R&R Ice Cream - Case study: Reducing water use
“R&R Ice Cream committed to the FHC because we
wished to drive profitability through lowering cost and
leading innovation in the European take-home ice cream
market. By committing to the FHC, we hope to reduce
waste, increase efficiency and profits, and help towards
creating a more sustainable future for all.”
Paul Pearcy -
Environmental Technician, R&R Ice Cream
What have we done?
R&R Ice Cream, one of the UK's largest ice cream
manufacturers (producing brands Nestlé, Skinny Cow,
Kelly's, Thorntons, Treats and supermarket own brand),
has been focusing on maximising efficiency through the
introduction of new technological advances designed to
improve water re-use.
A new £1.5 million effluent plant at Leeming Bar begins
operation in 2009. The plant uses the latest ultra
filtration, reverse osmosis technology and will reduce
the effluent's Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and
suspended solids to zero. The benefits to the company
of installing this technology mean that the amount
discharged will be reduced by approximately 50% due
to re-use, and will yield cost savings of approximately
£100,000 to the company.
R&R Ice Cream will use the recycled water in the wash
down and cleaning process, which equates to nearly
60% of water usage. By re-using water, R&R Ice Cream
is able to reduce its mains water consumption by
around 25,000 m3, which will save a further £19,000.
Other measures at the Leeming Bar site include the
removal of the majority of hosepipes, while dry clean-up
techniques, which reduce consumption and the COD
load in effluent, are strongly encouraged.
Monitoring and evaluation
R&R Ice Cream has introduced two environmental key
performance indicators (KPIs):
- water efficiency (m3/tonne);
- effluent load (gCOD/tonne).
The aim of these KPIs is to help the business monitor
progress and achieve a target of a 5% reduction.
How joining the FHC helped
Joining the FHC has been instrumental in helping the
company take steps towards reducing water. The FHC
provided R&R Ice Cream with targeted workshops and
advice that helped to highlight areas of potential savings.
With the help of the FHC, the company has undertaken
a water balance and the results have helped focus staff
time and resources. The FHC continues to suggest ideas
for monitoring water usage and water savings.
More information
This case study istaken from the The Federation House Commitment - Progress
Report: 2009 published in July 2009.