Overview
Responsible and efficient use of water
Bayer Links
Investor Relations
Water
Responsible and efficient use of water
Water is essential for sustaining life. However, this valuable resource is distributed unevenly throughout the world and is also often used wastefully and polluted. This is resulting in severe ecological damage, disease, food shortages and violent conflicts. By developing and promoting solutions to support efficient and responsible consumption of water, Bayer is committed to conserving one of the most crucial of all raw materials.
  Zoom image
|
| Achim Noack, Managing Director of Bayer Technology Services GmbH
“A commitment to protecting water quality and reducing water consumption has long been part of Bayer company policy.” |
Efficient water usage and water pollution control are key issues when it comes to sustainable development. Agriculture has a crucial role to play in this respect, as the majority of the water consumed in the world (around 70 percent) is used in the cultivation of foodstuffs.
Promoting sustainable water management
Bayer has a vested interest in ensuring this raw material is managed sustainably, because the company requires water to cool and operate its production facilities. Water is also an integral part of numerous Bayer products.
“A commitment to protecting water quality and reducing water consumption has long been part of Bayer company policy,” says Achim Noack, Managing Director of Bayer Technology Services, adding: “Our goal is to reduce the volume of water used in our production processes, steadily increase the amount of water we recycle and optimize our wastewater management system.” To this end, Bayer is investing in innovative processes at its sites that will help to save, recycle and clean water worldwide.
“However, we still want to do more,” continues Noack. “We aim to use our products to make a real contribution to efficient water management and water pollution control worldwide.” Reflecting this spirit, Bayer signed the UN Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate at the end of 2008. Under this initiative launched by the UN Global Compact in 2007, companies commit themselves to developing strategies and solutions for sustainable water management in cooperation with governments, other companies and international organizations.
Efficient water usage
Bayer uses around 1.2 million cubic meters of water every day 
Through-flow cooling water accounts for more than a million of this. As this water is only warmed and does not come into contact with any products, it can simply be fed back into the natural water cycle once cooled.
Through-flow cooling water accounts for more than a million of this. As this water is only warmed and does not come into contact with any products, it can simply be fed back into the natural water cycle once cooled. The Group endeavors to recycle water that is directly involved in manufacturing processes. Bayer Technology Services has a range of technologies that can treat process water and make it suitable for repeated reuse within technical cycles. In 2008, the service company developed a tool that reveals the full potential offered by water recycling. The WWRC tool (Wastewater Recycling Tool) delivers a rapid assessment of the technological possibilities for water recirculation and the economic advantages that it offers.
Successful water management is performed, for example, at Bayer’s site in Belford Roxo in Brazil. By initiating two projects to recycle water from the wastewater treatment plant and reuse water from the Rio Sarapui to provide process water, the site has succeeded in saving two billion liters of water over the past two years. This volume is enough to supply water to a town of 25,000 people for four years. The Group’s achievement was recognized with the Brazilian Environment Award in 2008.
Saving water is also a key challenge when it comes to drinking water supplies. Up to 30 percent of this valuable resource is lost worldwide through leaks. However, renewing pipe systems is a lengthy and expensive process, particularly in urban conurbations. That’s why Bayer supplies raw materials for innovative coatings that make it possible to renovate drinking water pipes much more quickly than before. The coating based on the raw material developed by Bayer has already been used along more than 10,000 kilometers of water pipes in Asia, America and numerous European countries.
In general, water usage also consumes a considerable amount of energy – the water has to be sourced, treated, transported and cleaned before being eventually disposed of. Service company CURRENTA has shown, however, that there is great potential for making savings in the field of industrial water supply, for example. Simply by reducing the water pressure in the supply pipes, the company was able to cut power consumption at CHEMPARK Dormagen, Germany, by about 15 percent in 2008. In addition, CURRENTA is now able to save up to 6,500 metric tons of steam annually following the construction of a new desalination plant to supply CHEMPARK Krefeld-Uerdingen with fully demineralized water. Other measures to increase efficiency include optimizing pump circuits (electricity consumption at CHEMPARK Leverkusen was reduced by approximately 9 percent), coating pump impellers, cutting transportation distances and the rapid detection of leaks.
