Water Stewardship

Avient’s commitment to responsible water stewardship is exemplified by our conscientious approach to water management across our operations. Unlike other industrial sectors, our processes are inherently less water-intensive, with normal manufacturing procedures being predominantly “dry.” Water usage is primarily confined to essential sanitary applications and process cooling, with a notable emphasis on closed-loop recycling to minimize consumption. Despite the modest water requirements of our operations, Avient recognizes the importance of water as a finite and precious resource.

Clean and accessible water is vital for healthy and thriving communities around the world. Avient recognizes the indispensable role water plays in sustaining life and promoting well-being. Our commitment to sustainable water management extends beyond compliance with regulatory requirements—we proactively seek opportunities to enhance water efficiency and maximize the reuse of wastewater across our facilities. Through diligent monitoring and tracking of water usage and wastewater discharges, we identify areas for improvement and implement targeted initiatives to reduce consumption and mitigate risks. Our global approach to water management integrates strategies for tracking legal obligations, assessing management costs, and prioritizing efficiency projects to optimize resource utilization and minimize environmental impact.

Building upon our commitment to sustainable water management, Avient took significant strides in 2023 to enhance transparency and data accuracy across our global operations. Central to this effort was the standardization of water stream definitions and reporting frequency, the release of our Position on Water Stewardship and the establishment of our water stress evaluation framework. While we have collected water data from our manufacturing facilities since 2012, increased water data accuracy allows us to better understand our water sources, withdrawal rates, and discharges. Our Position on Water Stewardship reinforces our commitment to minimize water consumption, maximize reuse opportunities, and mitigate risks associated with water scarcity and pollution. We leveraged the World Resources Institute Aqueduct Water Risk Tool to develop our water stress evaluation framework, which identified that 61% of our facilities are located outside of extremely high or high water stress areas (detailed analysis in Metrics section). This enables us to identify priority areas for intervention and resource allocation.

Information on water stress, water withdrawal, recycling/reuse, and discharge is provided in the Metrics section of this report or in Avient’s CDP Water Security Report.