WATER MANAGEMENT
The company’s water supply comes from three primary sources: surface water, groundwater, and municipal water, depending on the location and quantity needed. Our industrial operations primarily produce pulp, paper, paperboard, molded pulp, and tissue products.
The company’s water supply comes from three primary sources: surface water, groundwater, and municipal water, depending on the location and quantity needed. Our industrial operations primarily produce pulp, paper, paperboard, molded pulp, and tissue products.
Our corporate goal for sustainable development is to reduce industrial water use per ton of product by 25% by 2026, including all our plants in the eight countries where we operate in Latin America.
GOAL 6.4:
By 2030, significantly increase the efficient use of water resources in all segments and ensure the sustainability of freshwater extraction and supply to address water scarcity and significantly reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity.
To achieve this goal, the 2025 Water Roadmap was drafted, a plan composed of strategies and projects aimed at reducing water use, which facilitates the identification of the current state and future projections concerning meeting the 2025 goal throughout CMPC’s businesses. The Water Roadmap is a “live” document and its low level of uncertainty allows it to be used as a reliable monitoring and control tool for compliance with the 2026 Water Goal.
In 2022, a new governance was established for CMPC’s “Water Use Reduction” Beyond Focus, which considers the creation of the Water Technical Operational Committee, whose objective is to update the roadmap based on progress, detect critical routes, threats, reduction opportunities and establish priorities. This committee meets every two weeks, by plant/business/sub-business and is made up of the following areas (Offices and Departments) of the Company, being led by the Environment, Health and Safety Department’s Water Resources and Effluents Office: Environmental Projects and New Businesses, Studies, Operational Environmental Management, Innovation, Projects and Plant’s Management.
Several of the Roadmap’s initiatives entail recovery and recirculation of water and the improvement of operational efficiency. Some of the projects and initiatives that contributed to the advancing toward the water goal in 2025 were:
| Plant | Project / Initiative | Status | Water Reduction (m³/t) | Water Reduction (m³/day) |
| Santa Fe | Replacement of water-cooled HVAC units with air-cooled systems in electrical rooms | Sequential start-up from Oct 2024 to Apr 2025 | 2.42 | 9,591 |
| Guaíba | Cooling water recovery from the wastewater treatment network | Implemented Jan 2025 | 0.61 | 3,284 |
| Pacífico | Cooling water recovery from turbogenerators 1, 2 and 3 | Implemented May 2025 | 5.50 | 8,520 |
| Pacífico | White water reuse project | Implemented Oct 2025 | 0.53 | 720 |
| Laja | Recovery of water from MS2 to bleaching process | Implemented Jul 2025 | 0.16 | 147 |
| Laja | Valve automation for hot water recovery to TK2 | Implemented Jun 2025 | 0.27 | 240 |
| Maderas | Irrigation reduction in log yards at sawmills | Permanent implementation from Apr 2025 | 0.1 | 130 |
Find out more about our water-related initiatives in our Sustainability Report 2025
Find out more about our water-related initiatives in our Sustainability Report 2025
Water Stress and Associated Risks
Water risks are directly related to water availability and the quality of discharges, which is particularly critical in territories with increasing levels of water stress.
Mexico is facing a water crisis, with 88% of its municipalities affected by drought, pollution, and overexploitation of water resources. According to the Drought Monitor of the National Water Commission (Conagua), Altamira is among the most severely impacted municipalities, currently experiencing “exceptional” drought conditions (D4)—the highest level of intensity, indicating an extremely severe drought. In 2024, this risk materialized when Softys experienced a water supply disruption at its Altamira plant, resulting in a cost of USD $12,857,000.
Hence, water stress remains a key consideration for CMPC’s operations. In 2025, approximately 61% of the Company’s total water withdrawal originated from water-stressed areas, equivalent to 55.6 million m³ of water. To address this challenge, CMPC applies the WRI Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas and site-specific hydrological assessments to identify risks and prioritize mitigation actions. The Company continued improving water-use efficiency during the year, reducing water collection intensity from 26.01 m³/t in 2024 to 24.92 m³/t in 2025, supporting greater operational resilience in water-stressed regions.
