ASCENZA assumes today several practices to reduce water consumption, promoting better water management throughout the life cycle of products.
Furthermore, in our factory in Setúbal, we have implemented practices that aim to save and maintain water quality. These practices are related to:
Our Rainwater Treatment System - with a total capacity of 11,000 m3 and associated with the city's waste-water treatment plant, this system allows us to have zero direct environmental impact.
And the way we treat the industrial equipment washing - the water used to wash production equipment is used in future formulations of the same product, which allows us to reduce the amount of wastewater and reduce the consumption of fresh water.
ASCENZA also makes efforts to raise awareness and train the sector on the importance of sustainable water management when using plant protection products. These actions include dissemination and knowledge transfer material, through the organisation of events and training, regarding strategies to avoid point or diffuse pollution processes of water sources.
Currently the contamination of water sources by crop protection substances can be avoided in 80 to 90% of cases by carrying out appropriate farming practices, and that is why this awareness and training is so relevant.
Considering that 50%* of water contamination by phytosanitary products occurs during the loading of the application equipment, we are also investing in technological projects, together with other renowned companies in the sector, such as the easyconnect.
The easyconnect is a closed transfer system, which avoids splashing during the filling process of the application tanks, namely avoiding the spillage of substances on the soil, which are harmful to water sources.
*Source: Roetelle et all., 2011 Environmentally Optimised Sprayer (EOS). Evaluation of spray equipment to mitigate point diffuse source losses of Plant Protection Products to water. Aspects of Applied Biology 114:143-150.