CPF Applies 3Rs Principle for Sustainable Water Management
With a vision to be a kitchen of the world, CPF has made a sustainable strategy with focus on food security and circular economy-based operations that applies 3Rs principle, consisting of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, to optimize water-use efficiency.
In 2020, 36% of water withdrawal per production unit was reduced, compared to the base year 2015. 42% of water was reused or recycled.
Pairoj Apiruknusit, Executive Vice President for aquaculture business at Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited (CPF), said the company has placed utmost importance on safe and sustainable farming. Water resources are significant to the continuing operations of integrated agro-industrial and food business. Moreover, CPF is very perceptive of intensified droughts that occur frequently.
Therefore, the company focuses on the optimization of water usage with zero discharge practice to natural water resources.
In order to do so, The water used in the farming process is filtered by an Ultrafiltration (UF) system from external sources and treated water, then, circulates back to use within the shrimp farms. The company also uses the same technology in poultry processing plants, filtering treated wastewater to be used for the cooling system as well.
Mr. Pairoj explained that shrimp farms also use Bio-Floc to help treating waste in shrimp ponds as well as reducing the risk of developing water-borne diseases, adding that these technologies are used together with CPF’s “3 clean” shrimp farming approach that started from Clean Post-larvae from disease-free and fast growing shrimp breed, clean water with recirculating system and, lastly, clean pond management to remove a source of disease. These techniques help CPF to deliver aquaculture products that are fresh, clean and from a sustainable production process.
Other CPF businesses also apply the 3Rs principle in their operations by applying different solutions to optimize water-use efficiency in various production processes, for instance, poultry processing plants using air chillers instead of water chillers to reduce water consumption. Feed plants reuse the residual water from the reverse osmosis filter system for non-production activities such as watering plants, cleaning roads, etc.
Plants and farms also design wastewater treatment systems to recycle and used for activities not directly connected with the food production.
CPF takes water usage optimization into account for sufficient clean water to the continuing operations and communities. The company continues maximum efficiency water usage throughout the production chain from upstream to downstream.
Employees throughout the organization have been encouraged to use water wisely and shared recycled water to communities.
Since 2004, CPF has provided treated water to the communities around our swine farms to more than 200 farmers, to help reduce farming costs, mitigate impacts of drought and stabilize water sources for the communities.
Water distributed to farmers is already treated using a biogas production system, which meets standards stipulated by law. It is rich in nutrients that are important for plant growth.