The tobacco industry is evolving, not just in products but also in processes. What can we do to lower our carbon footprint? One area of interest is in recycling wastewater in manufacturing facilities. After making nicotine products at our facilities, the equipment is washed with water. This water is collected, classified as hazardous waste, and then shipped for disposal due to the possible presence of nicotine. The disposal costs are high because the waste is shipped to incineration facilities outside of North Carolina. The transportation creates a large carbon footprint, and the incineration of the water adds to this footprint.

Onsite experiments using ion exchange resin and activated carbon have shown at least a 99.5 % reduction in the amount of nicotine in wash water and a projected 95 % reduction in water volume sent for hazardous waste disposal. In addition, activated carbon adjusts the pH of the water close to neutral. The goal would be to recycle water in the facility to contribute to BAT's environmental sustainability goals while reducing the carbon footprint by eliminating the need of transportation outside of North Carolina.