Policy
Recognition of Water Resources
The earth’s water resources are said to be about 97.5% seawater, with only 2.5% fresh water that can be used for farming and drinking. And about 99% of that fresh water is contained in ice in places like the Antarctic, so there is very little fresh water available for direct use.
Through its businesses across the world, Marubeni recognizes that developed countries are able to fully enjoy these finite water resources, while other countries do not even have adequate wells, and this regional imbalance is a major problem. Future water shortages are also anticipated, accompanying increases in world population and economic growth in the developing countries. The effective use of water resources is a global issue, and the international society is starting to take actions.
Water Resources Policy
Based on the Marubeni Group Environmental Policy, the Marubeni Group recognizes that energy and resources, including water, are finite, and take measures to ensure their effective and efficient use.
In the Marubeni Group Environmental Policy, we clearly state our commitment to using energy and resources, including water, efficiently. By reducing water usage through promotion of efficient use and recycling of water, and by providing stable supplies of water resources through effective water and sewerage operation and power and desalination projects, we will continue to contribute to the environment and communities and to resolving water-related social issues.
Initiatives
Formulation of the Marubeni Group’s Water Management Plan
As of March 31, 2023, 39 (18%) of the 216 Marubeni Group companies had established water management plans. (Of the 2,395 operation sites covered by the “Sustainability survey”, 290 operation sites that account for 12%, had established water management plans.) These companies monitor and manage the amount of water withdrawal, wastewater, and recycled water, as well as quality and temperature of wastewater, and take measures to use water resources effectively and reduce their environmental impact.
Koa Kogyo Co., Ltd., for example, uses water efficiently in production processes, and sets and manages standards for the amount of fresh water used in each department, as part of its efforts to conserve resources.
Since large quantities of water are needed in papermaking operations, Koa Kogyo secures the necessary water from both industrial and well water sources and recycles water in the manufacturing process. In wastewater, strict water quality standards are met by using activated sludge tanks to reduce chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and by purifying water.
Click here to view Koa Kogyo’s initiatives (Japanese only)
Another example, The Nisshin OilliO Group, Ltd. has set the target of reducing water consumption (tap water and industrial water) intensity at its four production bases in Japan in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2031 by 16% compared to the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017, and is implementing reduction measures and progress management to meet that goal.
Click here to view Nisshin OilliO’s initiatives (Japanese only)
Initiatives in Water-Stressed Regions
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Taweelah B Power & Desalination Complex
The Marubeni Group owns and operates four IWPP*1 projects and one IWP*2 project in Middle East. In total, 539 million imperial gallons of desalination water per day are produced by those desalination plants, helping to reduce stress on the region’s water resources.
For example, the Taweelah B power and desalination complex, located 80 kilometers northeast of Abu Dhabi, which we built and operate, has generation capacity of 2,000 megawatts of electricity and 160 million imperial gallons of water per day. To meet increased water demand resulting from economic development and population growth, the Marubeni Group is selling electricity and water for 20-25 years to the state-owned utility, Emirates Water & Electricity Company. Water from the plant is used for tap water (household and commercial), agriculture, industry and other applications, and helps to relieve stress on water resources. (To prevent exacerbation of the region’s water stress, machinery cooling water and other water used in the Marubeni Group’s business operations is produced at the desalination plant.)
IWPP Projects and IWP Project in Middle East (as of March 31, 2023)
| Project | Gross Desalination Capacity (Million imperial gallons per day) |
|---|---|
| Taweelah A2 | 50 |
| Taweelah B | 160 |
| Fujairah F2 | 130 |
| Shuweihat S2 | 100 |
| Shuqaiq 3 | 99 |
- IWPP: Independent Water and Power Producer
- IWP: Independent Water and Producer
Working with External Partners to Reduce Water Use
Desalination and Water Transmission Project in Chile
Through a special purpose company established together with Transelec Holdings Rentas Limitada, a major power transmission company in the Republic of Chile, we are participating in a desalination and water transmission project for Corporación Nacional del Cobre de Chile (“CODELCO”) (hereafter, the “Project”).
The Project is the first large-scale seawater desalination and water transmission project in Chile using reverse osmosis (RO) membranes*3. The Project will construct a desalination plant in western Chile to pump seawater from the Pacific Ocean and supply water needed for copper mining and other operations, thereby contributing to reducing water withdrawal from water-stressed areas where water shortages are a concern.
- Desalination method in which water containing salts and other substances is permeated through RO membranes using the phenomenon of osmotic pressure.
Although at present CODELCO is still reliant on groundwater and other inland water sources for the water used in its copper mining and refining processes, it has set a goal of reducing its consumption of inland water by 60% by 2030 in order to protect the environment, secure water resources for local residents, and ensure sustainable growth. This Project will contribute to this goal. Marubeni, by leveraging its past experience in construction, maintenance, and operation of seawater desalination plants, will contribute to reducing water consumption by working with CODELCO on this Project.
