Optimal water management

MEASURING THE IMPACT ON WATER RESOURCES

Vallourec specializes in tubes for energy markets. For the past 10 years, the company has worked tirelessly to reduce its water consumption. It has now stepped up this campaign further by introducing the Water Impact Index (WIIX), a decision-making tool developed by Veolia that can assess anthropogenic impact on water supply and offer effective methods of managing necessary resources. Vallourec's seven biggest sites have now adopted the latest version of WIIX: Saint-Saulve (tube and steel mill) and Déville-lès-Rouen in France, Mülheim and Rath in Germany, Youngstown in the United States, and Belo Horizonte in Brazil.

TARGET-BASED INITIATIVES

The multi-criteria approach used by WIIX has revealed and quantified the exact challenges for Vallourec in relation to water stress and the quality of water resources in certain regions. By comparing several production facilities and operating scenarios, the company was able to set goals and demonstrate the relevance of the actions already taken or pending at its plants. Following these conclusive initial results, Vallourec has decided to implement WIIX at five more sites worldwide.

We are aiming to go beyond conventional approaches – based on the amount of water withdrawn from the natural environment and networks – to gain a better understanding of the impact of each manufacturing site on local water resources.

Jean-Louis Merveille

Sustainable Development Director, Vallourec

Key Figures

7 of Vallourec's
biggest sites
audited

Water management
based on
comparative
data and targets

Customer benefits

Better understanding of the impact on the quantity and quality of water

Solution

Reduced impact on the natural environment