March 22, 2026: The 34th World Water Day

March 22, 2026, marks the 34th World Water Day, and March 22-28 will be the 39th China Water Week. The theme for World Water Day 2026 is "Water and Gender," and the theme for China Water Week is "National Water Network, Century-Long Landscape," focusing on building a water security barrier and promoting sustainable water resource development.

As a company deeply rooted in the steel industry and committed to green development, Hebei Yongyang Special Steel Group has always kept in mind that "water is the source of life, the key to production, and the foundation of ecology." It deeply integrates water resource protection with its corporate development, embodying the environmental philosophy of "moving mountains with the determination of the Foolish Old Man, daring to change smog into blue skies," and has embarked on a green transformation path of "water conservation, water protection, and water recycling," fulfilling its corporate social responsibility and responding to the call of World Water Day for "equal protection of water."

"Water is the origin of life and the foundation of civilization. When we protect every drop of water, we are actually protecting the common future of humanity."
 

Using technology to protect water, building a solid "hard defense" for recycling.

As a major water user, the steel industry's efficient use of water resources is key to its green transformation. Yongyang Special Steel has abandoned the traditional high-water-consumption model, adhering to the principles of "investment first, superior performance compared to peers, and equipment that remains up-to-date for ten years." It has built a modern water treatment center with a total investment of over 53 million yuan, integrating four functional modules: production water treatment, domestic sewage treatment, wastewater pretreatment, and advanced treatment, achieving closed-loop management of the entire plant's water system.

In the central control room of Yongyang Special Steel's water treatment center, a large monitoring screen tracks the real-time operation of each water treatment workshop, truly ensuring that "every drop of water has a destination and every resource is not wasted." Production and domestic wastewater are collected through a dedicated pipeline network and undergo multiple advanced treatment processes, including high-density tanks, rapid filters, and reverse osmosis-ultrafiltration. Demineralized water and high-purity water are reused for high-end applications such as boiler feedwater and circulating water systems, while concentrated brine is used for blast furnace slag flushing water, forming a closed-loop model of "wastewater recovery—advanced treatment—recycling." Currently, the plant's water resource reuse rate exceeds 98.9%.

The company's plant has a nearly 10,000-cubic-meter rainwater collection tank, employing a rainwater and sewage separation system. Rainwater is collected in the collection tank via a pipeline network, then pumped to a water treatment center. After treatment to meet standards, it is used as production water.

Simultaneously, the company decisively abandoned groundwater extraction and applied to lay a dedicated water supply pipeline, introducing high-quality water from the South-to-North Water Diversion Project as its main source of water for production. This "South-to-North Water Diversion" not only extends the service life of production equipment and improves product yield, but also reduces the overall utilization cost per ton of water, achieving a win-win situation for both environmental and economic benefits. This technological innovation solves the "high water consumption" problem in the steel industry.

Protecting Water with Responsibility: Practicing the "Original Aspiration" of Green Development

The world is facing an increasingly severe water resource crisis. Water scarcity and climate change are intertwined, profoundly impacting the achievement of sustainable development goals. Yongyang Special Steel deeply understands the urgency of water resource protection and integrates water conservation into every aspect of its production and operation, starting from details and focusing on the source to build a solid water resource protection defense line.

The company has comprehensively implemented refined water-saving management, popularizing water-saving appliances in all production workshops, office areas, and employee living areas, installing "card reader" faucets, and guiding all employees to develop water-saving habits. It has established and improved water resource management systems, clarified water use standards at each stage, and regularly conducted special water-saving inspections and technical upgrades to continuously reduce water consumption per unit of product, deeply embedding the concept of "saving water is everyone's responsibility" in the hearts of every Yongyang employee.

Beyond its own water conservation, Yongyang Special Steel proactively extends its environmental responsibility. Leveraging its "National Green Factory" advantage, it actively participates in regional water resource protection public welfare activities, popularizing water-saving knowledge, spreading green concepts, and encouraging surrounding enterprises and the public to participate in water protection actions. Through practical actions, it practices the corporate spirit of "giving back to society" and helps build a positive atmosphere of "everyone protecting water and jointly safeguarding water security."

Promoting the enterprise through green development, jointly painting a "new picture" of sustainable development.

Water conservation and protection benefit the present and future generations. Yongyang Special Steel has always adhered to the environmental protection concept of "building a garden-style factory and following the path of green development," closely integrating water resource protection with "dual-carbon" goals and green transformation. It has invested 1.3 billion yuan in purchasing advanced environmental protection equipment from home and abroad, and introduced high-tech from Japan, Germany, Switzerland, and other countries. This has enabled organized dust emissions to meet ultra-low emission standards in the steel industry, creating a green factory area with "no smoke above and no dust below," allowing steel production and ecological protection to coexist harmoniously.

From the efficient utilization of water resources from the South-to-North Water Diversion Project to the closed-loop management of wastewater treatment and recycling; from continuous innovation in water-saving technologies to the deep cultivation of water protection awareness among all employees; from fulfilling corporate environmental responsibility to responding to the global call for water governance, Yongyang Special Steel interprets the development philosophy of "diligence and thrift, never forgetting its original aspirations" through practical actions, demonstrating the responsibility and commitment of a steel enterprise. It has successively passed the certification of Hebei Province's water-saving enterprise, the acceptance of the China Iron and Steel Industry Association's "Dual-Carbon Best Practice Energy Efficiency Benchmark Demonstration Process," and carbon footprint certification for its flat steel series products, becoming a benchmark enterprise for green transformation in the steel industry.

In the future, Yongyang Special Steel will continue to uphold its commitment to green development, continue to delve into the efficient utilization and protection of water resources, continuously optimize water-saving technologies and improve the recycling system, and promote the steel industry towards a greener, more efficient and more sustainable direction, contributing Yongyang's strength to the realization of Chinese-style modernization in harmony with nature!