Glencore has extended its water treatment responsibility by partnering with the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) to deliver a workshop on water conservation to local school children.
Students from the state’s Cloncurry State School and St Joseph’s Catholic School attended the Water: Yours, Ours, Mine workshop that was hosted in partnership with Glencore’s Mount Isa Mines to engage in conversations and new ideas in water conservation.
Glencore experienced an increase of water withdrawal from 1.02 billion cubic metres in 2018 to 1.05 billion cubic metres in 2019.
This motivated Glencore to further focus on water conservation within its sustainability strategy.
QMEA skills and education manager Matthew Heskett said engaging across all sectors was a crucial step ensuring long-term sustainable water supply.
“Globally, there is a demand for robust planning and wider engagement across sectors to ensure we are all using water sustainably,” he said.
“Water is a valuable resource, especially in our changing climate.
“Through this activity, students will become more educated about water treatment and reuse and the importance of protecting the environment.”
Glencore has been working on its water footprint plan by analysing site-specific water balances and conducting water risk assessments at seven of its global sites during 2019.
“With the group-wide implementation of our water management guideline, we are emphasising our prioritisation of efficient water use, water reuse/recycling, responsible wastewater disposal and maintaining any equipment that may pose a hazard to water quality,” Glencore stated.
“We engage with local water users to avoid material adverse impacts on the quality and quantity of water sources or compromising their access to water.”