Water risks are directly related to water availability and the quality of discharges, which is particularly critical in territories with increasing levels of water stress.
Mexico is facing a water crisis, with 88% of its municipalities affected by drought, pollution, and overexploitation of water resources. According to the Drought Monitor of the National Water Commission (Conagua), Altamira is among the most severely impacted municipalities, currently experiencing “exceptional” drought conditions (D4)—the highest level of intensity, indicating an extremely severe drought. In 2024, this risk materialized when Softys experienced a water supply disruption at its Altamira plant, resulting in a cost of USD $12,857,000.
Hence, water stress remains a key consideration for CMPC’s operations. In 2025, approximately 61% of the Company’s total water withdrawal originated from water-stressed areas, equivalent to 55.6 million m³ of water. To address this challenge, CMPC applies the WRI Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas and site-specific hydrological assessments to identify risks and prioritize mitigation actions. The Company continued improving water-use efficiency during the year, reducing water collection intensity from 26.01 m³/t in 2024 to 24.92 m³/t in 2025, supporting greater operational resilience in water-stressed regions.
Water efficiency improvement in stresssed areas
| Year | Water collected per metric ton of production (m³/t) |
| 2024 | 26.01 |
| 2025 | 24.92 |
As part of water efficiency management, Softys began conducting an assessment of water use across its facilities with an external consultant in 2024, which includes a hydrological study and water audits. The initiative aims to address water stress at several sites in Latin America and guide the development of action plans aimed at improving water use efficiency.
As a result, in 2025 the reductions in water withdrawal and specific water consumption at Softys were driven by increased water recirculation from wastewater treatment plants back into the production process (paper machines). One of the most significant improvements of such initiatives was achieved at the Talagante mill in Chile, where the water recirculation rate increased from 30% to 60%.
As part of water efficiency management, Softys began conducting an assessment of water use across its facilities with an external consultant in 2024, which includes a hydrological study and water audits. The initiative aims to address water stress at several sites in Latin America and guide the development of action plans aimed at improving water use efficiency.
As a result, in 2025 the reductions in water withdrawal and specific water consumption at Softys were driven by increased water recirculation from wastewater treatment plants back into the production process (paper machines). One of the most significant improvements of such initiatives was achieved at the Talagante mill in Chile, where the water recirculation rate increased from 30% to 60%.
2026 GOAL: REDUCE INDUSTRIAL WATER USE PER PRODUCED TON BY 25%
| 2018 Baseline | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2025 Goal | |
| Performance (m3/t) | 30.82 | 29.13 | 28.05 | 27.63 | 26.01 | 24.95 | 23.1 (-25%) |
| Annual variation (m3/t) | – | 1.67 | 2.74 | 3.17 | 4.79 | 5.85 | 7.70 |
| Progress (%) | – | 21.7% | 35.7% | 41.2% | 62.2% | 76.0% | 100% |
Note: Values are readjusted to include new acquisitions – SEPAC and Panamericana.
COLLECTION, DISCHARGE, AND INDUSTRIAL CONSUMPTION (M3)
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
| Collection | 203,935,768 | 195,375,256 | 191,077,351 | 183,981,312 | 180,758,704 |
| Discharge | 167,846,252 | 163,118,207 | 164,970,538 | 157,519,346 | 153,217,740 |
| Consumption | 36,090,516 | 32,257,049 | 26,106,812 | 26,461,965 | 27,540,964 |
PERCENTAGE OF WATER COLLECTION BY SOURCE
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
| Surface water | 91.16% | 91.06% | 91.5% | 91.60% | 92.38% |
| Ground-water | 7.63% | 7.73% | 7.5% | 7.34% | 6.83% |
| Water supplied by third parties | 1.20% | 1.21% | 1.0% | 1.06% | 0.80% |
PERCENTAGE OF WATER DISCHARGE BY DESTINATION
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
| Surface water | 98.04% | 98.12% | 98.36% | 98.02% | 98.39% |
| Ground-water | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Water supplied by third parties | 1.86% | 1.77% | 1.59% | 1.90% | 1.55% |
| Ocean | 0.09% | 0.11% | 0.06 | 0.07% | 0.06% |
