Sika takes measures to use water economically by reducing consumption, treating water, and using lower-grade water qualities especially in geographies with water scarcity.
Comprehensive Water Management
Sika Colombia is an example of a Sika subsidiary which follows a circular economy development model that generates profitability through the efficient management of natural resources. The sustainability strategy "More Value, Less Impact" aims to create value for its stakeholders and to cause less negative impact for the environment. In this context, the circular economy approach of Sika Colombia has been optimized for many years as it permeates the entire organization and focuses on comprehensive water management, solid waste management and energy management.
Sika Colombia guarantees the availability and sustainable management of water by using treated rainwater. In addition, the company reincorporates treated industrial wastewater and treated domestic wastewater into the production processes.
Sika recognizes the value of water and its importance, for this reason, Sika Colombia put into operation an efficient system for the recovery and use of rainwater, adapting to its processes a whole value chain that consists of capturing, recycling and treating rainwater to reincorporate it in the production processes.
The use of rainwater accounts for 15% of the entire water consumption of Sika Colombia.
Industrial wastewater originates from the industrial processes of equipment cleaning, quality control laboratory analysis and materials testing. The treatment is carried out until reaching an optimum quality of the water, recirculating in sanitary services and in the production process.
Domestic wastewater is treated according to the specific use and is transformed into grey water.
Wastewater is reused in Sika products. An example: Sika®-1, an additive for mortars, consists 80% of water, of that 80%, 23% is rainwater, 6% is treated domestic wastewater and 51% is drinking water.
The only water which is leaving the factory is the water which is part of the product.
Waste Management
Organic waste
At Sika Colombia, 100% of the organic waste is turned into humus and compost, which are used as nutrients in gardens and sustainable crops on the premises. Each year 2,712 kgs of vegetable and fruits are harvested and given to employees and to approximately 180 families in the neighborhood.
Community Engagement
Sika Colombia recycles and donates plastic to the non-profit foundation “Fill a bottle of love”; the foundation transforms the donated material into plastic wood used in the construction of playgrounds, urban furniture and homes for the benefit of vulnerable populations.
Fish farming
The system has a balance, since traditional fish farming can increase the organic load in the water, demanding large quantities of drinking water for replacement; on the opposite, in a aquaponic system, the water works as a subsystem, which feeds the vegetables, in which the wastes are broken down into nitrites and nitrates that are used by the vegetables as essential nutrients, this way the water returns to the fish farming, reducing the demand of water by 95% with respect to a traditional fish farming. the water that leaves the system is used for the irrigation of sustainable crops closing the cycle.
Energy Management
The main objective of Sika's energy management is to reduce the impacts associated with energy consumption in its plants. In Tocancipá, Colombia, various energy efficiency projects are implemented to promote the efficient use of energy resources through operational efficiency.
- Control of electricity and natural gas consumption
- Change from conventional to LED luminaires
- Installation of electric drives in direct start motors
- Replacement of technical equipment focused on air conditioning / heating
- Change from fossil fuels to clean energies.
Carbon footprint
Sika Colombia did quantify, reduce and offset its carbon footprint in order to achieve carbon neutrality by reducing and offsetting greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, the carbon footprint compensation process is being carried out at the Tocancipá plant as a result of the more than 2,000 trees planted and inventoried on production sites in Colombia.