P&G increased its water efficiency by using 35% more recycled water in its current production processes than it did in 2010, fulfilling a commitment of its Ambition 2030 sustainability goals. Since 2010, P&G has pushed for technological innovation in all of its product supply departments worldwide, promoting lean operation strategies to improve water efficiency. Jiangsu P&G Co., Ltd. (Taicang), for instance, has reduced its annual water use per unit in product processing by 56% and the amount of wastewater generated per unit by 66% since the factory began manufacturing shampoo in 2012. The factory now no longer discharges any process wastewater, supporting the ecological protection of Lake Tai.
Jiangsu P&G Co., Ltd. has invested in a number of innovative technological solutions for water used in product processing, including the following:
- Tertiary reverse osmosis (RO) membrane systems to improve water use efficiency,
- High efficiency pipeline cleaning systems to improve washing water efficiency
- Smart planning matrices to decrease the frequency of cleaning
- Residual material cleaning systems to reduce water consumption
The Taicang factory reduced water use by 10% and saved 70% of clean water consumption in their processes through lean operations. They also recycled 40,000 tons of water annually, enough to support irrigation for approximately 40 hectares of farmland.
For wastewater treatment, P&G invested 50 million RMB to implement a set of the world’s leading German wastewater treatment equipment and processes to the Taicang site, which has optimized the wastewater treatment system to recycle 15% of water originally used, thereby reducing wastewater by 15%. The wastewater is treated through physical and biochemical treatment, reverse osmosis membranesystems, evaporation, and other processes until the final water quality achieves the same level as city tap water and may re-enter the water systems in a closed loop (these procedures are primarily for water that is not in direct contact with the product).
As one of the first local enterprises to achieve zero wastewater discharge, Jiangsu P&G Co., Ltd. invested nearly one hundred million RMB in its routine operations and process innovation for wastewater treatment, which continues to play a significant role in the environmental protection of the Lake Tai Basin.
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