3 Water, Driving Progress for Stakeholders
Arkema conducts initiatives across the water value chain to improve management of this resource by growers of feedstock, such as castor beans, and isolated communities. Find out more below.
GROWING CASTOR BEANS WITH LESS WATER IN GUJARAT
As the world’s biggest buyer of castor oil (the feedstock for Rilsan® polyamide 11), Arkema purchases our supply from hundreds of small farmers in Gujarat, India. To improve the social and environmental conditions for growing this crop, Arkema launched Project Pragati in 2016 (see page 58). This initiative brings progress to the region, especially in water use. “Our agricultural experts support nearly 3,000 farmers, providing them with equipment and advice on choosing seeds, managing waste and irrigation,” says François Guillemet, Arkema’s Director of Purchasing. Optimizing practices at pilot farms — using alternating drip irrigation at the right times — cuts water use 25%, while boosting harvests. The next step is extending these practices across the production region.
NO-THIRST INITIATIVE: 300 ULTRAFILTRATION KITS FOR NEPAL
After its sailboat trek and distribution of nearly a thousand water ultrafiltration kits in 10 countries between 2015 and 2017, the NGO Sail for Water has passed the torch to the No-Thirst Initiative. That nonprofit in turn has enlisted Arkema’s support for a mission in Nepal. “We donated 300 ‘mobile’ ultrafiltration modules, developed with Polymem, along with backwashing systems that extend their life to almost 10 years,” says Aline Teyssier, in charge of Arkema’s corporate giving initiatives. In late 2018, we sponsored the nonprofit Blue Gold, which set off on a four-year world tour with 100 kits aboard its catamaran. Some of them have already been distributed in Senegal.