Achieving energy efficiency through nanotechnology
In areas where there are insufficient reserves of freshwater, seawater desalination opens up major potential for supplying drinking water and water for domestic or industrial use. However, until now, this has been an extremely energy-intensive process. As part of the research collaboration project “Innovation Alliance Carbon Nanotubes” (Inno.CNT), Bayer Technology Services has opted to use particularly high-perfor mance membranes with pores made from carbon nanotubes (CarboMembran) to reduce the amount of energy required. These allow considerably more water to flow through the membrane while consuming less energy.
Effective wastewater cleaning
Development in the industrial nations has demonstrated that industrialization and water pollution control are by no means mutually exclusive. Powerful wastewater treatment technology has led to dramatic improvements in water quality and the biological state of surface water over the past few decades. Having accumulated extensive experience in this highly dynamic field, Bayer is one of the world’s leading experts in wastewater technology. With its Tower Biology system, for example, Bayer Technology Services succeeded in developing a patented process for the industrial and municipal sectors that imitates the self-cleaning process that occurs naturally in large bodies of surface water, even optimizing this through the input of oxygen and bacteria adapted to the process. Across a limited horizontal but considerable vertical area, bacteria separate wastewater into sludge and treated water.
Another efficient water pollution control technology developed by Bayer is LOPROX® (LOw PRessure OXidation). This patented wet oxidation process is used to pretreat highly polluted wastewater prior to biological treatment. Impressed by the technology developed by Bayer, Israel’s leading manufacturer of crop protection agents commissioned Bayer Technology Services in 2007 to build what is so far the largest wastewater plant based on LOPROX®.
Maintaining water resources
However, some substances push even cutting-edge treatment plants to their limits. As a result, small traces of active pharmaceutical ingredients and associated degradation products can enter surface water, groundwater and, in isolated cases, even drinking water. The concentrations involved are so low that, in many cases, they can only be detected using very precise analysis. According to the available knowledge, they therefore pose no acute risk to humans. Bayer has set itself the task of investigating and understanding the possible impact that active pharmaceutical ingredients could have on the environment. To that end, the Group is therefore actively involved in several research projects, including the German start project (Management Strategies for Pharmaceutical Residues in Drinking Water) and the European initiative pills (Pharmaceutical Input and Elimination from Local Sources) .
.Efficient solutions for agriculture
 Zoom image
|
| Bernd Naaf, member of the Bayer CropScience Executive Committee
“In view of climate change, we must intensify our efforts to develop and implement water-saving solutions for the agricultural sector.” |
In addition, Bayer opened a new rice development center in Thailand in November 2008 that will help to safe guard food security in Asia using high-quality, high-yield seed stock adapted to the local conditions. The process of cultivating conventional rice or lowland rice – the core foodstuff for two thirds of the world’s population – is extremely water-intensive.
In order to ensure good harvests despite dry conditions and heat, Bayer is focusing among other things on increasing the stress tolerance and health of crops. For example, this means newly developed types of corn, rice and cotton that can also produce high yields in very dry climate zones and even during extended periods of drought. Innovative active ingredients used in crop protection also help to make food crops more resistant to the effects of water shortages
. Generally, research is high on the agenda at Bayer CropScience. The subgroup plans to invest a total of around €3.4 billion in research and development between 2008 and 2012.
Solutions for a changing world
Australia is feeling the heat: While a string of severe droughts have caused rivers to run dry in the south, extreme rainfalls in northern Australia have resulted in widespread flooding. Scientists agree: These weather phenomena are not just temporary, but almost certainly due to long-term climate change. The “Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization” (CSIRO) estimates that since 1950, the average temperature has risen by about 1 °C and this trend is likely to continue.
Australia’s farmers are among the first to experience the impact: Productivity of the agricultural sector has declined by around 1.4 percent per year since 2000. Growing crops in dry land conditions requires much more careful planning, while dramatically reduced river inflows have ruled out irrigation in many areas. In order to adapt to these changes, farmers have started to modify their agricultural practices: They store any rain that falls in the soil profile, protect the soil via direct seeding systems and plant crops much earlier in the year. But to be able to cope with the challenges of water shortage and climate change in the medium run, they rely on substantial innovations; new agricultural products and services are needed which improve productivity and sustainability.
