BAT Vietnam - Reduction and recycling contribute to effective water stewardship at BAT Vietnam

Cắt giảm và tái sử dụng góp phần quản lý nguồn nước hiệu quả tại BAT Việt Nam

The 2012 Water Resources Law has been implemented over the past 10 years, bringing many positive changes in raising awareness and promoting action of the entire society in protecting and using water resource. In particular, water resource management strategies and initiatives taken by enterprises significantly contribute to this journey.

The role of water management

Among the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, “Clean water and Sanitation” is SDG 6, which is on track or maintaining SDG achievement in Vietnam (according to Sustainable Development Report).

That said, clean water remains a concern of our country nowadays. Climate change, global warming, natural disasters, and floods cause risks of water resource degradation and depletion. At the same time, the increase in population and the need to develop and expand production requires the amount of water needed to continuously increase rapidly.

Recently, the story of “the thirsty Mekong Delta”, reflecting the lack of clean water due to drought and salinity, has once again imposed a problem of clean water sources. Images of people in the Mekong Delta provinces collecting cans of clean water for daily use, rivers and streams running dry, forests drying out and grass burning, big chance of fires, etc. more clearly portray the essential role of water sources for life, environment and society.

As an important part of the sustainable development landscape in Vietnam, the business community has been making unwavering efforts to accompany the Government in effective water resource management. This also helps ensure seamlessness and sustainability in enterprises’ operations and production activities. Many businesses also consider water management the key focus of their business development program when farming is a crucial part of their value chains.

Water management solutions

As the business scale expands, the demand for water is increasing. It is undeniable that water is an essential resource in life and production. Therefore, stopping water use has never been feasible.

To ensure the implementation of the dual goal of maintaining production and conserving water resources, businesses today prioritize researching and implementing initiatives to reduce water use and increase water recycling and reuse in their own operations chains.

Particularly in businesses with production models associated with agricultural activities, expanding water resource management throughout the value chain is a real need. According to the World Bank, agriculture accounts for an average of 70% of global freshwater withdrawals. Common water management methods in farming include proactive water ownership, water collection, water storage, irrigation and drainage control, etc.

In addition, a number of businesses also collaborate with environmental and social organizations to support the implementation of water resource protection and conservation activities.

One of the businesses that have been focusing on water resource management is BAT Vietnam. Within their operations, the business has been applying the Integrated Work System (IWS) and annual loss analysis, helping BAT Vietnam to identify opportunities to optimize water withdraw while increasing the reuse rate of recycled water through raising employees’ awareness of water saving, focusing on leak management activities, utilizing water-saving equipment, upgrade wastewater treatment systems, and manage leaks from all systems, replacing water-saving equipment, installing additional supporting systems such as: dust collector system in production lines, pressure filtration system on the current wastewater treatment system.

These activities help the quality of treated water to meet national technical standards QCVN 40:2011/BTNMT on industrial wastewater, aiming to annually increase the amount of water reused after treatment which replaces local water sources utilized for supporting equipment, such as deodorization system, cooling system and other cleaning activities for supporting equipment.

In 2023, BAT Vietnam accomplished positive results, including: 31% reduction in water withdrawal and 33% increase in recycled water use compared to 2017 baseline, which leads to an average annual reduction of more than 5,000 cubic meters of water withdrawal and a corresponding increase in the amount of water reuse through continuous and regular activities on water resource optimization.

Additionally, BAT-Vinataba joint venture factory in Dong Nai achieved AWS certificate by the Alliance for Water Stewardship.

Toward 2024, BAT Vietnam sets clear water targets of 32% reduction in water withdrawal and 34% recycled water use compared to 2017 baseline. These commitments and efforts aim for the goals of water stewardship by 2025 at BAT Vietnam, which encompass: 35% reduction in water withdrawal and 35% recycled water use compared to 2017 baseline, and 100% BAT Vietnam’s factories certified with AWS.

Across the value chain, BAT Vietnam continues to cooperate with tobacco farmers to control irrigation and drainage, typically introducing the drip irrigation system to conserve water resource. In 2023, the third year of implementing this system, the total area applying drip irrigation in Tay Nguyen by farmers in BAT Vietnam’s supply chain reached 1,167 hectares, helping to save 1.26 million cubic meters of water.

In 2024, the business aims to upgrade the drip irrigation system to reach 1,748 hectares, expected to save 1.8 million cubic meters of water per crop compared to conventional furrow irrigation methods. BAT Vietnam also continues to closely collaborate with and incentivize farmers in its supply chain to invest in this technology to widespread the scale of this irrigation system, thereby bringing efficiency throughout the value chain.

Besides, BAT Vietnam also creates positive impacts to the water environment. On the occasion of World Water Day this year, the business kicked off the collaboration with two environmental volunteer groups, Sai Gon Xanh and Bien Hoa Xanh to support those in their clean-up activities for canals and rivers in the Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai.