Towards climate neutrality
Clean water and a healthy climate go hand in hand. Aquafin is reducing its ecological footprint and working across the entire value chain on smart, sustainable solutions for the future. In doing so, we are helping to build a climate-resilient water sector, supported by structural, climate-adaptive measures wherever necessary.
Ambitious climate targets
Sewage treatment is vital for people and the environment, but it is also energy-intensive. Our facilities operate around the clock, and greenhouse gases are released during the treatment process. That is precisely why Aquafin has set ambitious climate targets.
What does climate neutrality mean for Aquafin?
For Aquafin, climate neutrality goes beyond reducing our own energy use or direct CO₂ emissions. We aim to lower the full climate impact of our activities – from installing and maintaining infrastructure to materials, mobility, and collaboration with suppliers and partners.
This means:
- reducing energy use in waste water collection and treatment, while moving to renewable energy sources,
- using materials and transport in a sustainable and responsible way,
- applying innovation to transform residual flows into energy sources,
- and, above all, working together on structural solutions that permanently reduce climate impact.
Our road to zero carbon
Our ‘road to zero carbon’ sets out our ambition to achieve climate neutrality across our own operations and the wider value chain. It guides our decisions and investments in climate-adaptive measures and is built around three interrelated pillars:
- Ambitious reductions in our own processes
- Climate neutrality across our value chain
- Active creation of synergy opportunities
1. Ambitious reductions in our own processes
We begin with our own operations. Through clear targets and focused investments, we reduce emissions where our impact is greatest. At the same time, we make our installations more energy-efficient, future-proof and resilient to climate change.
Targets for 2030
- Fossil-free in our own processes,
- 48% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions,
- 1% annual improvement in energy efficiency between 2010 and 2030,
- 40% of electricity is generated from our own renewable sources.
Generating our own renewable energy
In addition to saving energy, we also produce it ourselves. By 2030, Aquafin aims to cover 40% of its electricity demand with its own renewable energy.
This includes:
- solar energy at our sewage treatment plants,
- green electricity from sludge digestion,
- wind energy through strategic partnerships.
More than 45 sewage treatment plants are now equipped with solar farms, accounting for around 18 megawatts peak capacity. The potential on our own sites has been almost fully utilised. That’s why we are also investing in locally produced, genuinely green electricity – for example, through our agreement with Luminus for two wind turbines in Oud-Turnhout.
2. Climate neutrality across our value chain
Tackling the largest sources of impact together
Our ambition extends beyond our own operations. Across our value chain, we take an active role in accelerating climate-neutral solutions together with suppliers and partners.
We focus on the main sources of impact – such as infrastructure, chemicals, sludge and transport – and engage in dialogue about alternatives and improvements. While not every impact can be precisely quantified in advance, targeted choices, partnerships and incentives enable us to make progress.
In our sewerage and infrastructure projects, we continuously seek for ways to reduce our climate impact. At the same time, sustainability criteria are increasingly embedded in our procurement procedures and tender processes.
We have been improving the sustainability of our own processes for years through optimisation and innovation, and we expect the same commitment from our suppliers. We therefore provide space to test promising new materials in controlled, real-world conditions. In doing so, we reduce the environmental impact of our infrastructure and give greater weight to ecological footprint considerations in future projects
3. Active creation of synergy opportunities
Using innovation to strengthen the energy system
Beyond reducing emissions, Aquafin aims to help shape solutions that extend beyond our own organisation. Within the wider energy system, we actively seek opportunities for synergie with other sectors and partners.
Aquafin wants to be a catalyst in the transition to sustainable energy. We look for market-ready solutions that can be implemented within our organisation – such as biomethane, wind turbines, flexible control systems and batteries. At the same time, we aim to play an active role in developments linked to our activities, such as drying or heating using residual heat, sewer thermal energy and district heating networks. In this way, we make our own unique contribution to Flanders’ climate objectives