Water Use and Disposal

Innovative, 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 Disposal

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

Interações com a água como recurso compartilhado

Indicadores correlacionados

Dimensão GRI:

Ambiental

Código GRI:

303-1

ODS:

Nosso Plano Diretor de Sustentabilidade, responsável pelas diretrizes necessárias para garantir o uso consciente desse recurso, estabelece objetivos para melhoria contínua da redução do uso de água em todas as nossas operações. Dentre eles, desde 2020 já conseguimos atingir a meta prevista para 2025, que era de um percentual de 75% de recirculação. Em 2021, alcançamos um índice de 84% de recirculação, dois pontos percentuais acima do ano anterior.

Gestão de impactos relacionados à descarga de água

Indicadores correlacionados

Dimensão GRI:

Ambiental

Código GRI:

303-2

ODS:

Nosso Plano Diretor de Sustentabilidade, responsável pelas diretrizes necessárias para garantir o uso consciente desse recurso, estabelece objetivos para melhoria contínua da redução do uso de água em todas as nossas operações. Dentre eles, desde 2020 já conseguimos atingir a meta prevista para 2025, que era de um percentual de 75% de recirculação. Em 2021, alcançamos um índice de 84% de recirculação, dois pontos percentuais acima do ano anterior.

Retirada de água

Indicadores correlacionados

Dimensão GRI:

Ambiental

Código GRI:

303-3

Setor SASB:

Mineração e Metais

Dimensão SASB:

Gestão de Água

Código SASB:

EM-MM 140 a.1

ODS:

Retirada de Água por Fonte (em megalitros)¹
	2019	2020	2021
	Total	Total	Total	Em área de escassez hídrica	Em área sem escassez hídrica
Água superficial²	16.849,30	17.208,64	16.947,47	–	16.947,47
Água doce³	–	9.852,53	–	–	–
Outra água³	–	7.356,11	16.947,47	–	16.947,47
Água subterrânea⁴	122.053,18	119.982,84	94.253,41	–	94.253,41
Água doce⁵	–	5.080,02	–	–	–
Outra água	–	114.902,81	94.253,41	–	94.253,41
Água pluvial⁵	5.249,03	5.595,68	7.159,51	–	7.159,51
Água doce	–	2.659,73	–	–	–
Outra água	–	2.935,94	7.159,51	–	7.159,51
Água do mar	3.646,73	2.909,73	3.372,91	–	3.372,91
Água doce	–	–	–	–	–
Outra água	–	2.909,73	3.372,91	–	3.372,91
Água produzida⁶	1.003,37	682,13	231,90	–	231,90
Água doce	–	569,00	–	–	–
Outra água	–	113,13	231,90	–	231,90
Água de terceiros⁷	19,01	17,78	21,56	–	21,56
Água doce	–	–	–	–	–
Outra água	–	17,78	21,56	–	21,56
Total de água retirada e utilizada	148.820,65	146.396,81	121.986,75	–	121.986,75
Água doce	–	18.161,29	–	–	–
Outra água	–	128.235,51	121.986,75	–	121.986,75

¹ Megalitro = 1 mil m3.
² Águas superficiais: rios, córregos e lagos.
³ Água doce corresponde a (≤1000 mg/L sólidos dissolvidos Totais) e Outra Água a (> 1.000 mg / L Sólidos Dissolvidos Totais).
⁴Água subterrânea: lençóis freáticos, poços e rebaixamento de mina.
⁵Água pluvial: água da chuva coletada e armazenada diretamente pela organização.
⁶ Água produzida: água contida em minérios e concentrados.
⁷ Água de terceiros: fornecida por concessionárias e fornecedores

Descarte de água

Indicadores correlacionados

Dimensão GRI:

Ambiental

Código GRI:

303-4

ODS:

Descarte de Água (em megalitros)¹
	2019	2020	2021
	Total	Total	Total	Em área de escassez hídrica	Em área sem escassez hídrica
Água superficial²	128.413,37	128.089,84	113.945,49	–	113.945,49
Água doce³	–	108.665,37	8.602,94	–	8.602,94
Outra água³	–	19.424,47	105.342,55	–	105.342,55
Água subterrânea⁴	1.106,19	3.973,63	3.704,57	–	3.704,57
Água doce	–	3.488,83	–	–	–
Outra água	–	484,79	3.704,57	–	3.704,57
Água do mar	2.345,14	1.882,25	2.097,73	–	2.097,73
Água doce	–	–	–	–	–
Outra água	–	1.882,25	2.097,73	–	2.097,73
Tratamento terceirizado⁵	740,22	608,64	19,72	–	19,72
Água doce	–	–	15,62	–	15,62
Outra água	–	608,64	4,10	–	4,10
Água retida⁶	1.330,40	2.141,54	1.952,70	–	1.952,70
Água doce	–	520,14	12,00	–	12,00
Outra água	–	1.621,40	1.940,70	–	1.940,70
Outros⁷	9.271,53	9.620,89	8.764,76	–	8.764,76
Água doce	–	683,64	1.350,70	–	1.350,70
Outra água	–	8.937,25	7.414,06	–	7.414,06
Total de água descartada	146.206,87	146.316,79	130.484,96	–	130.484,96
Água doce	–	113.357,99	9.981,26	–	9.981,26
Outra água	–	32.958,80	120.503,70	–	120.503,70

¹ Megalitro = 1mil m³

² Águas superficiais: rios, córregos e lagos.

³Água doce corresponde a (≤ 1.000 mg / L Sólidos Dissolvidos Totais) e Outra Água a (> 1.000 mg/L Sólidos Dissolvidos Totais).

⁴Água subterrânea: lençóis freáticos, poços e rebaixamento de mina.

⁵ Tratamento terceirizado: concessionárias, governamentais e outros.

⁶ Água retida: em produtos e/ou resíduos.

⁷ Outros: exemplos: evaporação, perdas, efluentes fornecidos para terceiros, etc.

Our contribution to the SDGs

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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 Disposal

Innovative, sustainable mining