Liberty Tire Recycling | 2023 Environmental, Social and Governance Report 42 ACCELERATING ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP Water Consumption and Conservation University of Pittsburgh Water Usage Project The environmental sustainability of our operations is a top focus for Liberty. While our operations are not water intensive, we have a responsibility to be good stewards of our natural resources. Aside from typical domestic uses of water at our sites – bathrooms, kitchen, and drinking water – Liberty’s main uses of water are for equipment misting, fire and dust suppression, cleaning and to a lesser extent, as a component of our mulch manufacturing process. To better understand the current state of water consumption and conservation at Liberty Tire Recycling, we collaborated with Sustainability Capstone students from the University of Pittsburgh to carry out a water use audit. This semester-long project had three goals: 1) develop a system to track water usage, 2) align reporting with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards, and 3) generate water conservation ideas. Interviews with key Liberty Tire Recycling managers and a company-wide survey about water usage and monitoring were some tools used to begin this evaluation of our water consumption. The results of these efforts showed a need to track our water usage—current tracking is roughly 20% of sites—and initiate a focused effort on metering our well usage. Four sites were identified as the most important sites for water use reduction based on a combination of consumption amounts and location within designated water stress areas. Those sites are Des Moines, IA, Grove City, OH, Savage, MN, and Salt Lake City, UT. A second tier of sites was also identified by their location in extremely high water stress locations regardless of water consumption rates: Concord, NC, Montgomery, IL, Phoenix, AZ, Denver, CO, Santa Fe Springs, CA, Fillmore, UT, Caldwell, ID, Midlothian, TX, and Saint Martin, MN. Of our 56 locations, 9 are located in extremely high water stress areas, 10 are in high water stress areas, 17 in medium water stress areas, 10 in low to medium water stress areas, and 7 in low water stress areas. We are aware of the potential for drought and water stress classifications changes and will adjust our priorities as necessary. Liberty is evaluating and prioritizing the water conservation suggestions from the University of Pittsburgh students which include collecting rainwater to use in shredder misting, dust suppression, and fire prevention, and we are exploring non-water-based opportunities as well. Several of the Liberty sites are already leveraging gutter systems to capture and recirculate water for operational use. Key components to our ongoing water management plan include educating employees and purchasing water efficient office products like water bottle filling stations, low flow faucets, and high efficiency toilets. Water Consumption Gallons Wells / Bottled Water / Estimated Sites 2,388,602 Public Water 30,407,210 Total Water Consumption 32,795,812
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