Resource Efficiency > Water consumption
Water consumption
All our facilities rely on water, with a significant portion used in the yarn-cleaning process. Wherever possible, we recycle and reuse water to reduce reliance on fresh intake.
Ongoing efforts to optimize water use include improving process stability and expanding the reuse of recycled water. Projects are in place to reduce freshwater intake and enhance internal water recovery, and mapping and improvement activities will continue into 2025.
Water consumption index
We track our performance using the Water Consumption Index (WCI), which reflects the volume of water used per ton of product, benchmarked against 2005 levels. In 2024, water consumption decreased at all sites except Arnhem. The increase there was linked to trial runs using varying water settings, lower production volumes, and additional cleaning activities.
Resource Efficiency > Energy efficiency
Energy efficiency
In December 2024, we submitted the results of our 2021–2024 EED measures to the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).
Compared to 2019 energy use, the reductions achieved were 3.9% in Delfzijl, 2.7% in Emmen, 4.1% in Kleefse Waard, and 0.8% at the Research and Innovation Center.
These results incorporate updated measurements following recent capacity expansions, where energy-saving technologies were implemented at multiple sites. While the projects are mechanically complete, energy performance has been lower than targeted. The integration and upscaling of new technologies at the industrial level introduced unforeseen complexity. Performance optimization efforts are ongoing, and several projects will continue. The lessons learned will help strengthen future energy efficiency projects.
Energy Efficiency index
We express our energy consumption by means of the Energy Efficiency Index (EEI). This is the total energy consumption per ton of manufactured product per site, compared with our reference year, 2005.
The graph above shows the Energy Efficiency Index (EEI) for Delfzijl, Emmen, and Arnhem, using 2005 as the reference year. Each year, the total energy used per ton of product is calculated and compared to the 2005 baseline. A lower EEI indicates improved energy efficiency.
While results have fluctuated over time, the overall trend remains downward. In 2024, Emmen and Delfzijl showed improved EEI values compared to 2023, though not yet matching their best historical performance. In Arnhem, the increase in EEI is primarily due to lower production volumes.
Resource Efficiency > Sustainable energy commitment
Sustainable energy commitment
Since 2021, we have offset the electricity used in Twaron® production by purchasing Guarantees of Origin for electricity (solar and wind), leading to a reduction in the carbon footprint of our product. This step supports our goal of reducing the environmental impact of our operations. However, we still face several challenges that affect progress towards our original targets for renewable heat use in 2025 and 2030.
Key challenges and progress
Over the past years, we faced some challenges in our efforts to improve energy efficiency, like the integration and scaling up of new technologies in expansion projects has proven more complex, resulting in less energy savings. Lower production volumes resulted in higher energy use per unit of output; the baseload needs to be distributed over lower production volumes. We reported on the energy-saving measures realized and outlined in our 2021 to 2024 European Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) in our new EED plan for the period of 2025-2028.
In this new EED, we identified additional energy-saving opportunities across all Dutch facilities, including the Research and Innovation Center (RIC), also in line with the Dutch Energy Conservation Obligation.
Renewable energy
Replacing high-temperature heat with renewable alternatives is technically challenging. The limited availability of bio-steam, particularly in Delfzijl and Emmen, led us to revise our 2025 and 2030 renewable heat targets to 23%. This adjustment reflects the current technical and supply limitations for renewable heat in our operations. We stay closely connected to the current suppliers at both locations and discuss the options to transition towards renewable alternatives.
All Dutch production sites continue to use electricity from solar and wind sources, verified through Guarantees of Origin. In 2024, we were not able to finalize Power Purchase Agreements that included these certificates.
We remain committed to improving energy efficiency and expanding the use of renewable energy where feasible.
