50 Fostering Sustainable Ecosystems Message from CEO Corporate Overview Corporate Governance and Business Ethics About the Report We are currently in the process of developing a comprehensive water stewardship strategy, which will include ambitious goals to support Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: Clean Water and Sanitation for All. To further monitor and manage water use, we have installed water meters at our facilities to track withdrawal and consumption. Most of the water used at our Special Economic Zones (SEZs) is sourced from groundwater. We are implementing a water efficiency Water Saving Initiatives Water stewardship is a fundamental aspect of our strategy. We aim to use water sustainably to fulfil our business obligations, strengthen supply chains, and maintain economic viability, while minimizing our environmental footprint. Our operations in Gabon, Togo, Benin and Rwanda are situated in regions with low water stress, as per the Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas by the World Resources Institute (WRI). However, we remain mindful of our social license to operate and the importance of ensuring water access for local communities. As part of this commitment, we conduct thorough Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs) to identify and mitigate any risks related to water access and availability. These assessments adhere to national environmental laws, IFC performance standards, world bank health and safety guidelines, and WHO guidelines for drinking water quality. Towards our commitment to water stewardship, we focused on our initiatives to recycle water. Our SEZs are equipped with Centralized Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) to ensure that the effluents generated from our activities meet stringent quality standards. These effluents are discharged into local sewage systems, water bodies, and basins in compliance with national environmental codes and IFC effluent standards. We ensure that treated wastewater remains within permissible limits to safeguard both environmental health and regulatory compliance. We also operate state-of-the-art in-house water testing laboratories to make sure that the treated water is being monitored on a regular basis. strategy that focuses on minimizing water consumption and increasing recycling across our operations. Additionally, we use water tanks to store and process water before distribution to investors and industries. Furthermore, we are aligning our water management practices with those of our investors. A notable example is the GDIZ Textile Park, a vertically integrated industrial zone spanning from spinning
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