Sustainable water management was the focus of the 10th edition of the CII Paper and Pulp Summit, held on 1 July 2025, in New Delhi. The summit, with the theme ‘Towards Future-Ready Enterprises: Advancing Innovative Water Solutions,’ aimed to push the Indian pulp and paper industry into action amid rising concerns of freshwater usage and environmental sustainability.
Discussing how the issue could be resolved, Pawan Agarwal, president of the Indian Paper Manufacturers Association (IPMA), and the chairman of the summit, said the focus should be on ‘future readiness’ and ‘innovative water solutions.’
“The paper industry has not been in the good books as far as freshwater consumption is concerned,” Agarwal said, acknowledging that regulatory bodies such as the Central Groundwater Authority (CGWA) have rightly increased scrutiny on industries reliant on groundwater. Calling for a complete shift in mindset, Agarwal said the industry must look at alternative water sources and implement radical conservation measures.
Photo- IPP
Despite the criticism, Agarwal also highlighted the progress made by the Indian paper industry over the years. According to Agarwal, specific freshwater consumption dropped from 200 cubic meters per ton of paper produced to below 50, with some mills achieving as low as 30 cubic meters per ton. However, he stressed this should not be the end goal. “We have to bring it down to single digits. That should be our target.”
To achieve this, he urged paper mills to abandon intermittent and selective approaches to a comprehensive, process-wide strategy. “We must close the loop at every individual section, or even sub-section, of our operations,” he said. He pointed out that mixing water streams complicates treatment and leads to inefficiencies that can be resolved with solutions such as membrane technologies and various combinations of membrane technologies. However, as solutions are costly, they need to be approached in a cost-efficient manner with innovations from technology providers.
According to Agarwal, the road to water sustainability lies in a combination of various solutions. “First, industries must adopt equipment with the lowest possible specific freshwater consumption. Every machine and component, especially in pulp-making and stock preparation, must be scrutinized for its water use. Second, the industry needs to change its perception of backwater. Backwater must be treated and reused across various sections. It is as important as fresh water,” he said. By segmenting and recycling water within each process loop, mills can reduce their dependency on fresh inputs.
Embracing Technology and AI
Agarwal emphasized the need to leverage technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), to optimize water usage. “We should develop indigenous AI technologies that can track water footprint across every section and sub-section,” he said. Such tools can enable real-time monitoring of effluent properties, helping mills make informed decisions and create efficient algorithms for treatment and reuse.
Challenging the belief that more recycling degrades product quality, he said, “It’s just an excuse. We have seen that it is possible to recycle and still maintain the quality of our products.”
Agarwal appealed to paper mills to remain open to new technologies and engage with solution providers for advanced technology to enhance productivity with minimal consumption of water.
