OMV has established the following policies in order to manage our material impact and risk related to E3 Water.
Code of Conduct
For the Code of Conduct, unless otherwise specified, the key contents of the policy that are relevant for E3 Water, the process for monitoring, the scope of the policy, involvement of senior-level management, reference to third-party standards (where relevant), interests of key stakeholders in setting the policy (where relevant), and how the policy is made available to potentially affected stakeholders are covered under ESRS 2 Overarching Policies.
Enterprise-Wide Risk Management Standard
For the Enterprise-Wide Risk Management (EWRM) Standard, unless otherwise specified, the key contents of the policy that are relevant for E3 Water, the process for monitoring, the scope of the policy, involvement of senior-level management, reference to third-party standards (where relevant), interests of key stakeholders in setting the policy (where relevant), and how the policy is made available to potentially affected stakeholders are covered under ESRS 2 Overarching Policies.
Environmental Management Standard
For the Environmental Management Standard (EM), unless otherwise specified, the key contents of the policy that are relevant for E3 Water, the process for monitoring, the scope of the policy, involvement of senior-level management, reference to third-party standards (where relevant), interests of key stakeholders in setting the policy (where relevant), and how the policy is made available to potentially affected stakeholders are covered under ESRS 2 Overarching Policies. Within OMV’s EM Standard, processes and mechanisms have been defined to prevent, mitigate, and remediate the actual and potential negative impacts and risk identified. These include:
Risk Management
High-level water stress assessments are conducted annually. In order to identify operations in areas affected by water scarcity and water stress, OMV uses international tools and indexes such as the Verisk Maplecroft Water Stress Index, which is based on the World Resources Institute (WRI) Aqueduct Baseline Water Stress Index, and its own assessments as required. Some regions where OMV operates have already experienced water stress in dry years and a further decline in water availability is expected, mainly due to climate change. A bottom-up approach in the assessment of water-related risks is followed in accordance with OMV’s Group-wide Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) guideline to ensure consistent qualitative assessments of operational risks and impacts related to the environment, including water. Significant risks are integrated into OMV’s Enterprise-Wide Risk Management (EWRM) system. When entering a new country or considering new operational activities, OMV primarily uses the World Resources Institute (WRI) Aqueduct tools and Verisk Maplecroft indices to identify future potential water-related constraints, such as baseline water stress, groundwater stress, and seasonal variability. Water management-related risks are closely linked with the topic of spill prevention. Read more about spill prevention in the section Spills Preparedness and Response Planning.
Water Management Plans
Water Management Plans are an essential tool for OMV to address all water-related topics, issues, and tasks, with the aim of improving water management performance. They provide information about current water uses and chart a course for water efficiency improvements, conservation activities, and water reduction goals. Every location in OMV must develop, implement, and maintain a Water Management Plan, which should include at least the following elements: the scope and objectives, including a site description; applicable legislation, other requirements, and permits; identification of water sources, discharges, including water quality parameters, and monitoring plans; a water map, inventory, and balance, including discharges; water transport, storage, and treatment systems; significant water-related risks and mitigation measures; and water conservation and water efficiency measures, including an action plan. Operating facilities located in areas affected or likely to be affected by water scarcity issues, and operations utilizing significant water resources (e.g., Tunisia), were prioritized when developing and implementing Water Management Plans. These plans aim to allow sustainable long-term production with minimal effects on the environment.
Best Available Technologies
We implement measures to reduce freshwater withdrawal to a minimum. These include reduction of operational complexity, upgrading equipment (boilers), maintenance of equipment to reduce water loss, the use of desalinated seawater rather than freshwater, the installation of recirculating cooling systems, the use of air or glycol as a cooling agent instead of water (e.g., at Oltenia’s 2 Bustuchin compressor station asset), and optimization of pipeline routes for water supply. In addition to implementing measures to reduce freshwater withdrawal, we implement the Best Available Technology (BAT) to sustainably treat water. We also aim to improve water efficiency in our daily operations at our filling stations. Water recycling technology in our car wash business is an important element in using and conserving OMV’s water resources efficiently and sustainably, as it is one of the main consumers of water in this business segment.
Stakeholder Engagement
Our impact on water resources is important to various stakeholders. We engage with government authorities, such as river basin management authorities, on compliance with water use rules and environmental parameters relating to any wastewater generated. We engage with local water utility companies to discuss the supply of freshwater for OMV operations and the treatment of wastewater. We work with NGOs on environmental preservation and water resource conservation, as well as with local communities on the sharing of details regarding local water resources and the quality of discharged wastewater. For instance, in Austria, where local people fish in the Danube in Schwechat, close to both the refinery and the Lobau Tank Farm, and in the harbor there, with which we have maintained active and open dialogue for several years. In areas where OMV operations require large amounts of water, or areas that suffer from water stress, it is particularly important to include local stakeholders in water management activities to secure a “social license to operate.” OMV’s water management activities pursue socially equitable water use, and OMV regularly carries out supplier audits to ensure compliance with our human rights requirements.
To ensure that the interests of local communities are known and taken into account during the project life cycle, OMV conducts social baseline studies and community needs assessments as part of Social Impact Assessments (SIAs). If these assessments identify the need, OMV launches community projects aimed at increasing access to clean water for local communities. Our Community Grievance Mechanisms also enable communities to raise concerns about water-related issues. For more information, see S3-3 Processes to Remediate Negative Impacts and Channels for Affected Communities to Raise Concerns. Since all our sites are covered by the EMS, our general commitment to reducing water consumption and improving water efficiency also includes areas at water risk. The EMS has an annex that contains additional requirements for produced water and offshore wastewater discharge, but other than that, OMV has not adopted any specific policies related to sustainable oceans and seas.