News article
28 January 2008
Major Food and Drink Manufacturers Pledge to Reduce Water Use
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PRESS RELEASE
Twenty-one of the UK's leading food and drink manufacturers have today signed
an
historic agreement to improve their water efficiency and thereby reduce
water
use. Once rolled out across the sector as a whole, the initiative could
save
some
140 million litres of water per day – equivalent to 56 Olympic-size
swimming
pools
– and a combined financial saving of around £60m per year on
water
bills.
Under the Federation House Commitment, jointly developed by the Food and Drink
Federation (FDF) and resource
efficiency experts Envirowise, the first 21
signatories have pledged to review
their
on-site water use and take action to reduce
this
wherever possible.
The signatories are: apetito; Birds Eye Iglo; Britvic; Cadbury Schweppes;
Coca-Cola
Enterprises; GlaxoSmithKline; Kellogg Marketing & Sales Co; Kraft Foods
UK;
Mars
Snackfood; Müller Dairy (UK); Nestlé UK; PepsiCo UK; Premier Foods;
Tate
&
Lyle; UIN Foods; Unilever UK; Uniq; United Biscuits; Warburtons;
Weetabix;
and
Young's Seafood. These companies generate a combined annual
turnover of
over
£15
billion.
The Commitment will help FDF members to achieve their water reduction goals, as
set out in the Federation's recently launched Five-fold Environmental Ambition.
It will also be central to achieving the industry-wide target in the Food
Industry
Sustainability Strategy to reduce water use, outside of that embedded in
products
themselves, by 20% by 2020 compared to 2007.
Companies working with Envirowise will review their current water use and
develop site specific action plans to significantly cut water use and costs within
six
months of signing up to the commitment. They will report annually to
Envirowise
on water and cost savings made on site. Envirowise will offer
signatories a
package of support measures to help them.
Lord Rooker, Minister for Sustainable Food and Farming and Animal Health, said:
“I am very pleased to support this joint FDF and Envirowise initiative which has
resulted in the first voluntary framework under which food and drink companies
can work systematically towards improving efficiency and reducing water use
wherever possible. It is particularly pleasing to see so many influential companies,
responsible for well known household brands, signing up on day one. I would like
to
urge more companies in the sector to follow the leadership and commitment
being
shown by FDF and its members to the environment.”
Callton Young OBE, Director of Sustainability & Competitiveness, FDF said:
“Last October FDF chose to be bold about the environment by targeting priorities
where we can make the biggest difference through collective action. Today's
signing of the Federation House Commitment by many of our largest member companies
is
an important demonstration of this commitment and their desire to reduce the
environmental impacts of our sector through the widespread adoption of water
efficiency best practice. The leadership that they are bringing to bear on this
important
issue is to be applauded.”
Dr Martin Gibson, Programme Director, Envirowise added:
“We are very pleased to have jointly developed The Federation House Commitment
with FDF. The agreement has an important role to play in helping to improve water
efficiency in the food and drink industry and to achieving significant savings of
a precious resource. Envirowise worked on the strategic aims of the Food Industry
Sustainability Strategy and we look forward to working with industry to help them
achieve their water reduction goals.”
More Information
Envirowise press office (Mistral): 01869 352 722
Food and Drink Federation press office:
Editor's notes:
- Companies interested in signing up to the Federation House Commitment can
visit www.FHC2020.co.uk
- The Federation House Commitment is a major step towards the realisation of
the
FDF's Five-fold Environmental Ambition. Announced in October 2007, the goal
is
for FDF members to reduce their environmental impact in the key areas of
carbon
dioxide emissions, water, food waste, packaging, and food transport. The
Commitment is open to any food and drink company - it will also be central to
achieving
the industry-wide target in the Food Industry Sustainability Strategy
(FISS)
to
reduce water use, outside of that embedded in products themselves, by
20% by
2020
compared to 2007.
- Businesses signing the Federation House Commitment agree to engage fully with
the Envirowise programme. The key elements of the Commitment - 'five-steps to
success' - 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 site(s)
-
the development of site specific action plans to reduce water use
- delivery against action plans
- annual reporting to Envirowise on water and cost savings.
Envirowise will provide support and advice to participating companies.
