Water and effluent

Food and drink manufacturers in England and Wales are using 268 million cubic metres of water annually, enough to fill more than 71,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools^*.

Companies that have not considered their water use before could initially cut their water and effluent bills by 30%, with further projects and technology increasing this saving up to 50%.

The Federation House Commitment (the FHC) aims to tackle water use in the food and drink manufacturing sector.

Membership of the FHC is free to all food and drink manufacturers who want to reduce their water consumption, save money and tackle water stress.

For more information on the FHC, visit their site at www.fhc2020.co.uk

Envirowise has a range of tools and publications to help food and drink manufacturers reduce water consumption.

• GG349 Water minimisation in the food and drink industry
• GG280 Reducing water and waste costs in fruit and vegetable processing
• GG233 Reducing water and effluent costs in poultry meat processing
• GG187 Reducing water and effluent costs in fish processing
• "GG135 Reducing water and effluent costs in breweries

Case studies

• CS891 Resource efficiency at an organic diary products company | Watch video
• CS823 Bakery improves resource efficiency | Watch video
• CS457 Brewery taps into savings by working with water company
• CS390 Cutting the costs of fish processing

Factsheets

• EN896 Reducing mains water use through rainwater harvesting
• EN895 A guide to developing a water balance
• EN894 Reducing water use through cleaning-in-place (CIP)
• EN893 Product recovery – reducing water use and improving resource efficiency
• EN665 Understanding water and wastewater bills
• EN662 Understanding leaks, water pressure and meters
• EN660 Reducing water use in catering establishments

For more information on water resource efficiency and the tools that can help your business, visit the water pages

^*Source of statistic – Water Research 2007