Round Table DebatesWater Efficiency SPONSORED BY
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What strategies are companies using to reduce water consumption? And should they accept responsibility for its use in the supply chain? Editor Tom Idle listened to the answers at the latest SB Round Table Debate
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n the cosy library of County Hall our select group of business leaders were reminded of the theme of this latest Round Table Debate by the view from the window; water seemingly slapping the walls of Parliament on the other side of the River Thames. With such a strong focus on energy and carbon, the danger is that water will continue as the forgotten element of environmental policy; not just in the UK, but worldwide. The likes of Nestlé, Cadbury, PepsiCo and Branston are concerned. But with a lack of directed policy, fiscal incentives or regula- tion in this area, businesses are struggling to develop effective water efficiency strategies. Timely then to gather a selection of them togeth- er to discuss what is happening and what needs to happen next.
Simon Parsons: Water is back on the public agenda, but also corporate agendas. Back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, there was a big drive by industrial companies to reduce water use. But there has not been a substantial change in 10 or 15 years. So, how do you approach this? What strategies have you used that have been successful? And what’s the ideal starting point?
Martin Seal: Our starting point was senior commitment; the fact that we have a senior on the Board representing sustainability means that targets have been cascaded through. All our sites have a specific water reduction target to aim for. We’ve then taken that to our staff and really driven a lot of that reduction through them. We managed to reduce the amount of water per unit by 42% over a seven- year period. At the moment, we are looking at the amount of water we can physically recycle within the factory. Can we reach a stage where
Heads together: the debate gets under way at County Hall, London
we can take the wastewater from our factory, clean it to an appropriate level to re-use all of it? What are the food safety implications in that?
Richard Harpin: It would be interesting to start off with asking why companies want to reduce their water usage; it is probably not the cost of water. No. It’s about risk: physical risk from the lack of water; reputational risk; and regulatory risk. Companies are often multina- tional so their supply chains are in different countries. Some of those are water scarce – that is where the risk comes. You can be making
improvements in areas where it may not be hav- ing any impact at all.
There is a need for companies to come together in the catchments. It’s difficult because of competition and often companies do not want to disclose exactly what they are doing. But there is a really big advantage, especially in developing countries where there is often poor regulation, for companies to help raise their game, demonstrate best practice and influence governments to bring in water reforms.
Simon Parsons: There were lots of nods around Sustainable Business | August/September 2010 | 31
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