GUMMY PRODUCTION AND INNOVATION


its own consumption, but that does not eliminate the risk created if an important agricultural region becomes unable to produce sufficient raw material. The objective therefore becomes


broader: protecting watersheds, improving farming efficiency and maintaining the long-term productivity of the landscapes supplying ingredients.


Ecolab: making water measurable The challenge for many manufacturers is knowing where their biggest opportunities actually lie. In January 2026, Ecolab and CDP announced the Water Use Efficiency Index, intended to provide companies with sector- specific benchmarks for operational water performance. The initiative initially focuses on beverage and brewing within the wider food, beverage and agriculture sector, using CDP’s corporate water disclosures alongside Ecolab’s operational expertise. The underlying principle has wider


relevance to confectionery: water efficiency needs to be measured before it can be systematically improved. Ecolab says water use efficiency is one


of the most immediate and controllable levers available to companies operating in water-stressed regions, with improved efficiency potentially reducing costs while strengthening resilience. Its Index draws on more than 10,000 corporate water disclosures and Ecolab data from millions of customer locations across 40 industries and 170 countries. “By combining CDP’s leading disclosure


data with Ecolab’s industry water use expertise, we are giving companies a clear view of where they stand operationally compared to industry norms and best-in- class performance,” says Emilio Tenuta, SVP


SUSTAINABLE WATER AND ENERGY USAGE


and Chief Sustainability Officer at Ecolab. That measurement-first approach is


particularly applicable to processes such as cleaning, cooling and wastewater treatment. Ecolab’s food and beverage work demonstrates how changes to cleaning regimes and water-treatment systems can reduce water and energy consumption simultaneously.


Water saving has an energy cost Perhaps the most useful contribution to the debate comes from GEA, which in August 2026 published a detailed examination of the water-energy relationship in industrial production. The company’s argument is


straightforward: saving water is not automatically sustainable if the energy required to achieve that saving is disproportionately high. “Saving water is never free,” says


Dr Stefan Pecoroni, Vice President of Sustainability, Process Technology & Innovation at GEA. “If you want to close loops you must factor in energy use, operating efforts and CO emissions.” The point is particularly relevant as


manufacturers increasingly explore water recycling and closed-loop systems. Reuse may reduce freshwater intake, but recycled water often needs to be pumped, filtered, treated or otherwise conditioned before it can return to production. GEA therefore argues that companies


should assess water-saving projects according to their total cost of ownership, taking water, wastewater, energy, maintenance and operating costs into account. The company provides an example from the dairy industry in which optimisation of an existing membrane-cleaning process reduced water use by 48% and electricity use during cleaning by 77%. The system


MONDELZ INTERNATIONAL REPORTED IN APRIL 2026 THAT IT HAD EXCEEDED ITS


2025 TARGET FOR REDUCING ABSOLUTE WATER USE AT PRIORITY


MANUFACTURING SITES


46 • KENNEDY’S CONFECTION • AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2026


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