Water Footprint

We have had a methodology for calculating and reporting our water footprint since 2015. By knowing our water footprint and details about its components, we can analyze the risks and opportunities related to water.

This methodology for calculation covers all of the Group’s companies that are under operational control. It has been developed specifically for our company based on the principles of The Water Footprint Assessment Manual (WFM),  Global Water Tool (GWT), and GRI-G4. These indices examine factors such as the country’s water stress, the impact on water resources, the impact on managing vegetation, and water quality and accessibility. This way, the global impact on this resource can be quantified.

Our water footprint is composed of three indices:

• The Business Water Index (BWI), which is related to water consumption and discharge for our activities
• The Water Treatment Index (WTI), which is related to the impact on the resource caused by water treatment activity (WWTP, Wastewater Treatment Plant; IWTP, Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant; WTC, Water Treatment Center; and SDP, Seawater Desalination Plant)
• The Water Access Index (WAI), which is related to our water supply projects belonging to the Social Action Program

Water Consumption by Source

Objectives

Ferrovial has set a goal of reducing BWI by 20% by 2030, over the baseline of 2017, in 2024, a 26.7% reduction was achieved compared to 2017. Ferrovial also has set an Annual Water Footprint Compensation Target of (WTI + WAI / BWI) ≥ 70; in 2024, 111 times the BWI was offset. These targets have been set for both construction processes and use phase of the projects.

Water Policies

We recognize that water is a limited, non-renewable, natural resource that is directly related to global change and is a necessary, fundamental element in the circular economy.

In our role as a consumer and provider of services associated with water resources, we encourage the following principles among all of our stakeholders.

Principles

• Compliance with current legislation and regulations on water, as well as with specifications by international reference standards and those established internally by the organization, directing management toward the highest quality standards
• Support in developing regulatory frameworks geared toward efficient, sustainable water usage
• Responsible, efficient management of this resource, paying attention to every part of its full cycle, thus favoring social development and conservation of ecosystems
• Seeking solutions to the growing demand for drinking water and quality deterioration due to pollution
• Establishing indicators, objectives, monitoring procedures, and strategies that allow for continuous control and evaluation of efficient management of the entire water cycle and its responsible usage in the company’s direct operations, optimizing the balance that informs the Group’s water footprint
• Support for developing and using new technologies that allow for more efficient use of the resource
• Integration of water use and management into the company’s risk management strategy
• Communicating the results of comprehensive water management at the company
• The company’s involvement in facilitating access to clean water and sanitation for those in developing countries

Water efficiency

Ferrovial is committed to sustainable practices and responsible management of water resources. The company has implemented actions to address environmental challenges related to water resources, some of these actions are in high-water stress areas. These main actions are carried out on an ongoing basis depending on the type of project, and some of principal main good practices are:

• Installation of water saving devices at the majority of the projects (more than 50% of new projects), the past two years such as low-flow tabs & showers (with flow rates of less than 4-6 l/min) and low flush toilets (with dual 4.5-3 liters discharge) resulting in lower water consumption.
• Water usage consumption monitored by several water meters and submeters at appropriate locations in construction projects (i. e. in Heathrow Airport).
• Reuse of water for washing machinery and other uses on site (irrigation of roads, embankments, etc.).
• Grey water recycling and rainwater harvesting: such as the installation of rainwater collection tanks for reusing that water in other processes in Cintra’s projects; a high performance vehicle wheel wash system with water recycling installed at KAD Substructure (in Heathrow Airport), which is powered by inverter-driven pumps saving 50% energy and it consists of a closed loop system effectively recycling the water it uses.
• Measures to reduce water consumption during construction processes: such as the reduction in the volume of water consumed in irrigation to reduce the dusting of construction sites due to the use of bischofite (i.e. in Rutas del Loa – Chile), the use of hydromulch as part of our erosion and sediment control practice in slopes and embankments using 40% less water for application.

Review our Water Policy here.