Federation House Commitment - Progress Report: 2009
What is the Federation House Commitment?
The Federation House Commitment (FHC) is an
initiative jointly developed by the Food and Drink
Federation and Envirowise, providing companies with
a systematic approach for improving water efficiency.
The FHC is open to all companies in the food and drink
manufacturing sector and is helping the industry to
become a leader in national efforts to improve water
efficiency. Under the FHC, food and drink companies
pledge to review their individual on-site water use and
take action to reduce it.
The Commitment was launched in January 2008
as part of the Food and Drink Federation's Five-fold
Environmental Ambition[3]. The aim is to help reduce
stress on the nation's water supplies and contribute to
an industry-wide target to reduce water use (excluding
that embedded in products) by 20% by 2020 against a
2007 baseline. This target was set as part of the joint
industry and Defra Food Industry Sustainability Strategy.
The key elements of the Commitment are:
- the development of a 2007 baseline of water use
for individual signatories and for the Commitment as
a whole
- assessment of water use at each participating
company's manufacturing sites
- the development of site-specific action plans to
reduce water use
- implementation of action plans
- annual reporting to Envirowise on water and
cost savings.
Further detail is provided on the Federation House Commitment - Steps to Progress
Envirowise has more than ten years of experience of
working with food and drink companies, and provides
FHC members with free advice including publications,
workshops and telephone support. Envirowise is
also acting as independent administrator of the FHC,
ensuring all data are held in confidence and reporting is
open and fair.
To reflect the importance of this commitment, the
Federation House Commitment has a dedicated
website where businesses can find more information
and become a member.
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In this report:
More Information
3. FDF's Five-fold Environmental Ambition was launched in October 2007 and is a
commitment on behalf of member companies to make a significant contribution to
improving the environment by targeting those areas where they could make the
biggest difference.
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Last reviewed: 13 Jul 2009