The water content of sugar beets is around 80 percent. This water is extracted during the juice extraction, evaporation, and crystallization stages of the refinement process. We also use the water for other processing steps (e.g. to wash the sugar beets). By carefully controlling the water cycle, our refineries operate virtually independently of other sources of water. This is because the sugar beets themselves supply almost the entire amount of water needed for processing. In the end, we reduce our water use and lower the environmental impact associated with water purification and wastewater treatment.