Dover’s JK Group, a chemical company that produces water-based inks, exemplifies water use conservation. Water is the main raw material used in the company’s production plant. JK Group recently installed a new system to collect wastewater coming from the production plant and dilute it so that it may be reused for cleaning the plant’s piping and tanks. The new system helped reduce water per unit of production by 44% in 2021 over the prior year as a result of reusing production water for cleaning.
Reducing Water Use Through Product Innovation
We also consider water-related risks across the value chain, particularly the value we can bring to our customers by developing products and solutions that help them reduce their water footprint.
For example, MS Printing Solutions, part of Dover Digital Printing, developed and offers the LaRio high speed single-pass digital textile printer. Described as any ink jet-based method of printing colorants onto fabric, digital textile printing simultaneously improves environmental sustainability and business profitability. Significantly, compared to traditional fabric printing methods, digital textile printing requires less water because fabric washing is minimal and there are no screens or printing rolls to clean. The LaRio single-pass digital textile printer is Green Certified with water use of only 2.67 L/kg of processed material – over 90% less than the 100 L/kg in traditional textile finishing. The process also reduces dye and chemical waste and lowers energy consumption. This digital green technology helps shorten textile printing production times from as much as 40 days for 30,000 linear meters to less than 12 hours which translates to improving production from 100 linear meters per hour to 75 linear meters per minute. MS Printing also launched the #transparentaswater initiative to demonstrate its commitment to water conservation.
Another example of our products supporting water conservation is Dover's Hydro Systems’ product line of proportioning, dosing and dispensing solutions that are used to accurately dilute and/or dispense concentrated cleaning chemicals so they can be safely and effectively used in commercial cleaning applications. The innovative EvoClean dispenser is the world’s first venturi (or vacuum) -based, water-powered dispenser for on-premise laundry applications. Unlike other laundry dispensers, EvoClean does not require squeeze tubes and drives dramatic reductions in maintenance costs. Its delivery performance is precise, and it will not under-dose chemicals. This gives laundries less downtime, less re-wash and more predictable, clean results with every wash. The EvoClean system uses 60% less water (3.7 gallons per load), because its eductor pump restricts flow.
Dover believes that sustainability-driven innovation presents a significant growth opportunity while contributing positively to conservation of an increasingly scarce resource in many geographies. For more information on our innovative and sustainable products and solutions, please visit our Innovation for Sustainable Products webpage. See our Reports and Disclosures page for our latest CDP Water response and more information about our water consumption and management.