SUSTAINABILITY AND ENVIRONMENT (OPERATIONS)

Group Initiatives

GWA’s product ranges in the building fixtures sector have continued to provide innovative products that enhance water and energy saving measures. GWA’s commitment to sustainability and the environment also extends to its operations. 

2008-09 has been another year of significant developments in water and energy savings, continuing on from the successes of the 2007-08 year.

Significant highlights include:

Caroma Wetherill Park, New South Wales

• Caroma Wetherill Park became a member of Sustainability Advantage – a NSW State Government initiative targeting reduction in energy/emissions and awareness of environmental influences in manufacturing operations and associated capital projects. Objectives and outcomes targeted include maximising efficiency of resources employed in manufacturing including electricity, gas (natural and LPG) and water.

Waste Stream Recycling

• Caroma Wetherill Park manufactures vitreous china sanitaryware including toilets and hand basins. Caroma has established a comprehensive program for segregation of waste streams for recycling  as outlined in the table above.
  
  The most significant recycling initiative has been the clay and fired waste (vitreous china) streams which were previously sent to landfill. Boral Recycling are now taking 95% of Caroma Wetherill Park’s manufacturing waste material by weight. Boral Recycling re-use these materials to manufacture (for clay waste) bricks, pavers and garden blocks and (for vitreous china waste) as a material component for road base and also as an adjunct to brick manufacture.
  
  Caroma Wetherill Park is partnering Boral in the study of further uses of the clay and vitreous china waste into other manufactured products.Paper, cardboard and plastics collected are 100% recycled. Timber and particle board pallets, which are classed as single use by Caroma, are 95% recycled. These pallets are now being reused in other applications or converted to timber chips for reuse in landscaping applications.
  
  It is estimated that for all the waste streams, greater than 95% are recycled and reused in secondary manufacturing processes such as bricks, road base and recycled paper and cardboard.
  
  As further benefit to Caroma, Wetherill Park has achieved a 75% cost reduction on a waste disposal cost base of $1.1million per annum.

Water Recycling/Reduction

• The installation of a new water treatment plant was completed last year. Caroma Wetherill Park is now treating all process water, and generating water quality suitable for reuse in non-critical plant (approximately 40% of total usage). Distribution of recycled water is being introduced in phases during the 2009-10 year. In order to extend water reuse to critical plant, further enhancement of  water quality will be required. Capital investment for this project is pending approval. When approved it will give Caroma Wetherill Park the opportunity to recycle and reuse an estimated 80% of total water consumption (approximately 200,000 litres) of which 170,000 litres is being discharged to Sydney Water sewerage
• Engineers reprogrammed the computer wash cycles for Pressure Casting Moulds to deliver an annual town water usage reduction of 5,000,000 litres per year.

Glaze Reclamation  

• The glaze recycling system has now operated successfully for 12 months. The system, called Xtract, recovers the overspray glaze which is applied onto the vitreous china ware. Caroma Wetherill Park is reclaiming all overspray at the rate of 336 tonnes per annum of recycled glaze, which represents 40% of total glaze requirements. The process also produces 8,000 litres of recycled water which is re-used in cleaning operations. Previously the used glaze was sent to landfill (1,400kg annually) and the water sent to waste via the sewer.

Energy Reduction

• Air conditioning – a combination of replacement, rebalancing and installation of timers has occurred in office and canteen areas with estimated usage reductions of 25% for these facilities
• Factory air compressors have been refitted to new energy efficient inverter drive compressors
• Baseline measurements are currently underway to identify opportunities for further efficiency improvements
• Lighting – lux sensors have been trialled in some factory areas. Work is in progress to retro-fit energy efficiency light bulbs throughout the Wetherill Park site
• Investigation and feasibility studies are a work in progress for the feasibility of co-generation, kiln heat recovery, forklift energy conversion and rain water harvesting.
  

Caroma Norwood, South Australia

Energy Reduction

• Electricity consumption was reduced by 6% when measured as a ratio of consumption compared to factory output.  This was achieved via more efficient use of air compressors.

Water Reduction

• Water usage was reduced by 26% compared to the previous year when measured as a ratio of usage compared to factory output by more efficient use of water for cooling.

Sebel Bankstown, New South Wales

Energy Reduction

• Sebel conducted an air consumption and energy usage survey on three air compressors running on site. Modifications were made to control equipment to optimise running times and efficiency.  Estimated savings are approximately 357,000KWh per annum.

Water Reduction

• Sebel Bankstown has reduced the water consumption used in the cooling towers on site by 50% through reconfiguring the cooling tower set-up. This has resulted in an annual saving of approximately 30,000 litres per year.

Gainsborough Blackburn, Victoria

Plating Waste Reduction

• Plating waste weight reduction of 6.5% has been realised due to waste filter cake being allowed to dry out prior to being sent off-site as prescribed waste, saving disposal costs.
  
  Additional initiatives to be implemented are to capture heat generated by die-casting machines into an oven to dry filter cake more efficiently. Further advantages can be achieved if waste can be stored on-site to be sent away in larger volumes made possible due to weight reduction.

Diecast Waste Reduction

• A program to treat oily water from the diecast process is being implemented. Cooling emulsion is currently trapped in machine bunds and pumped to holding tanks for disposal as prescribed waste. The solution will use chemical separation of emulsion streams from holding tanks and will allow the water component to be discharged to sewer. The emulsifying agent to be employed does not require pH and temperature adjustment, which means lower cost for disposal.

National Packaging Covenant Signatory

GWA joined the National Packaging Covenant (NPC) during 2008. The signatory commitment is for three years. The aim of the scheme is to reduce packaging to waste by encouraging recycling, minimisation and reuse.  Each GWA division has now submitted an approved action plan. During 2009-10 each division will report progress to the NPC against approved action plans.

Greenhouse Gas Initiatives and Reporting

Ultimately all identified energy and water savings will reduce greenhouse gases. Reduction in water usage frequently leads to reduced on-site treatment and typically leads to less energy demands for downstream sewerage treatment plants through decreased effluent processing. GWA remains committed to sustainability, through energy, water and waste reductions in all operations as well as products. During 2009, a sustainability group was formed within GWA. The group is made up of key operational staff from major operations sites and group marketing. The aim of the group is to promote awareness of sustainability for both products and processes in GWA by:

• Reducing energy and water consumption in both products and processes
• Reducing waste in processes
• Encouraging recycling of material where practical
• Ensure reporting requirements under NPC and National Greenhouse Emissions Reporting (NGER). 

National Greenhouse Emissions Reporting (NGER)

• GWA has been undertaking preparatory work to capture, record and report greenhouse gas emissions under NGER. In 2009, Caroma Wetherill Park will trigger reporting obligations for greenhouse gas emissions. Policy and procedures are well advanced to report on emissions. A computer based system to streamline recording and to assist with compliance to NGER is running and, with further enhancements, will be used to help provide empirically based data for sustainability based capital projects as well as track reductions. The database captures water and energy usage at all GWA sites where there is operational control. It is expected that all GWA sites will report greenhouse gas emissions during the 2009-10 financial year.