The Reynolds WaterHub officially opened at the Reynolds Operations Center in Tobaccoville, N.C., with representatives of the Reynolds American organization (Reynolds) and H2O Innovation hosting business and community leaders for a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony. The WaterHub庐 is an advanced water recycling facility and product of H2O Innovation projected to reclaim more than 60 million gallons of water a year鈥攅quivalent to the annual water supply of approximately 550 average U.S. households鈥攔educing Reynolds鈥� environmental impact and advancing the global BAT Group鈥檚 sustainability ambitions. Utilizing the latest technology, it captures a combined wastewater stream from the plant, treats it to North Carolina reclaim water standards, and then reintroduces it as intake water for the factory utilities鈥攔educing the intake of fresh, valuable drinking water at the facility.
鈥淭oday marks a significant milestone in Reynolds鈥� sustainability journey and demonstrates our long-term commitment to environmental stewardship,鈥� said Bernd Meyer, executive vice president of operations at the Reynolds organization. 鈥淲ith the WaterHub now operational, we expect to reduce water withdrawn at the Reynolds Operations Center by more than 40%, which in turn is anticipated to reduce water withdrawn across the global BAT Group by approximately 6%.鈥�
The WaterHub is a lighthouse project in the global BAT Group, significantly advancing the the global Group鈥檚 sustainability agenda through its scale and impact. Through the WaterHub, Reynolds is contributing to the global BAT Group鈥檚 goal of reducing water withdrawn by 35% across global operations. One of the few projects of its size in the United States using advanced water reclamation technologies, the WaterHub enables Reynolds鈥� operating facilities to reduce dependence on potable water for factory utility operations, conserving water in Forsyth County鈥檚 Yadkin-Pee Dee River Basin.
鈥淭he WaterHub is a prime example of how innovation can advance both sustainability and resilience,鈥� said Guillaume Clairet, chief operations officer at H2O Innovation. 鈥淏y supporting partners like Reynolds in conserving water and achieving their environmental goals, we鈥檙e proud to play a role in their journey toward water positivity.鈥�
The surrounding WaterHub site will serve as a sustainability showcase for the organization and include a 1300 square foot native garden with over 400 plants of 24 different species to promote biodiversity and multiple sustainable technology installations. Reynolds received a SEAL Business Sustainability Award in the Environmental Initiatives category for the WaterHub project and was recently recognized with an Award of Excellence by Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Utilities for its Industrial Waste Pretreatment Program for 2024. The Reynolds Operations Center also maintains Alliance for Water Stewardship certification, a globally applicable framework for sustainable water management to better understand water use and impacts.