2021 Owens Corning Sustainability Report | Reducing Our Environmental Footprint | Responsible Water | 173 SPEAKING OF SUSTAINABILITY With her extensive background as an environment, health, and safety (EHS) professional, Irina Chashchina has been bringing her passion and her expertise to our plant in Gous-Khroustalny, Russia, for the past four years. In her current role as environmental lead, Irina has been a key player in our efforts to use and source water responsibly. These include smaller efforts that increase our efficiency as well as larger projects that are having a dramatic impact. Irina shares her views on responsible water use and why it is essential to reducing our footprint. Photo courtesy of Irina Chashchina On the example Owens Corning can set throughout our industry The shortage of fresh water is now more important than ever. Because Owens Corning is a manufacturing company, I think we are the ones who should be concerned about this the most. Although it’s true we are not the largest consumer or polluter of water compared with other production companies in the world, nevertheless, we can’t stand back. We are responsible not only for the current impact that we can observe, but also for the heritage we leave to the next generations. And we are working on it — I do hope that our company is a bright example for other production companies in water consumption. On the steps we can take to save water on our sites and in our lives At our plant, we are focused on the elimination of obvious problems that don’t require excessive time and cost. In parallel, we provided an analysis of water data and audited different pipelines and wells. Thanks to development of water balance and water losses, we defined projects and installed water meters on major consumer sources and monitor water consumption on a daily basis to understand where we have issues in water consumption. And my personal water savings routine consists of small steps that might seem invisible. For example, at home I use sensor water taps, I use rain and melt water to water the plants, and my home devices like the washing machine and dishwasher have high water economy rates. I think the steps are applicable for everybody and if we all make the effort, it will make a great difference. On the most important strategies for responsible water use The first thing is understanding the water balance and losses. Second, we should apply the latest innovations for water recycling and water usage. Third, sharing best practices between our plants and businesses is very important. Of course, engaging people to take the initiative is always welcome in our sites and in our company. Every employee plays an important role, so we appreciate their ideas and we are open for the dialogue. They shouldn’t be afraid to share their thoughts and projects with their teams. We are responsible not only for our current impact, but also for the heritage we leave to the next generations. ” “ Irina Chashchina Environmental Lead