Stora Enso, Kemira kick off construction phase of China joint water management projects

STORA Enso, a leading provider of renewable packaging, biomaterials, wood, and paper solutions, and Kemira, a global chemicals company, have started the construction phase for their joint water management projects in southern China.

 

The pilot projects, which form part of the companies’ three-year corporate responsibility initiative on water stewardship and shared value creation launched in 2013, hope to address water-related issues in three villages in Guangxi province. Specifically, the social responsibility initiative aims to improve water supply and sewage treatment, and provide solutions for water shortages and quality problems. It will enhance the responsible use of local water resources in collaboration with villagers, nongovernment organizations, and the Chinese authorities.  

 

Water is key to sustainable plantation forestry in Guangxi, where Stora Enso leases 85,613 hectares of land and manages extensive eucalyptus tree plantations. Meanwhile, for Kemira, which has extensive know-how in water management, the pulp and paper industry is one key customer segment.  

 

This joint project between Stora Enso and Kemira will leverage the companies’ expertise in forestry and water management to improve the lives and environment of more than 2,600 villagers in Guangxi. The initiative will also tap stakeholder surveys, community work, and water-related capacity building in finding new solutions for responsible water management.

 

In Baimei in Guangxi’s Yulin region, where water shortages are frequent, the project team will build a new 50-cubic-meter water reservoir and lay a total of 5,400 meters of water supply pipes to ensure sufficient water supply and increase local agricultural production. To address the lack of a proper sewage treatment system, the team will lay 500 meters of water sewage pipes and build a 60-square-meter artificial wetland. 

 

In Nahupo in Nanning region, the project will focus on wastewater management. The village lacks a coherent sewage system and needs improvement in its existing infrastructure because untreated wastewater often overflows onto streets and green areas. In addition to building septic tanks, the project team will lay 2,000 meters of drainage piping and construct a 500-square-meter artificial wetland.

 

For Shengping village in the Qinlian region, the project will provide solutions for water shortages and quality problems. Here the team will deepen and renew the village well, which becomes contaminated with river water during flooding. The team will also renovate the local water treatment plant and train plant personnel in operating the plant more efficiently. The project will also involve laying 4,800 meters of new drinking water pipes and bringing better quality drinking water to 2,200 villagers.

 

The construction phase of the project will be followed by tailor-made training for all villages. This will enable the locals to maintain the constructed water management solutions on their own and ensure responsible water use in the future.  

 

According to Noel Morrin, Stora Enso’s EVP for Global Responsibility, “Responsible water stewardship is a top priority for us everywhere we operate. In Guangxi, water is a local concern that we are taking very seriously. If these pilot projects prove successful, the systems can be scaled up by local authorities and copied in surrounding communities to benefit even more people. However, the success of these projects will be defined by the villagers.”

 

Riikka Timonen, director of Corporate Responsibility at Kemira, said: “Since the water treatment systems address local needs and will be operated by the villagers themselves, it is very important that local residents are actively involved in the projects from day one. Our expertise is needed to ensure that the constructed systems are of good quality and easy to operate – benefiting both local people and the environment.”