Industry leads drive to reduce water use

An industry-wide framework to slash water use by food and drink processors, driven by the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) and Envirowise, was announced this week in London.

The partners have developed the Federation House Commitment on water use, similar to the Courtauld Commitment between Waste Resources Action Programme and major food retailers to reduce household packaging waste.

In total, 21 food and drink firms have already signed up, including Coca-Cola Enterprises, Nestlé and Unilever, pledging to reduce current levels of water use by 20% by 2020. The scheme is open to all in the industry.

"They agree to develop a 2007 baseline of water use, then have an assessment of their water use, develop site-by-site plans to reduce it and deliver against those plans," said FDF sustainability director Callton Young. He said the initiative also formed part of a campaign to secure more current data on energy use and waste.

Dr Stuart Ballinger, strategy manager for Envirowise, said: "We welcome this agreement because it is industry-led. It represents saving 140Ml of water per day." Envirowise is trying to get Dairy UK, among others, on board. "Dairy as a subsector has a big hand in recording water use," said Ballinger.

Companies involved will get annual reports on water use, plus associated cost savings and a government-backed environmental improvement service, assisted by Envirowise.

The agreement forms one of the planks of the FDF's fivefold Sustainability Strategy, which plans to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 20% by 2010 and 30% by 2030. Other targets include eliminating food and packaging going to landfill by 2015 and cutting packaging going to households by 340,000t by 2010 (compared with 2005). Fewer food miles and a 20% cut from 2002 levels in environmental and social impacts of distribution by 2012 is the final aim.