Bayer CropScience is committed to supporting Australia’s agricultural sector in this way. In order to get a detailed picture of the farmers’ needs, the company is engaged in a constant dialogue with farmer groups, industry associations and government research bodies. Already, the company is boosting its range of products to help Australian agriculture adapt to the new climatic conditions.
Australia is an important location for Bayer CropScience’s global cultivation research, which aims to develop varieties with greater tolerance towards drought, heat and salination. The company is just about to introduce a new herbicide that will allow farmers to engage in conservation tillage. This will also have a positive effect on the carbon content of soils and their capacity for water storage. Bayer has opted for an even greater commitment to grow and innovate in the market. “We are confident that in the next five years we will provide a range of excellent innovations that boost farmer productivity,” states Jörg Ellmanns, Country Head of Bayer CropScience Australia.
Making sustainable agriculture methods more widespread
“In any discussion on sustainable agriculture, we cannot ignore the role played by humans,” remarks Naaf. He explains: “In order to work their land in a way that is sustainable and saves water, farmers need to be aware of and understand the problems that exist and the solutions available to them.” To this end, Bayer is investing in training farmers worldwide in sustainable methods of cultivation. This training takes place as part of the global “Food Chain Partnerships,” for instance. In numerous projects across all five continents, farmers receive advice and support on questions relating to sustainable agriculture and integrated production according to the standards set by good agricultural practices .
. Bayer has been supporting the government aid program “Fome Zero” (“Zero Hunger”) in Brazil since April 2004. Backed by technological and financial assistance from Bayer, small farmers in the semi-desert region of northeast Brazil are creating fertile plantations in a circular formation around a basin that retains and distributes water. The pipes for the branched irrigation system of these “mandalas” are made of a plastic from Bayer. The beds are used to grow fruit and vegetables, while small ponds provide an ideal environment for breeding fish and waterfowl. This project is all about helping people to help themselves – farmers are given the means to provide food for their families by using and selling their own produce.
Promoting knowledge
As water is so crucial to life, Bayer has expanded its projects for schools to include the topic of drinking water so that future generations understand why it is so important to handle this resource responsibly . Since 2005, Bayer and National Geographic Deutschland have been working together to reward projects by scientists and researchers that focus on exploring new sources of water, water distribution and ways of conserving this precious resource. Nine projects were selected to receive funding totaling €250,000 from the Global Exploration Fund set up by Bayer and National Geographic.
. Since 2005, Bayer and National Geographic Deutschland have been working together to reward projects by scientists and researchers that focus on exploring new sources of water, water distribution and ways of conserving this precious resource. Nine projects were selected to receive funding totaling €250,000 from the Global Exploration Fund set up by Bayer and National Geographic.  Zoom image
|
| Gavin Power, Deputy Director of the UN Global Compact and Head of the CEO Water Mandate |
An increasing number of countries are reaching the limits of their water resources, and population growth and climate change will aggravate the situation further. The latest World Water Development report of the United Nations estimates that by 2030, 47 percent of the world population will be living in areas with high water stress.
Although policies already exist to reduce water demand and loss, their impact is limited. What is required is a broad alliance of decision makers representing all sectors, public and private, from agriculture to finance, as they all have a decisive impact on water management. And we need innovation: innovation in water management systems, in products and production patterns. This counts especially for agriculture: Unless agri-cultural water use is optimized, we will not be able to satisfy the growing demand for food.
In 2007, the UN Global Compact launched the CEO Water Mandate: It aims at strengthening the partnership between business leaders and the international community to find effective solutions to the emerging water crisis. By signing the CEO Water Mandate, Bayer and the other 51 signatories have pledged to make water sustainability a priority and to work with other stakeholders to help solve this growing crisis.
Bookmark this page
E-mail this page
Overview of the Additional Info Links
