Abstract

Water management is an increasingly important sustainability challenge in the water intensive pulp and paper industry. This study evaluates water management maturity and water use efficiency at three pulp and paper mills operated by the same company in Sweden, France, and Brazil. The analysis combines long term water use data with a structured self-assessment framework based on Best Available Techniques, water footprint principles, and water related risk criteria, complemented by semi structured interviews with site level personnel. The results show that mills exposed to higher water scarcity risks place greater strategic emphasis on water issues and exhibit more advanced management practices. While all mills have achieved improvements through optimisation of existing internal water flows, notable differences remain in governance structures, indicator utilisation, and risk awareness. Substantial performance gains can be achieved without major investments. Key recommendations include adopting a system wide perspective, clarifying water governance responsibilities, and strengthening monitoring and performance evaluation.