Our commitment to global water conservation and efficiency is outlined in our Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) Policy. Across all Greif facilities, we proactively oversee water usage, enlisting our EHS team to ensure regulatory compliance and implement optimal practices in water treatment and recycling. Within our environmental structure, we maintain a robust compliance management system with dedicated support. Greif champions and empowers local management teams to improve water efficiency, enhance water quality, minimize impact on local water sources and reduce associated costs. Our approach extends to managing water discharge in strict compliance with individually allocated water permits. 

The vast majority—approximately 90 percent of our water usage—is consumed at 12 paperboard mills within our PPS business. To prioritize sustainable practices, we emphasize the use of reclaimed water in paper production. Our primary water management efforts are directed toward our PPS mills, where we can have the greatest impact. We reduce water use and recycle water in our mills through various means, including collecting HVAC cooling water and compressor cooling water for reuse at our Riverville mill, installing ultra-low water consumption mechanical seals on process pumps at Massillon and installing effluent treatment plants at multiple mills that not only reduce biochemical oxygen demand but also reduce water consumption overall. 

At Greif, we place a strong emphasis on effective stormwater practices within our GIP facilities due to their low water usage. Regular and thorough stormwater sampling and testing are integral to our operations, ensuring strict adherence to safety standards, while identifying continuous improvement opportunities. Our commitment extends to providing comprehensive annual training to all relevant colleagues, instilling a culture of responsible water management throughout our organization. We regularly update our stormwater training, and in 2023, we collaborated with third-party consultants when necessary to advise on stormwater training.  

Localized stormwater pollution prevention plans and robust spill prevention controls are in place at key facilities. A comprehensive global contingency plan and emergency procedure are intended to address and mitigate any potential or actual spills. Spills and releases that could impact groundwater—including corresponding corrective actions—are qualitatively tracked in our Compliance Management System. We are currently evaluating potential changes to the system so that we can capture more quantitative information to track trends in incidents over time. Several of our facilities monitor groundwater to detect leakage. 

While Greif’s PPS operations face the most substantial water impacts, responsible water management is a priority across all our operations. This is especially crucial in water-stressed regions such as Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. Greif uses World Resources Institute’s Aqueduct analysis and country ranking tools on an ongoing basis to track developments and risks in water-stressed regions where Greif facilities are located. To mitigate negative impacts in these facilities, we reduce excess water pressure, replace faulty valves, promote water recycling, install touchless faucets and harvest rainwater. Greif is committed to ensuring that every facility operates responsibly within its water permits.