Case study: Qatar’s Energy and Industry Sector’s water management policies, targets and initiatives
Water conservation is an issue of increasing significance in Qatar, as it has one of the world’s lowest levels of rainfall and highest rates of per capita water consumption. Fresh water is scarce and most of the water used in homes and businesses comes from the sea and must pass through energy-intensive desalination plants.
This case study is based on the 2013 Sustainability Report by Qatar’s Energy and Industry Sector published on the Global Reporting Initiative Sustainability Disclosure Database that can be found at this link. Through all case studies we aim to demonstrate that CSR/ sustainability reporting done responsibly is achieved by identifying a company’s most important impacts on the environment and stakeholders and by measuring, managing and changing.
Qatar’s energy and industry sector is made up of a diverse mix of upstream, midstream and downstream companies, all of which have to deal with the challenges posed by the country’s limited fresh water resources and the sector’s substantial role in water production and consumption. After measuring and setting targets, the 36 companies participating in Qatar’s energy and industry sector’s SDIR (Sustainable Development Industry Reporting) programme took action to reduce fresh water consumption – twenty five companies reported total fresh water purchased of 14.1 million m3 in 2013, an overall decrease of 2.2% from 2012 levels –, increase water generated on-site, reduce wastewater discharged into the sea – the energy and industry sector committed to work towards “near zero” wastewater discharge into the sea – and increase water recycling.
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With this case study you will see:
- Which are the most important impacts (material issues) Qatar’s Energy and Industry Sector has identified;
- How Qatar’s Energy and Industry Sector proceeded with stakeholder engagement, and
- What actions were taken by Qatar’s Energy and Industry Sector to improve water management, focusing on water conservation, reuse and recycling
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What are the material issues the company has identified?
In Qatar’s Energy and Industry Sector’s 2013 Sustainability Report a range of material issues were identified, such as process safety, emergency response preparedness, supervision and compliance, spills, waste management, energy use, GHG emissions, contribution to national GDP, community engagement and investment, human rights, employee development. Among these, given the scarcity of fresh water in the country and the inefficiencies to which Qatar’s desalinated, groundwater and recycled water resources are subject to, [tweetthis]water management stands out as a key material issue for Qatar’s energy and industry sector[/tweetthis] and the 36 companies participating in the SDIR (Sustainable Development Industry Reporting) programme.
Stakeholder engagement in accordance with the GRI Standards
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) defines the Principle of Stakeholder Inclusiveness when identifying material issues (or a company’s most important impacts) as follows:
Stakeholders must be consulted in the process of identifying a company’s most important impacts and their reasonable expectations and interests must be taken into account. This is an important cornerstone for CSR / sustainability reporting done responsibly.
Key stakeholder groups Qatar’s energy and industry sector engages with:
| Stakeholder Group |
| Employees |
| Contractors |
| Communities |
| Partners |
| Policy makers |
| International stakeholders |
How stakeholder engagement was made to identify material issues
Each participating company was requested to begin development of a five-year sustainability strategy in 2013. A template for reporting on progress was provided and 19 of the 36 participating companies completed it, providing insight into their current plans and strategies. This information has been used to help determine the sector’s sustainability priorities.
In 2013, companies were asked to provide information on their current approach to sustainability management and governance within their organizations. The 16 responses received showed significant variance in how companies were approaching sustainability and differing levels of maturity in company programmes. Across all, however, there was a significant increase in activity and commitment.
Capacity building is an ongoing priority for the programme, given the relative newness of sustainability management as a concept for organisations. A range of meetings, workshops and events were hosted in 2013 to provide opportunities for learning and development for CEOs and reporting focal points. In the first quarter of 2013, DG (Qatar Petroleum Health, Safety and Environment Regulations and Enforcement Directorate) completed meetings with each company participating in the SDIR (Sustainable Development Industry Reporting) programme. This was a chance for each company to ask questions and gain insight into the programme’s development and priorities. A two-page feedback form was also presented in order to highlight the gaps and opportunities for improvement in each company’s sustainability reporting.
A Good Practice Sharing Workshop held on May 9 focused on five of the award-winning companies from 2012, which presented their reporting achievements, challenges and plans for the future. There was also time for the sector to discuss the programme’s development and direction. The Annual Sector Report Launch and Awards Ceremony, held in the Qatar National Convention Centre on September 17, was attended by Ministers, CEOs, media and the focal points from reporting companies. The event focused on the launch of the 2012 sector report, the awards ceremony, and the launch of the programme video and logo. On November 18 the Good Practice Sharing Workshop was used to kick off the 2013 reporting cycle, with time spent reviewing the programme’s development and considering its future direction. All six award winners from 2013 provided insight into their reporting and performance improvements. In the Annual Industry Safety Report 2013 Consultation Workshop held on December 10 the main objective was to host a consultation with the sector regarding annual safety reporting. Based on the feedback from the operators, it was decided to merge the annual safety reporting with the existing sustainability reporting. Templates were modified in line with SDIR requirements and issued to the operators to collect data specifically on safety indicators.
