In a world where freshwater demand is set to exceed availability by 40% by 2030, the seafood industry faces a silent yet decisive challenge: the vast water footprint of its industrial processes. Every year, millions of cubic meters of potable or high-quality processed water are used for fish thawing, a critical step to preserve product safety and quality, but at the end of the cycle, this stream becomes an effluent loaded with organic matter, fats, and dissolved salts. Typically discarded without further use, it represents not only a loss of water but also of valuable nutrients that could be recovered.
This project breaks that linear inertia and proposes a paradigm shift: capturing, treating, and reusing thawing water through a system of pre-filtration, physico-chemical treatment, and advanced chlorine-free disinfection, producing a safe resource for reintegration into non-critical processes or secondary uses within the plant. The solution transforms a high-impact wastewater stream into a source of water savings and operational improvement, reducing freshwater intake by over 25% and preventing pollutant discharges.
The magnitude of the change is tangible: if this model were replicated across all fish processing plants in a coastal region like Galicia, more than 1.5 million m³ could be recovered annually, the equivalent of the domestic consumption of 20,000 people. Under the Water Positive approach and VWBA 2.0 methodology, the benefit is not only volumetric but also qualitative, with physical and digital traceability ensuring additionality, intentionality, and third-party verification.
In a context where industrial competitiveness will increasingly be tied to sustainable water management, this intervention is not just a technical upgrade: it is a resilience, reputation, and leadership strategy that redefines the seafood sector’s relationship with the planet’s most valuable resource.
The challenge arises from a common operational reality: water used for fish thawing, required in large volumes and under strict quality control to ensure food safety, is used only once and then discharged as wastewater. This stream not only represents high water consumption (in a medium-sized plant it can exceed 150 m³/day) but also generates liquid waste with a high organic load and fats, increasing treatment costs and the risk of non-compliance with environmental regulations.
The technical opportunity lies in recovering this resource through a modular treatment system consisting of solids separation, dissolved air flotation, precision filtration, and UV plus advanced oxidation disinfection. This technology, proven in agri-food environments, delivers regenerated water with safe physico-chemical and microbiological parameters for reuse in industrial cleaning operations, cooling towers, pre-washing, or irrigation of internal green areas.
The expected impact is immediate: a 25–35% reduction in mains or well water abstraction, direct savings on water bills and wastewater treatment costs, and a significant decrease in the water footprint per ton processed. In the medium and long term, the company strengthens its resilience against water restrictions, enhances compliance with ESG standards, and aligns with international certifications such as AWS or BRC that value water efficiency and circularity.
This model is replicable in any seafood or agri-food facility operating with intensive thawing processes and is particularly aligned with SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 14 (Life Below Water). Acting now not only reduces risks and costs, it positions the company as a pioneer in an inevitable industrial transition where water is no longer a disposable input but a strategic asset.
The project incorporates a modular treatment system designed to operate autonomously, scalable, and adaptable to various plant capacities. This system integrates advanced technologies to simultaneously address both the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of water used in thermal processes:
This combination of technologies enables a net water consumption reduction of over 85% in treated lines and significantly improves final effluent quality. Additionality is verified by comparing pre- and post-intervention water use and pollutant loads, under VWBA 2.0 and WQBA frameworks.
The project unfolds in three progressive phases, each with defined technical objectives, controls, and indicators to ensure traceability, operational efficiency, and compliance with additionality and permanence criteria.
Phase 1 – Diagnosis (0–3 months): A comprehensive characterization of the plant’s water system is performed, including measurements of inlet/outlet flows for thermal processes, operational temperatures, and key water quality parameters (BOD, COD, TSS, fats). Specific water consumption per production unit (m³/ton processed) is determined, and applicable regulatory frameworks for discharge and reuse are analyzed. Digital flow meters, accredited lab analysis with composite sampling, and internal audits establish a precise water baseline. The phase concludes with a regulatory compliance plan and preliminary design specifications.
Phase 2 – Technical Pilot (3–9 months): A full-scale pilot treatment module is installed, including thermal recovery, multi-layer filtration, advanced oxidation (ozone + UV-C), and dual-pass UV disinfection. A SCADA system with multiparametric sensors ensures operational precision. Metrics include daily volumes of treated/reused water, organic contaminant removal percentages, and thermal energy recovery. Physical-chemical and microbiological sampling validate system efficiency and scalability.
