Wastewater Discharge assesses how a company manages the volume and quality of treated (or untreated) effluent it releases to surface water, groundwater, municipal treatment works or marine environments. It covers:

• identification of process, sanitary, cooling and storm-water streams, their segregation and flow monitoring;
• on-site and third-party treatment technologies (primary, secondary, tertiary, advanced oxidation, membrane, zero-liquid-discharge) that remove contaminants to meet permit or basin-specific standards;
• quantification and reporting of key parameters - biological/chemical oxygen demand (BOD/COD), total suspended solids, nutrients (N, P), salinity, temperature, priority chemicals, heavy metals, PFAS, microplastics;
• compliance with local regulations and voluntary frameworks (e.g., EU Water Framework Directive, U.S. NPDES, IFC EHS Guidelines) and alignment with disclosure standards such as GRI 303-4/5 and EU ESRS E3.