Initiatives in Municipal Water / Wastewater Treatment
Through its concession businesses*4 and the BOO*5 project, the Marubeni Group contributes to the supply of safe drinking water and reduces burdens on the environment through effective wastewater treatment.
The concession businesses and BOO project we operate in Chile, Brazil, the Philippines, Portugal and Peru have a total water purification capacity of 4.2 million cubic meters per day and wastewater treatment capacity of 1.9 million cubic meters per day, and cover a service population totaling approximately 16.6 million people.
- Concession business: Investment into and operation of a private company which has been given the right to conduct water services by a municipality
- BOO: Build Own and Operate water processing plant
Concession Business in the Philippines
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Maynilad Water purification plant -
Water supply in Maynilad
One example of the Marubeni Group’s concession businesses is our investment in and personnel dispatch to Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad), a water and sewerage company serving the West Zone of Metro Manila in the Philippines, which has a population of 10.5 million people.
Amid the region’s ongoing urban expansion and increased congestion, Maynilad is expanding its water distribution network to increase the coverage of water supply services. In addition, it continues to provide a stable water supply to some 1.5 million customers in the concession area by promoting more efficient use of water resources with measures to prevent water pipe leakage and improve water pressure. At the same time, as a medium-to-long-term goal, it is working to raise the currently low percentage of the population connected to the sewage system, to improve the sanitary environment both in normal times and during flooding, and to improve the water quality of the region’s water system and Manila Bay, through development of sewage treatment facilities and the sewerage network in its service area.
At Maynilad, the effects of operational shutdown caused by physical damage etc. to the facility due to disasters or extreme weather is quantified. Specifically, several of Maynilad’s important business locations such as the purification plant, pumping station, and water distribution network are chosen as samples, and the economic impact of operational shutdown is calculated by period, to be used for developing the business continuity plan.
Outline of Maynilad's Business (as of March 31, 2023)
| Treatment Facilities | Treatment Capacity |
|---|---|
| Water purification plant | 2,700 thousand ㎥/day |
| Sewage treatment plant | 663 thousand ㎥/day |
| Septic sludge treatment plant | 1,190t/day |
Wastewater Treatment in Qatar
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Doha West sewage treatment plant -
Lusail sewage treatment plant -
Lusail sewage treatment plant
Marubeni has participated from the construction stage at the Doha West, Doha North, and Lusail Sewage Treatment Plants, which are the major sewage treatment plants in Doha, the capital of Qatar with approximately 2.7 million people. At the Doha West and Lusail Plants Marubeni had conducted the operation and maintenance for approx. 10 years after the construction. The greywater (treated water made by sterilizing sewage water, for industrial and consumer use) which is generated during the sewage treatment process is delivered daily to roadside vegetation, parks, and farms across Doha through the greywater pipe network. It plays an important role by supporting the social infrastructure in Doha, the land of desert, and Marubeni engaged in a sustainable contribution activity in regions with insufficient water supplies through recycling of the valuable water resources.
The amount of water treated daily at each plant is shown below. 385,000㎥ of greywater was supplied across Doha per day (as of March 31, 2023).
| Sewage Treatment Plant in Qatar | Sewage Treatment Plant Capacity |
|---|---|
| Doha West sewage treatment plant | 340 thousand ㎥/day |
| Doha North sewage treatment plant | 439 thousand ㎥/day |
| Lusail sewage treatment plant | 60 thousand ㎥/day |
| Treatment Capacity | 839 thousand ㎥/day |
Participation in International Initiatives
CDP Water Security
Marubeni was selected by CDP*6, an international environmental non-profit organization, as an A-list company in their water security program and certified as a leading company in corporate sustainability (as of February 2024). This is the third time that Marubeni has been selected since 2021.
Marubeni also received A- grades in the areas of Climate Change and Forest Protection.
This year’s repot for CDP Water Security can be found here.
CDP A-List and other published scores can be found here.
- CDP (an international environmental non-profit organization formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project)
CDP is a global non-profit organization that runs the world’s environmental disclosure system for companies, cities, states and regions. Founded in 2000 and Marubeni has participated in the initiative of CDP since 2007. CDP is working with more than 740 financial institutions with over US$136 trillion in assets, CDP pioneered using capital markets and corporate procurement to motivate companies to disclose their environmental impacts, and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, safeguard water resources and protect forests. Over 24,000 organizations around the world disclosed data through CDP in 2023, with more than 23,000 companies – including listed companies worth two thirds global market capitalization - and over 1,100 cities, states and regions. Fully TCFD aligned, CDP holds the largest environmental database in the world and CDP scores are widely used to drive investment and procurement decisions to achieve a zero-carbon, sustainable and resilient economy. CDP is a founding member of the Science Based Targets initiative, We Mean Business Coalition, The Investor Agenda and the Net Zero Asset Managers initiative.