Over the past three years, Tenaris has been working to reduce the volume of industrial waste heading to landfills, an action that aligns the company’s commitment to minimize the environmental footprint of its operations. Today, 90% of the waste generated at Confab, the company’s welded pipe mill located in Pindamonhangaba-SP, Brazil, is now reused or recycled, including wood, sludge, emulsions and waste from the welding processes. Back in 2018, this number was 56%.
“In order to reach this goal, we had to rethink and digitalize the way we monitor waste generation and use and treatment at Confab. Also, our employees at the mill were trained to ensure effective project execution,” explains Luís Chad, Tenaris Quality, Health, Safety and Environment Director in Brazil. Through data analytics tools, the company developed dashboards to monitor waste generation, and optimize its transportation and use.
In line with circular economy principles, the waste generated by welding processes is now 100% recovered and reused in the steelmaking process. In the case of wood, the material is transformed into biomass and replaces the use of coal. Finally, sludge and emulsions generated during production processes are reused by the cement industry. The small amount of waste still outside any recycling circuit is audited by Tenaris and then sent to approved landfills for industrial materials and the company continues to look for alternatives to further reduce this amount.
Water management also plays a major role in the company´s environmental efforts. Almost all the water used at Confab is reused after treatment at different stages of industrial processes. The remaining is treated and recycled back into rivers and other natural sources. Confab treats and reuses on a daily basis, the same amount of water that 12 households consume on a monthly basis.
Learn more about Tenaris’s environmental initiatives https://www.tenaris.com/en/sustainability/environment/