Water Use and Disposal

An innovative and sustainable mining

Our sustainable development strategy aims at mining based on innovative practices to advance in the areas of climate change, natural resources and responsible production. Conserving the environment is essential for us for the continuity of business and ensuring access to natural resources for future generations.

To this end, we seek to rationally extract the mineral resources necessary for our operation and work to continuously reduce the impact of our activities on the environment, with a focus on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, on water efficiency and on impacts on the biodiversity.

Water Use and Discharge

Responsible water management is a priority for Nexa’s sustainability strategy, which is reflected in our high water recirculation rates.

Our Sustainability Master Plan, responsible for the necessary guidelines to ensure the conscious use of this resource, establishes objectives to achieve water management efficiency. Currently, our recirculation rate is above the industry average and has been steadily increasing. In 2021, we achieved a recirculation rate of 84% in our operations globally, 2 percentage points above the previous year.

Furthermore, our actions also ensure efficiency in water management and water conservation for communities.

Management in Brazil

We are under environmental regulations related to water resources, caves, waste management, contaminated areas, permanent preservation and conservation of protected areas, among others, in the Brazilian territory.

All activities that interfere in any way in protected areas have a regularization process in progress, as well as the implementation of strict controls on local impacts.

Management in Peru

Mineral resources are the property of the Nation and the government establishes the conditions for granting exploration rights by law on Peruvian lands. All activities carried out in the country comply with environmental requirements related to the use of water, forest resources and protected natural areas.

Get to know our initiatives

To improve the sustainable management of water resources and strengthen our commitments to Nexa’s ESG Strategy, we have several initiatives underway in Brazil and Peru, including:

Desalination Plant in Cerro Lindo/Peru

Cerro Lindo is one of the examples of a high rate of water recirculation (about 90%), where all the resource used comes from recirculation or the sea. The operation has a desalination plant, which extracts salt by reverse osmosis and pumps it to the plant, at an altitude of 2,200 meters. In an area marked by the shortage of water resources, this technology is important to avoid competing with the population in the demand for water.

People taking care of water

Project that combines the fencing of water spring areas and footpaths in the Santa Catarina River Basin with community and school environmental education, in the municipality of Vazante (MG). Monitoring of the river is maintained by Nexa for the continuous understanding of the water dynamics and support for studies, such as the one developed by the São Paulo Institute of Technological Research (IPT) on the impacts of the drying up of a stretch of the river in the region.

Started in 2018, the action involves an area of 50,000 hectares, with 134 springs, and has up to five years for its full implementation. In all, we have already protected 110 springs, with the construction of 62,049 meters of fences.

Our aspiration

Meet, control and optimize production processes related to the specific water consumption at Nexa, increasing recirculation, reducing fresh water consumption and improving the quality of discarded water.

2030 Commitment (*)

10% reduction of specific consumption of water in the mining (from 1.68 m³/ton of ROM (**) to 1.51 m³/ton of ROM) and metallurgy units (from 24.01 m³/ton of metal to 21.61 m³/ton of metal).

(*) The Aripuanã unit was not considered in the planning baseline of the goal presented, however it is included in the reduction commitment.

(**) Run-of-mine: crude ore, extracted directly from the mine without undergoing any kind of processing.

Check our indicators

Interactions with water as a shared resource

Correlated indicators

GRI Dimension:

Environmental

GRI Code:

303-1

SDG

Our Sustainability Master Plan, responsible for the guidelines necessary to ensure the conscientious use of this resource, establishes objectives for continuous improvement in the reduction of water use in all our operations. Among them, since 2020 we have already achieved the target set for 2025, which was a percentage of 75% recirculation. In 2021, we reached a recirculation rate of 84%, two percentage points above the previous year.

Management of water discharge-related impacts

Correlated indicators

GRI Dimension:

Environmental

GRI Code:

303-2

SDG

Our Sustainability Master Plan, responsible for the guidelines necessary to ensure the conscientious use of this resource, establishes objectives for continuous improvement in the reduction of water use in all our operations. Among them, since 2020 we have already achieved the target set for 2025, which was a percentage of 75% recirculation. In 2021, we reached a recirculation rate of 84%, two percentage points above the previous year.