Phase 3 – Scale-up and Monitoring (9–24 months): The solution is deployed plant-wide. Modules are integrated at all critical water-use points, operations are adjusted to maximize reuse without compromising food safety, and a digital dashboard linked to Aqua Positive is activated for real-time project KPI reporting. Rigorous controls—sensor calibration, external validation under VWBA/WQBA, and independent audits—are applied. Key metrics include annual net water savings, internal reuse rate (vs. baseline), and continuous compliance with discharge standards.
This phased, technically robust approach ensures a scalable implementation with iterative learning, scientific validation of results, and full alignment with corporate and regulatory sustainability frameworks.
This project was conceived as a technical, environmental, and strategic response to the water-related challenges faced by the seafood processing industry in Ecuador’s coastal zones, particularly in the provinces of Esmeraldas, Guayas, and Manabí. These regions, in addition to being hubs of significant industrial activity in fishing, shrimp farming, and agro-export sectors, form part of a coastal strip with watersheds under severe water stress, organic contamination, and structural vulnerability to climate change.
From its conception, the project aligns with the principles of the VWBA 2.0 framework, also integrating Water Quality Benefit Accounting (WQBA) criteria to ensure rigorous measurement of both volumetric savings and improvements in water quality. The intervention begins with an exhaustive technical diagnosis that defines the water consumption baseline, critical points of use, discharge parameters, and the thermal efficiency of the processes. This baseline is established through the use of digital flow meters, laboratory analyses for the characterization of BOD, COD, TSS, and fats, as well as energy records and assessment of environmental regulatory compliance.
Based on that diagnosis, a modular, scalable, and technologically robust solution is designed. This solution incorporates an integrated system for thermal recovery using heat exchangers, multi-layer filtration with granular media of different granulometries (sand, anthracite, zeolite), advanced oxidation combining ozone and UV-C radiation, and a dual-pass UV disinfection chamber that ensures microbiological inactivation without generating hazardous chemical by-products. The treated water is redirected to non-potable uses such as CIP cleaning, tray pre-washing, thermal tunnel cooling, or surface washing, thereby closing the internal water cycle of the plant.
The system is operated and monitored through a SCADA platform integrated with multiparameter sensors (flow, TDS, temperature, turbidity, UVT, COD), allowing automatic, safe, and real-time control, with capabilities for issuing alerts, generating auditable reports, and maintaining historical traceability.
Implementation takes place over three phases. In the first phase (0 to 3 months), all technical data is consolidated, regulatory parameters are adjusted, and engineering specifications are defined. In the second phase (3 to 9 months), a full-scale technical pilot is installed in a selected process line to validate its hydraulic, thermal, and microbiological performance. Treated flow rates, recovered energy, contaminant removal, and operational behavior are all measured. Once the results are verified, the project moves into Phase 3 (9 to 24 months), in which the solution is scaled to the entire plant, operating routines are adjusted, personnel are trained, and a monitoring dashboard is established, linked to the Aqua Positive platform. Benefits generated are reported and certified through independent external audits.
In parallel, key partnerships are developed with relevant stakeholders: government authorities such as MAATE and ARCSA, seafood sector operators, multilateral organizations like CAF, GEF, or BID Lab, and local universities such as ESPOL or PUCE Manabí, which collaborate in technical monitoring and environmental impact evaluation.
The benefit calculation is based on the VWBA A-4 methodology, measuring net reused volume and discounting unavoidable losses due to evaporation or carryover. In terms of quality, the WQBA framework is applied to quantify reductions in pollutant loads within discharges. The benefit period is estimated at 10 years, with biennial validations. Key variables include treated flow, reuse percentage, thermal efficiency, BOD/COD/TSS reduction, and compliance with discharge limits.
The project contributes directly to seven Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 9 (Industry and Innovation), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). Each of these SDGs is reflected in concrete impacts, from relieving pressure on aquifers and coastal bodies to improving operational sustainability, mitigating climate change, and strengthening local water governance.
The monitoring system relies on online sensors, field validation with periodic sampling, and remote sensing to assess changes in water abstraction patterns. All results are reported under the ESRS E3 framework, Science-Based Targets for Water, and CDP Water Disclosure, ensuring traceability, verifiability, and compatibility with international corporate sustainability standards.
In sum, this project represents a replicable model of circular water economy for Ecuador’s coastal food sector, with technical, environmental, and regulatory support, capable of delivering tangible benefits for both the environment and the industry’s competitiveness.
