At Huhtamaki's Waterville fiber plant in Maine, water is an essential part of production. As one of the company's largest water users in North America, the site also represents one of its biggest opportunities to improve resource efficiency.
Over the past year, the Waterville team reduced water consumption intensity, or the amount of water consumed per metric tonne of production, by almost 4%. The reduction was achieved through a series of practical improvements focused on reusing water, reducing losses, and optimizing processes across the plant.
The team identified opportunities to reuse water within the manufacturing process, repaired hidden losses, and optimized water flows to keep valuable resources in the system longer. These improvements reduced water consumption and helped lower wastewater volumes and improve operational efficiency.
A key contributor to the success was the involvement of employees working closest to the process.
"The operators on the floor bringing forward ideas were key. They see where we are using more water than needed," says Paul Serbent, Senior Sustainability Manager, North America.
"We can do a lot sitting behind a desk, but without the people working with the equipment, we do not see the real issues," continues Christopher Gross, EHS Manager at Waterville.
The team continues to look for new opportunities to reduce and reuse water, demonstrating how many small improvements can create significant environmental and operational benefits.