collaborate with them to incorporate performance metrics for equipment and technologies. Also consider how to implement regular data collection and evaluation

•Negotiate with suppliers to purchase water recycling equipment, technologies, and services. Be sure to address the entire lifecycle of these technologies (e.g. maintenance and decommissioning needs) and consider incorporating performance metrics for water conservation into RFPs

•Consider scalability and future needs: Assess suppliers' capacity to meet your organization's current and future water recycling requirements, allowing for scalability and flexibility as your operations evolve. Include predictive and proactive maintenance policies for water treatment technologies

Supplier Performance & Management

•Engage in collaborative partnerships: Foster partnerships with suppliers who actively engage in collaborative initiatives, research, and development in water recycling technologies to stay at the forefront of innovation. Consider how to foster knowledge sharing of best practices and innovations with other suppliers and internal teams

•Consult suppliers to establish performance monitoring systems based on the efficiency and effectiveness of water reuse and recycling solutions, ability to maintain water quality standards, and compliance with relevant regulations to ensure that sustainability targets are being met

•Work with new and existing suppliers to evaluate their own sustainability performance. Assess environmental credentials, such as commitments to water conservation, waste reduction, and energy efficiency, to ensure alignment with your organization's sustainability goals. Identify opportunities to help existing suppliers improve their performance where necessary

Resource Links

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