ENVIRONMENT

BUSINESS: 295 PRACTICES


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Initiative

Overall Water Management Program

Overall Water Management Program
SUBMITTED FROM:

PAPASTRATOS

Papastratos, in 2017 turned the page in its long history and, with a significant €300-million investment, transformed its factory in Aspropyrgos into an exclusive heated tobacco sticks production unit for IQOS.


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Objective Action

Responsible water management is one of the most important sustainable development issues for PAPASTRATOS, as water is used in our production facilities, our agricultural supply chain, and the production of raw materials and supplies.

We recognize and assess risks from potential pollution and water scarcity and their effects on watersheds associated with our business operations and supply chain. For this reason, we are committed to using water more efficiently with the aim of minimizing the amount of water used per production unit (millions of heated tobacco sticks), and continuously reducing the negative impacts on the communities where we operate.

 

Target Audience

Workers, supply chain, suppliers, local communities in the Triassius Pedi catchment

 

Duration

The implementation of the program started in 2019 and within 2020 the AWS certification was achieved. Proper management, improvement and monitoring of water management is continuous with the aim of reducing consumption and integrated management.


Description

In 2019, PAPASTRATOS began its quest for certification according to the "Alliance for Water Stewardship-AWS" standard. AWS is an international standard for water management that aims to make water use socially just, environmentally sustainable and economically beneficial. Something that is achieved through the undertaking of actions both in the factory area and in the wider area outside the factory fence, always in cooperation with interested parties such as the local community, neighboring municipalities, water supply and drainage providers, the relevant ministries and others companies operating The effort was crowned with success in 2020.

WATER MANAGEMENT WITHIN THE FACTORY

In this context, the company has developed and implements in the Aspropyrgos Unit an Environmental Management System, which has been certified according to ISO 14001. The System includes, among other things, the management of water resources.

PAPASTRATOS uses the water consumption index (cubic meters of water per million heated tobacco rods produced) to determine the company's quantitative target.

The company's global expertise is used to implement continuous improvement methods in the production process (lean manufacturing) that have been implemented in other factories of the PMI network. The continuous development of individual processes combined with more efficient smoke management contribute to the reduction of smoke losses with a corresponding reduction in water consumption per unit of produced product.

Investments in smart meter systems, which start from the factory infrastructure and will gradually reach deep within the machines themselves, allow the design of targeted actions to reduce consumption. The supporting systems (industrial cooling, steam production system) are strengthened with savings projects by applying upgraded automatic control solutions, also contributing to the reduction of consumption.

The General Director of Operations of PAPASTRATOS is responsible for the proper management of water resources, while compliance with water-related legislation and permits is monitored by the Director of Projects & Technical Support and the Director of Environment, Health & Safety. Specifically for compliance with the AWS standard, a team of representatives from the Projects & Technical Support, Environment, Health & Safety, Production, External Affairs, Communications & Sustainability departments has been established.

WATER REUSE

In accordance with the requirements of the AWS standard, PAPASTRATOS proceeds with the proper management of water-related issues beyond its Unit, in a wider area that may be affected by its operations, that of the Triasio Field watershed. In an effort to understand the problems of the local watershed, PAPASTRATOS engaged in an open dialogue with the local community and stakeholders in order to address common challenges.

PAPASTRATOS seeks to optimize the use of water, both by using it more efficiently in its factory, but also by reusing it: as almost 30% of water consumption occurs during the tobacco processing process, then all water waste is sent to the two biological purification units for the tertiary treatment of its liquid urban and industrial waste, where after treatment, a quantity is reused for irrigation of the surrounding area and the rest is available underground in the Triassios Pedi aquifer (see initiative results).

PAPASTRATOS has drawn up a Water Stewardship Plan based on the five main pillars of AWS interest:

  • good governance of water resources
  • good water quality
  • sustainable water balance
  • protection of important water-related areas
  • access to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene

PUBLICATION OF INFORMATION

As a result of its public commitment to the correct use of water resources, the company undertakes to:

  • Maintains and enhances the results obtained from the implementation of AWS
  • Implements and communicates water protection program progress to achieve improvements in the five pillars of the AWS standard
  • Implements the requirements of the AWS standard, taking into account and supporting existing watershed sustainability plans
  • Communicates transparently with stakeholders
  • Ensures the required resources within the organization to implement and maintain the AWS standard Complies with relevant legal requirements, including the obligation to provide potable water in catering areas and sanitation for all those working in its facilities
  • It respects national and international treaties related to water
  • Publishes information about water resources to the interested public.

Parent company Philip Morris International publishes reports on water use to the Non-Profit Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). For the year 2019 and the year 2020, in the category "CDP Water Security" it achieved an "A" rating.


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Impact on Society

  • Total water consumption in 2020 amounted to 124,968 m3, while the index of water consumption per million heated tobacco rods decreased for another consecutive year as a result of the production process improvement projects.
  • The underground supply of water amounted to 46,938 m3, strengthening quantitatively and qualitatively the deficit water balance of the aquifer of the Triasian Field.
  • In the biological purification units, more than 300 analyzes were carried out on the treated wastewater, as required by the current legislation.
  • Part of the treated water from the biological wastewater treatment unit, and more specifically, 8,659 m3 of water, was reused to irrigate the facility's green spaces.
  • Since 2018, when the radical factory transformation of the company from conventionally burning cigarettes to heated tobacco sticks for the innovative IQOS product was underway, resulting in an increase in total water consumption (due to the new production process), but also in the consumption index of water per million rods (due to the low volume of finished product due to the gradual installation of new production equipment), there was a gradual and consistent improvement in the relevant indicators:

           -In 2019, total water consumption was approximately at the same levels as in 2018, while consumption per million rods decreased by more than 50% as a result of the improvement of the production process.

           -In 2020, thanks to interventions in the production process, a further improvement of 11% in water consumption per million heated tobacco sticks was achieved.

  • Recognition by the company of the poor state of the water resources of the Triassic Field, from a quantitative and chemical point of view.
  • Recognition by the company of the risk of flooding in the area.
  • Held in October 2020 the "1st Water Meeting" of stakeholders on water resources management, where the results and future plans of PAPASTRATOS were discussed, with the aim of continuous improvement in the main AWS pillars of interest. The meeting was a starting point for the understanding of the issues related to water resources in the wider region as well as the creation of communication channels between the participants - representatives of the Ministry of Environment & Energy, neighboring municipalities and private businesses of the Triassios Field.


Initiative Location

The company's factory in Aspropyrgos, and the wider catchment area of the Thriasios Pedi.


Working with Organization

Alliance for Water Stewardship


Workers Participation

Based on the governance of issues related to Water Management, all employees involved in the production process follow the rules and priorities set by the company.

Also, in 2021, on World Water Day, the company prepared an educational kit which it distributed to all employees regarding the proper management of water, at a personal and domestic level.


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Benefits for Οrganization

  • Absence of any incident of violation of laws and regulations regarding the management of water resources, both in previous years and in 2020, which demonstrates PAPASTRATOS' commitment to full regulatory compliance.
  • Recognition by the company of the poor state of the water resources of the Triassios Pedi, from a quantitative and chemical point of view: In an effort to alleviate the problem, PAPASTRATOS has installed two biological purification units for the tertiary treatment of its liquid municipal and industrial waste. The treated water is available underground, strengthening the water table of the Triasian Field quantitatively and qualitatively.



Connection with Global Goals







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