- FDF is the voice of the UK food and drink manufacturing industry, the UK's most
important manufacturing sector. Visit www.fdf.org.uk for more information.
- Envirowise is a Government-funded programme dedicated to putting the
sustainable
use of resources at the heart of UK business practice. Since 1994
Envirowise
has
helped UK businesses save over £1 billion by enabling them to
significantly
reduce their environmental impact. Envirowise offers businesses of all
sizes
and
sectors a wide range of free, independent and practical advice
designed to
genuinely
improve their processes, profitability and
competitiveness.
Visit www.envirowise.gov.uk for more information.
Messages of Support
“Whilst we know climate change is an urgent issue requiring urgent action, it
is
critical that business addresses the whole suite of sustainability issues.
The
Federation House Commitment is significant as it focuses attention and
action
on
perhaps the next urgent sustainability issue - water. For the food
and
drink
sector
to achieve greater sustainability across all of its
operations, we
not
only need
individual company leadership, but also collective
action. The
scale
of the
sustainability challenge is such that individual
company action
alone
won't be quick
enough. FDF is setting a great example
by
providing its
members
with the framework
to work together to get
serious
about water use
and
wider
sustainability.”
Sally Uren, Director of Business Programme, Forum for the Future
“The Federation House Commitment is a fantastic development. The combination of
FDF's knowledge and influence in the food and drink sector, the commitment of its
members, and the expertise of Envirowise, will translate into big water savings.
The agreement makes excellent business sense and is great for the environment. We
hope that other business sectors will follow the food and drink sector's lead.”
Jacob Tompkins, Director of Waterwise
Federation House Commitment: Comments from Signatories
“It's easy to take water for granted – but it is a scarce and finite resource.
It also requires energy and resources to collect, purify, distribute and clean up
again after we've used it. As part of our sustainability strategy, apetito is
delighted to work with FDF and Envirowise to focus on delivering a substantial
reduction in water usage.”
Paul Freeston, Chief Executive, apetitio ltd
“Water is a shared resource and its care demands collective responsibility.
Without action by all users, demand for water will eventually outstrip potential
supply particularly in areas of water stress. Much can be done to increase the
availability of water by reducing consumption, minimising impact on water quality
and
reusing more water. Industry has an important role to play, by minimising
the
impact of its own operations and by working with its suppliers,
accordingly.
We at
Birds Eye are playing our part and plan to do more.”
Martin Glenn, Chief Executive, Birds Eye Iglo Ltd
“As an industry we have long recognised our responsibility to the environment
and as a company we have worked hard to improve the sustainability of our
operations. By working collectively with other manufacturers, and with the support of
Envirowise, we can deliver even greater environmental improvements.”
Paul Moody, Chief Executive, Britvic plc
“Coca-Cola Enterprises is already trying to minimize the environmental impact of
its operations. We have already made significant progress in reducing the amount
of waste water from our production process by 41% since 2001. We are proud to
support the industry best practice commitment on water, through which we will
reduce
this amount further, and which supports our efforts to use water in a
responsible
and sustainable way.”
Hubert Patricot, Managing Director, Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd
“As makers of household drinks Ribena, Lucozade and Horlicks, GSK understands
that water is a precious resource and we have a responsibility to conserve it.
That's why we're delighted to sign up to the Federation House Commitment. As a
business we are cutting the number of litres of water we use for each litre of
product
we make by 20% by 2010. We intend to keep sustainability at the centre
of
our
renewal and growth. We know this makes good business sense - but we
also
know that
it is the right and necessary way to do things.”
Graham Neale, Senior VP and General Manager, GSK Nutritional Healthcare.
“As with health and wellbeing, we're committed to being in the leading pack for
driving change within the industry. Kellogg's has been using recycled card for
our packaging since Corn Flakes first started over 100 years ago. Using resources
efficiently is a business imperative and will lead to commercial success as
consumers demand this from manufacturers.”
Greg Peterson, Managing Director Kellogg UK
"Water is precious to all and vital to our business. Having lost supplies
to our offices during the floods of 2007, we know first-hand how it important it
is to protect resources for the future.”