What actions were taken by Qatar’s energy and industry sector – by the 36 companies participating in the SDIR programme – to improve water management, focusing on water conservation, reuse and recycling?
In Qatar’s Energy and Industry Sector’s 2013 Sustainability Report the following targets were set for improving water management, focusing on water conservation, reuse and recycling, based on the 36 participating companies’ approach to materiality – on taking action on what matters, where it matters:
- Reducing water consumption by the Energy and Industry Sector
Fresh water consumption by the sector has been classified in two categories: water purchased from the national distribution company and water produced on-site. Twenty five companies reported total fresh water purchased of 14.1 million m3 in 2013, an overall decrease of 2.2% from 2012 levels and a fraction of the water that was generated by the utility companies. Thirteen companies reported a reduction in water consumption between 2012 and 2013. Qatargas, one of the largest consumers in the sector, achieved a 2% reduction in total fresh water consumption between 2012 and 2013. Qatargas was able to achieve this by implementing wastewater recycling and reuse projects, including the “Membrane Bioreactor (MBR)” project. This approach involves upgrading existing treatment facilities for secondary treatment using MBRs coupled with a tertiary treatment system comprising Multi-Media Filtration and Reverse Osmosis units.
- Increasing water generated on-site
Total water generated on-site in 2013 amounted to 60.8 million m3, a significant increase (of 88.7%) from 2012 levels and almost four times the volume purchased. This shows that water consumption within the sector continues to be dominated by water extraction from the sea with on-site treatment to make it suitable for use in production processes. The significant increase in water generated on-site is the result of two new water intensive petrochemical production lines that came on stream in 2013.
- Reducing wastewater discharged into the sea
The energy and industry sector has committed to work towards “near zero” wastewater discharge into the sea, in line with the MoE (Ministry of Environment) target of achieving “Zero Liquid Discharge” of process wastewater by December 2016. The sector is aiming to achieve this primarily through increased investment in wastewater treatment that enables the re-use of wastewater in production processes. When such a process is not possible, the treated water is used to irrigate green zones within and around industrial premises. Three companies in the sector had included the goal of “zero water discharge” by 2016 in their five-year sustainability strategies, while one company was aiming to achieve this by 2018. Additionally, two companies stated in their strategy that they would achieve a significant level of waste water recycling, ranging from 60%-85%, by 2016. Many companies committed to initiatives to reduce or recycle their wastewater in their five-year sustainability strategies, with nine companies declaring specific objectives and projects. For example, Q-Chem was developing an underground wastewater treatment plant and increasing internal water reuse to be completed in 2016. Qatar Steel planned to establish a process water treatment plant and WOQOD planned to implement a water recycling system at its manual car wash facilities.
- Increasing water recycling
Water recycling for 2012 and 2013 was reported by 15 companies. In 2013, the amount recycled was more than 24 million cubic metres, 7.2% less than the amount recycled in 2012. However, three companies in the sector made significant increases in water recycling, including Qatar Steel (150%), QAFAC (86%) and WOQOD (60%). For WOQOD, all car-washing machines installed in WOQOD’s new service stations were fitted with water-recycling systems that reused approximately 90% of the water used in the cleaning process.
Which GRI indicators/Standards have been addressed?
The GRI indicators/Standards addressed in this case are:
1) G4-EN8: Total water withdrawal by source – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 303-1 Water withdrawal by source
2) G4-EN9: Water sources significantly affected by withdrawal of water – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 303-2 Water sources significantly affected by withdrawal of water
3) G4-EN10: Percentage and total volume of water recycled and reused – the updated GRI Standard is: Disclosure 303-3 Water recycled and reused
References:
1) This case study is based on published information by Qatar’s Energy and Industry Sector, located at the link below. For the sake of readability, we did not use brackets or ellipses. However, we made sure that the extra or missing words did not change the report’s meaning. If you would like to quote these written sources from the original, please revert to the original on the Global Reporting Initiative’s Sustainability Disclosure Database at the link:
http://database.globalreporting.org/
2) http://www.fbrh.co.uk/en/global-reporting-initiative-gri-g4-guidelines-download-page
3) https://g4.globalreporting.org/Pages/default.aspx
4) https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/
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