Water withdrawal

Correlated indicators

GRI Dimension:

Environmental

GRI Code:

303-3

Sector SASB:

Mining and Metals

SASB Dimension:

Water Management

SASB Code:

EM-MM 140 a.1

SDG

Water withdrawal by source (megalitres)¹
	2019	2020	2021
	Total	Total	Total	In area of water scarcity	In area without water scarcity
Surface water²	16.849,30	17.208,64	16.947,47	–	16.947,47
Fresh water	–	9.852,53	–	–	–
Another water	–	7.356,11	16.947,47	–	16.947,47
Ground Water⁴	122.053,18	119.982,84	94.253,41	–	94.253,41
Fresh water⁵	–	5.080,02	–	–	–
Another water	–	114.902,81	94.253,41	–	94.253,41
Rainwater⁵	5.249,03	5.595,68	7.159,51	–	7.159,51
Fresh water	–	2.659,73	–	–	–
Another water	–	2.935,94	7.159,51	–	7.159,51
Seawater	3.646,73	2.909,73	3.372,91	–	3.372,91
Fresh water	–	–	–	–	–
Another water	–	2.909,73	3.372,91	–	3.372,91
Produced water⁶	1.003,37	682,13	231,90	–	231,90
Fresh water	–	569,00	–	–	–
Another water	–	113,13	231,90	–	231,90
Third party water⁷	19,01	17,78	21,56	–	21,56
Fresh water	–	–	–	–	–
Another water	–	17,78	21,56	–	21,56
Total discarded withdrawn and used	148.820,65	146.396,81	121.986,75	–	121.986,75
Fresh water	–	18.161,29	–	–	–
Another water	–	128.235,51	121.986,75	–	121.986,75

¹ Megaliter = 1 thousand m3
² Surface water: rivers, streams and lakes.
³ Fresh water corresponds to (≤1,000 mg/L total dissolved solids) and Other water to (> 1,000 mg/L total dissolved solids).
⁴Groundwater: groundwater, wells and mine lowering.
⁵Rainwater: rainwater collected and stored directly by the organization.
⁶ Produced water: water contained in ores and concentrates.
⁷ Third-party water: provided by utilities and suppliers.

Water disposal

Correlated indicators

GRI Dimension:

Environmental

GRI Code:

303-4

SDG

Water Disposal (in megaliters)¹
	2019	2020	2021
	Total	Total	Total	In area of water scarcity	In area without water scarcity
Surface water²	128.413,37	128.089,84	113.945,49	–	113.945,49
Fresh water	–	108.665,37	8.602,94	–	8.602,94
Another water	–	19.424,47	105.342,55	–	105.342,55
Ground Water⁴	1.106,19	3.973,63	3.704,57	–	3.704,57
Fresh water	–	3.488,83	–	–	–
Another water	–	484,79	3.704,57	–	3.704,57
Seawater	2.345,14	1.882,25	2.097,73	–	2.097,73
Fresh water	–	–	–	–	–
Another water	–	1.882,25	2.097,73	–	2.097,73
Tratamento terceirizado⁵	740,22	608,64	19,72	–	19,72
Fresh water	–	–	15,62	–	15,62
Another water	–	608,64	4,10	–	4,10
Água retida⁶	1.330,40	2.141,54	1.952,70	–	1.952,70
Fresh water	–	520,14	12,00	–	12,00
Another water	–	1.621,40	1.940,70	–	1.940,70
Other⁷	9.271,53	9.620,89	8.764,76	–	8.764,76
Fresh water	–	683,64	1.350,70	–	1.350,70
Another water	–	8.937,25	7.414,06	–	7.414,06
Total discarded water	146.206,87	146.316,79	130.484,96	–	130.484,96
Fresh water	–	113.357,99	9.981,26	–	9.981,26
Another water	–	32.958,80	120.503,70	–	120.503,70

¹ Megaliter = 1 thousand m3.

² Surface water: rivers, streams and lakes.

³Fresh water corresponds to (≤1,000 mg/L total dissolved solids) and Other water to (> 1,000 mg/L total dissolved solids).

⁴Groundwater: groundwater, wells and mine lowering.

⁵ Outsourced treatment: concessionaires, government and others.

⁶ Retained water: in products and/or waste.

⁷ Others: examples: evaporation, losses, effluents supplied to third parties, etc.

Our contribution to the SDGs

SDGs related to the topic:

In 2017, we signed a commitment to the global agenda consisting of 17 goals and 169 targets to be achieved by 2030.

Water Use and Discharge

An innovative and sustainable mining

Water Use and Discharge

Get to know our initiatives

Desalination Plant in Cerro Lindo/Peru

Desalination Plant in Cerro Lindo/Peru

People taking care of water

People taking care of water

Our aspiration

Check our indicators

Correlated indicators

Correlated indicators

Correlated indicators

Correlated indicators

Our contribution to the SDGs

SDGs related to the topic

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Strategy

Circular Economy and Waste

Dams Management

Decommissioning

Climate Change

Biodiversity and Land Use