Ben Clarke, Managing Director, Kraft
“At Mars we view water as a precious resource and have been working hard to
reduce our usage, in fact we used 40% less in 2007 than we did in 2006. We are
delighted to be signing The Federation House Commitment and are looking forward to
working with Envirowise and FDF members to move the whole industry forward.”
Fiona Dawson, Managing Director of Mars Snackfood UK and Chair of FDF's
Sustainability and Competitiveness Steering Group
“We are committed to minimising the impact that our business has on the
environment, and reducing water usage is one of a number of areas which we have been
reviewing as part of this ongoing programme. The establishment of the Federation
House Commitment provides an opportunity for us and other like-minded companies
to
work more closely in partnership with Envirowise, to share best practice and
to tap
into a wealth of expertise. This initiative has our full support and we
look
forward to participating in and contributing to the Envirowise programme.”
Stewart Gilliland, Chief Executive of Müller® UK
“Effective water management programmes have long been a part of Nestlé's
Environmental Management system. In the UK we are proud of the savings we have made
through constant operational improvement, water treatment and education and
communication around the issue. However, further progress increasingly depends on
sharing
best practice and working in cooperation with others. The Federation
House
Commitment is a clear sign that our fellow manufacturers also see
collective
action as
critical and so we are very happy to be part of this public
commitment
to
sustainable water management.”
Alistair Sykes, Chairman, Nestlé UK Ltd
“Water is a precious resource. That is why PepsiCo has launched a partnership
with the Earth Institute to improve access to clean water in communities in
Africa, China, India and Brazil. It is also precious in the UK where using it
sensibly
and efficiently is increasingly a priority. Hence, PepsiCo's full support
for
the aims of the Federation House Commitment and its importance to the food
and
drink sector's long term sustainability.”
Salman Amin, President, PepsiCo UK & Ireland
“Premier Foods is the UK's largest food manufacturer and, as such we are
delighted to participate in this initiative and to do our bit towards conserving the
environment. We have a number of projects already underway to recycle water and
reduce our usage. Such actions make sense for our business and for the
environment.”
Robert Schofield, CEO, Premier Foods
“Reducing water usage is a key focus for us as we work towards minimising our
impact on the environment. We are delighted to be a part of the Federation House
Commitment and to work with other companies in the food and drink industry, and
Envirowise, to improve water efficiency and so help protect this precious
resource
for the future.”
Iain Ferguson CBE, CEO Tate & Lyle and FDF's President
“We are delighted to participate in the best water practice programme as we
appreciate water is a valuable resource and by improving water efficiency, we can
help protect the environment for the future.”
Martin Bell, Managing Director, UIN Foods Ltd
“At Uniq we believe there remains a lot of opportunity to deliver savings in
waste, resources and generally carrying out our activities in a sustainable manner
while at the same time delivering value to shareholders.”
Geoff Eaton, Chief Executive, Uniq plc
“We are very pleased to support The Federation House Commitment. As a company,
we are not heavy users of water but this does not mean it is not important to
reduce the amount we use. Reducing water use is one of UB's commitments in
'Achieving Sustainability' and through specific conservation programmes we aim to
achieve
a 25% reduction in water use by 2020 compared with 2007.”
David Fish, Executive Chairman, United Biscuits
“Warburtons demonstrates excellence in its products and consumers expect nothing
less regarding our production methods. We see resource efficiency as an
environmental imperative. We are therefore delighted to work with Envirowise to improve
our water efficiency and thereby conserve a precious resource.”
Ross Warburton MBE, Executive Director, Warburtons Ltd
“Weetabix has made a long-term commitment to preserving water supplies by
signing up to the Federation House Commitment. It is refreshing to be part of an
initiative that is prepared to quantify targets for the food industry and be
scrutinised against those targets. Weetabix has been, and continues to be, fully
committed to water reduction across all our manufacturing sites.”
Ken Wood, CEO, The Weetabix Food Company
“The Federation's commitment to the best water practice programme is an
initiative that we at Young's are delighted to support. As an industry, food processing
can play an important part in improving the use of this precious resource. It is
good business and is absolutely the right thing to do, for us, and for the
environment.”
Mike Parker, Deputy Chief Executive, Young's Seafood Ltd
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