Westlake

Westlake Corporation is a global manufacturer of chemicals, polymers, and building products. Water supports its steam generation, cooling, production processes, offices, and manufacturing facilities. Its water stewardship approach combines facility-level monitoring, water reuse and recycling, wastewater treatment, discharge controls, regulatory compliance, and risk-based management in locations with greater water-related exposure.

Westlake's strongest 2024 water achievement was reducing net water consumption despite higher overall withdrawal. Net consumption declined from 86,909 thousand cubic meters in 2023 to 72,775 thousand cubic meters in 2024, a reduction of approximately 16.3%. Its water-use rate also fell from approximately 0.0040 to 0.0031 megaliters per metric ton of production. These results indicate that Westlake returned a greater proportion of withdrawn water after use rather than permanently consuming it.

Westlake operates this by monitoring water use at each location through its Continuous Improvement Process. Many manufacturing plants reuse water, recycle wastewater and process water, and operate their own treatment facilities. Sites also monitor water quality for irregular discharges and use emergency-response procedures for unplanned releases or chemical spills.

Westlake also strengthened its water-risk management process in 2024. A third-party expert initially assessed 47 facilities using more than 10,000 cubic meters of water annually. Four facilities — Deer Park, Rialto, Huasu, and Tijuana — were selected for deeper reviews covering water supply, consumption, reuse and recycling opportunities, and site-specific risks. This process provides a structured basis for prioritizing water-management improvements where operational or local watershed risks are greatest.

A limitation is that total withdrawal increased by approximately 3.3% in 2024, from 681,389 to 703,757 thousand cubic meters. The report also does not quantify companywide water reuse or savings from individual projects, limiting evaluation of how much the operational programs directly contributed to the reduction in net consumption.