Federation House Commitment - Progress Report: 2009
Water efficiency actions
Developing an action plan enables manufacturing sites
to assess environmental performance, prioritise actions
and set targets, by:
-
identifying and implementing actions to achieve
savings within specified timescales
- motivating key employees and delegating
responsibilities to them
- implementing water reduction programmes to
maintain momentum.
Having developed a water balance, the site should use
this information to develop its action plan. Some sites
might need to undertake further detailed investigation if they are unable to
account for all the water used on site
or if there is a discrepancy in the data, and to pinpoint
areas of high water usage and high cost.
Site actions have been categorised to identify trends
within the industry. Currently, many of the water
efficiency actions being explored are associated with
cleaning, are process related, and address domestic
water use, see Figure 3.
Examples of some of the types of actions within each
category
Alternative water source. Rainwater harvesting is the
most common alternative water source considered and
can be an effective way to cut back on mains water
usage and reduce costs. Collection and storage of
rainwater can provide supply for non production parts
of the site, such as toilet flushing and cooling water,
particularly as the 'soft' nature of the water means
limescale deposit can be reduced. Storing rainwater
may also help to prevent local flooding.
A wider environmental benefit from using rainwater is
that the water supply company has not had to treat it
to a standard that may be higher than necessary for
its purpose, and has not had to pump it to the user,
thereby reducing overall energy and chemical use.
Cleaning. Some of the major water uses within the
food and drink industry are the cleaning procedures.
Cleaning is vital for food safety but can account for up
to 70% of a company's water usage particularly when a
'better safe than sorry' approach to cleaning is adopted.
Reducing water use for cleaning without compromising
hygiene standards is possible. Examples of water
saving actions in this category include, cleaning in place
(CIP), pigging (product recovery), and switching to dry
cleaning operations.
Effluent treatment. Effluent is usually treated to reduce
its strength and discharge costs. Effluent treatment
tends to be a longer term implementation action
requiring capital investment for the installation of a
treatment plant and equipment.
Recovery and re-use. Water efficiency actions
within this category typically include the recycling
of condensate for boiler feed and the installation of
recirculation systems.
Domestic. Water saving actions typically involve
replacing taps, fitting more water efficient toilets and
urinals, and reducing water use in site canteens.
Actions of this nature are usually simple low cost
solutions with quick payback periods.
Process. Characteristically, process related actions
focus on the efficiency of the equipment used during
processing. For example, the optimisation of spray bar
function, the replacement of faulty solenoid valves, and
the balancing of water circulation systems.
Other. Not categorised above, these actions can cover
a range of different initiatives, including:
-
The installation of sub metering; this is often a
requirement if there is an area that needs to be
investigated in more detail, either to improve water
mapping or to monitor areas of high water usage.
The water balance will highlight whether this
is necessary.
- Education of staff; running a water awareness
campaign can be beneficial in terms of helping staff
to understand how they can reduce water use and
help the company reach its water efficiency targets.
Water saving initiatives range from low cost and easy
to implement solutions through to those that require
capital investment and longer lead in times. As such,
some of the actions being taken forward will not
necessarily see immediate savings. Financial benefits
may be available to businesses investing in some water
saving products, such as cleaning in place, through the
Water Technology List, an Enhanced Capital Allowance
Scheme.
Within the FHC, a site is able to indicate the progress
of each of the water saving actions it is considering
implementing. Figure 4 indicates the status of the
actions recorded.
Nearly 15% of reported actions are already complete,
while more than 50% are in the process of being
investigated or implemented. Less than 2% have been
cancelled or are currently on hold, mostly because they
are no longer relevant to the situation at the site.
After its first year, the FHC is able to report a decrease
in water usage and this is due to the commitment of
the member companies themselves. Not only have
these companies made a public pledge to improve their
own water efficiency, they are also championing the
importance of water efficiency within the food and drink
industry, and leading the way amongst their peers.
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Last reviewed: 13 Jul 2009