Our Performance

Water Consumption

During the year, water consumption decreased by 10% in absolute terms and by 15% relative to sales excluding precious metals compared with the prior year. Of the total water used by the group, 88% was supplied by local municipal water authorities, 8% was drawn from boreholes and 4% was taken from local water courses. A total of 1,275,589 m³ of effluent was produced, an increase of 1% compared with last year, of which 94% was discharged to local authority sewers after treatment and in accordance with local discharge consent agreements and 6% was discharged to water courses after treatment and within quality limits set by local water authorities. The method of water treatment used at each site is appropriate to the effluent quality and volume, and the requirements of the receptor.

The chemical oxygen demand (COD) test is commonly used to indirectly measure the amount of organic compounds in water. Most applications of COD determine the amount of organic pollutants found in surface water (e.g. lakes and rivers), making COD a useful measure of water quality. In 2009/10 the group discharged organic chemicals equivalent to a COD of 236 tonnes into water courses, as regulated by local emission limits at each manufacturing facility. This is a 37% reduction on the prior year.

Johnson Matthey has a robust and effective management system which requires all sites to report environmental incidents to the group’s EHS department. During 2009/10 the group has not reported any significant spillages to the environment of raw materials, intermediates or products.

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