14. The undertaking shall disclose its water-related targets in accordance with the provisions of ESRS 2 GDR-T.

AR 3 for para. 14 (Targets on areas with water stress)
In line with the scope considerations set out in ESRS 2 GDR-T, paragraph 51(c), the undertaking shall, where relevant, express water-related targets with reference to specific geographic areas, such as areas with water stress.

Water as a resource

We have set ourselves the target of keeping the impact of our activities on the natural and limited resource of water as low as possible. To avoid endangering local waters and the groundwater balance when extracting raw materials, we follow strict environmental protection requirements. All direct water withdrawals worldwide are subject to strict regulation by the authorities and are monitored. At each of our sites, the withdrawal and return of water is governed by a local operating permit. The responsible use of water is a central part of our sustainability strategy up to 2030.

By 2030, we want to implement water management plans and water recycling systems at all sites in regions with water scarcity. For this purpose, we have categorised our plants systematically using a tool for assessing water stress. A water reporting system that follows international standards is in use at all our production sites. We work continuously to reduce our freshwater consumption, for example by using closed cooling circuits and recycling systems. In the areas of aggregates and cement, we have also already introduced measurement systems and metrics for water reporting.