French water management

Water is a rare and precious resource. Every effort has to be made not to waste it.

Solenn Heuzé
October 27, 2021

Water is a rare and precious resource. Every effort has to be made not to waste it.

As of 1958, Hénaff pioneered environmental initiatives by setting up a wastewater treatment system; in 2008, Jean Hénaff commissioned the construction of a wastewater treatment plant and an organic wastewater spreading system.

Jean Hénaff’s french water management since the 50s

Water management is significant for Jean Hénaff  since its very creation in 1907. From collection to discharge, the company takes great care to safeguard water resources throughout the entire water cycle. This explains the original decision to establish the plant next to a river, along with the construction of its own water tower during the 1950s

Protecting water resources and biodiversity | Be good 2030

French water management: being an example to follow

Estimating a quantified target on the long-term is not an easy task. The aim is to keep the indicators of water consumption at their strict minimum. As this year, Jean Hénaff took into consideration the measures from the two subsidiaries of GlobeXplore and Kervern, the water consumption is higher than in 2019 (73 168m3). The chemical oxygen demand is quite the same. It was 0.37 COD/kg in 2019. Water resource comes from our wells and drillings and is stored in its water tower.

The company is fully autonomous in water supply. The water quality is checked on a daily basis by Hénaff dedicated staff. The French Departmental Public Protection Directorate (DDPP) also makes some monitoring and testing to ensure a full transparency. Thanks to regular reflections about how to manage water,the consumption is at its lowest level since 2014 with only a slight rise by 0.21% in 2020 compared with 2019.

This questioning has an impact on each grade within the company:

  • Organizing the production to optimize cleaning
  • Using more efficient cleaning tools
  • Raising employee’s awareness of reducing water consumption

What’s the water lifecycle at Jean hénaff? | French water management


This strong environmental concern also applies upstream when water is pumping from our own wells and boreholes. Then, its biologically treat with activated carbon before being used in our workshops.

The water is stored in our own water tank and allows us to be autonomous.

Our concern supplies also downstream with the discharge of waters into the natural environment:

  • In Summer, we supply local farmers to spread on fields, it allows to create a virtuous circular economy.
  • From October to May, the water returns in the stream called “Virgule”.

The environment is at the heart of the process, and farmers also reap the benefits through a virtuous circular economy.

Is this french water management testing?

Our team controls the treatment of the wastewater through water withdrawal and tests.

Monitoring and testing are also carried out by the DDPP (Departmental Directorate for the Protection of Populations) in order to ensure complete transparency.

The quality monitoring in ensured by a third party that makes sure there is no negative impact on the breton environment or on the health of living beings.


In 2007, the Loire-Brittany water board awarded Jean Hénaff this distinction, in the category “Water Management in the Industrial Sector”. The fruit of a long-standing commitment to environmental respect, implemented in particular by a sensible and responsible use of water

Thanks to ongoing reflections on good water-related practices, consumption is at its lowest since 2014 with a single slight increase of 0.021% in 2020 compared to 2021.

Today, water management plays a significant role in our CSR policy and is categorize in 3 mains areas:

  • Jean Hénaff production are organized to optimism the cleaning process
  • Cleaning tools become more and more efficient
  • Employees are aware and concerned about water economy

Water drinkability testing results shown the high quality of water. The French drinking water standards indicate that water is potable if it contains no more than 50 mg of nitrate per liter of water and 500 μg of pesticide per liter of water.


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Solenn Heuzé

Gastronomy lover and 100% passionate about Brittany, France! I'm part of the Boutique de France's adventure since the beginning and proud to put forward our gastronomic culture!

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