Lenzing is investing £20 million (approximately €23.3 million) to build a new, wastewater treatment plant at its Grimsby, UK, facility, as part of the company’s plans to reduce wastewater emissions by 2022.

Lenzing will have biological wastewater treatment plants that satisfy the best available techniques (BAT) quality standards at all of its manufacturing sites after the project is completed. According to the firm, the plant design, which will use a novel technology created as part of a research initiative, is completely aligned with the UK regulator and backed by local authorities.

Phil Munson, director of operations Lyocell Grimsby at Lenzing, said that this is a significant step forward in achieving Lenzing's overall strategic goals and a key milestone in their long-term ambition to establish a solid foundation for long-term growth at the Grimsby site.

The present wastewater situation at the site conforms with all EU Water Framework Directive requirements as well as all local laws and regulations. The supervisory board has authorized the investment, allowing construction to begin this year and the facility to be operational well before the EU directive, which has been adopted by the United Kingdom, takes effect. This will be the biggest investment since the lyocell plant opened, which produces high-end goods for technological and inventive markets, among other things

Following the modernization of the wastewater treatment plant at the company's Purwakarta facility in Indonesia, the construction of the new plant in Grimsby is another significant step toward the Group's goal of decreasing wastewater emissions by 20% by 2022. (against a 2014 baseline).

One of the key aspects of Lenzing's 'naturally positive' sustainability approach is responsible water usage, which is mostly implemented through using water effectively in production and applying cutting-edge water treatment technology.

Stefan Doboczky, Lenzing Group CEO, said that Lenzing has established clear sustainability objectives for the most significant issues in each of its strategic core areas, and they are pursuing them in a very rigorous manner. With this project, Lenzing has proven that financial performance and corporate responsibility are not mutually incompatible, but rather create synergies.