Environment
Water Use
Water is vital to our production process, where it’s used for rinsing, heating, cooling and washing. It’s also our single biggest product ingredient. We’re therefore determined to use water in a responsible, sustainable way.
The use of water is rightly becoming an important and high-profile issue, particularly in parts of the world that are prone to droughts. According to the UN, up to two-thirds of the world’s population may be suffering moderate to severe water shortages by 2025. Water use is something we all need to take extremely seriously.
The availability of water may be less of a concern in Britain than in some of the other markets in which we operate. That said, the water shortages in the South East of England in 2006 highlighted the issue. Even before 2006, the amount of water used by industry was a focus of attention. DEFRA’s Food Industry Sustainability Strategy, published in April 2006, suggests that “to adjust to pressures on supplies of water and to bear its share of the reduction in water use, the industry as a whole needs to reduce its use of water by 10-15% by 2020 and by 20-25% in the South East.”
The availability, quality and conservation of water is vital to our business success and the future health of the planet – two very good reasons why we now have policies in place to ensure we use water responsibly and manage it sustainably. Water conservation and re-use programmes are now active at all our manufacturing sites. We’re also working with the international community to meet the world’s water challenges. This section provides an overview of some of our current activities.
CCE is using its experience, knowledge and strong track record on water stewardship to examine best practice, look at ways of working and identify barriers.” David Jones, Deputy Director, Food and Farming – Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Our water usage in Great Britain
We focus on three main areas:
