Water Efficiency

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Water firms urged to scale up efficiency ambition

Water companies must scale up ambition and innovation in their water efficiency programmes with customers, according to not-for-profit organisation Waterwise.

Two-thirds of the world’s largest companies are reporting that exposure to water-related risks could generate a “substantive change” in business operations and revenues

Oceans apart: Why businesses need to embed water efficiency across departments

With water availability declining as energy demand rises, some of the private sector's leading lights on water management believe now is the time for businesses to embed holistic water stewardship programmes that capture the interests of other departments. edie's Matt Mace investigates.

The programme is thought to be the largest transformational change to the sector since its privatisation in 1989

Water retail competition: Thousands of business water customers switch in week one

A total of 8,876 premises have switched water retailer in the first week of the competitive market. This includes approximately 7,500 customers which chose to pre-switch before market opening.

More self-supply deals and supplier switches are on the horizon in England after water retail competition opened on 1 April

Whitbread and Kwik Fit seize opportunity of water retail competition

Hospitality giant Whitbread Group and vehicle servicing chain Kwik Fit are among the first wave of companies to capitalise on the newly-opened water retail market in an effort to improve efficiency and drive down costs.

Water retail competition will allow all non- domestic water users to switch suppliers of water retail services from 1 April

Water retail competition savings will be 'more than expected'

Water consultancy Waterscan has suggested savings returned to large multi-site customers in the competitive non-domestic water market will be "more than expected".

The self-supply option will allow Greene King to buy its water and wastewater services at the wholesale price, which is a protected price that all retailers pay

Brewer becomes first to seek to supply its own water retail services

Pub retailer and brewer Greene King has become the first non-household water customer to apply to provide its own retail services when the market opens in April.

The 10-page guide explains how water retail competition could be used to consolidate bills, generate significant financial savings and deliver key environmental benefits for businesses

edie launches free water retail competition guide for businesses

Organisations across the country now have access to a free, in-depth 'edie explains' guide to water retail competition, which is set to come into effect in England this April and will impact all non-domestic water users.

Scotland's incumbent water retailer Business Stream will manage the water services of the new multi-utility offering, while consultancy firm Utilitywise will oversee energy provision

New energy and water retail service offers businesses 'one-stop-shop' for utilities

UK organisations will soon be able to manage their electricity, gas and water use in one place thanks to a pioneering new partnership between non-domestic water supplier Business Stream and energy consultancy Utilitywise.

A progress reported detailing updates to the goals will be issued in one year’s time

The Magnificent Seven: Food and beverage giants commit to water stewardship challenge

Sustainability advocacy group Ceres has tasked seven global food and beverage companies, including Diageo, General Mills, Kellogg and PepsiCo, to participate in a collaborative challenge aimed at strengthening sourcing and water stewardship action plans.

The new CSR targets continue PepsiCo's decade-long commitment to delivering 'Performance with Purpose', the firm's CSR strategy first launched in 2006

PepsiCo lifts lid on fresh green business goals

Global food and beverage company PepsiCo has unveiled a revamped list of climate commitments, incorporating plans to decouple emissions from business growth, have a positive water impact, and achieve zero waste to landfill.

Scotch whisky producers 'collective' volunteer strategy is the only one of its kind to cover an entire Scottish industry

Scotch whisky makers set 'challenging' green goals

The Scottish whisky industry has this week unveiled four new "challenging" sustainability targets in an effort to reduce carbon, drive water efficiency and embrace circular economy models in the supply chain.

An effective response to the significant and growing risk of drought in England and Wales is possible if concerted action is taken now, Water UK says

UK businesses face increasing risk of drought, warns water sector

Companies are being called upon to ramp up water efficiency measures, share best practices and water consumption and open up new communication streams surrounding water conservation after a new report commissioned by water companies revealed the growing risk of drought facing the UK.

David Lloyd has become one of the first companies to switch supplier ahead of the water market opening up to competition next year

Gym chain seals UK's largest water supplier switch

Sports and leisure business David Lloyd has switched to newly-formed retailer Water Plus to supply all 84 of its UK health clubs and gyms, marking the largest UK-wide water supplier switch to date.

Coca-Cola and its bottling partners improved water use efficiency by 2.5% between 2014 and 2015, adding to a cumulative 27% improvement since 2004

Coca-Cola hits global water replenishment goal five years early

Soft drinks giant Coca-Cola has become the first Fortune 500 Company to replenish all of the water it uses globally back to nature and communities.

Diageo is preparing for a future in which the only successful business models will be those that can demonstrate a positive contribution to people and the planet

Diageo reports 'good progress' towards environmental goals

Multinational alcoholic beverage company Diageo has reported "notable improvements" in the management of water efficiency and reduction of carbon emissions and waste materials, as well as taking new steps to promote responsible drinking, in the group's latest CSR report.

A bathroom in Malmaison Hotel in Aberdeen, Scotland, where businesses have been able to choose their water and waste water services provider since 2008

Hotel chain set for £75,000 savings with water supplier switch

Luxury hotel group Malmaison and Hotel du Vin has signed a ground-breaking contract with Anglian Water Business (AWB) to supply water to all of its UK properties, ahead of next year's water retail market reform.

Tesco currently uses 6.4 million cubic meters of water each year – enough to fill Wembley stadium one and a half times over

Tesco calls for improved data access for water consumption

EXCLUSIVE: With water regulator Ofwat confirming that a reform of the water retail market will take place on time, Britain's biggest supermarket chain is calling on suppliers to incentivise a new and competitive water market through the "difficult beast" of data management.

Companies should share newfound sustainability practices with their supply chains and encourage them to adopt water strategies

Food and drink firms urged to promote water stewardship across supply chains

A new action plan that promotes water stewardship in the UK food and drink sector and builds supply chains that are more resilient to 'precarious' flooding and water shortage risks has been launched today (9 March).

The E&E Awards take place on the evening before edie Live opens (16 May), with a black-tie dinner and ceremony at the National Motorcycle Museum

edie Environment & Energy Awards 2016: The finalists

The judging is complete and the shortlist of finalists has been drawn up for edie's 2016 Environment & Energy Awards, which recognise excellence in on-site energy, water and resource management.

Water is a forgotten factor of production...the primary challenge is therefore to make the forgotten unforgettable

Collaboration and innovation vital to solve 'forgotten problems' of water scarcity

Both the public and private sectors need to realise there is no 'silver bullet' to deal with the rising yet largely ignored water scarcity crisis, a panel of industry experts has concluded.

The 150-hectare site will recycle rain and surface water to use for flushing toilets, washing clothes watering gardens

University of Cambridge develops UK's largest water recycling system

The University of Cambridge has signed an agreement with Cambridge Water to support the UK's largest water recycling system at the University's North West Cambridge Development site.

Molson Coors brews up big efficiency savings with new energy centre

A new UK energy centre installed at Molson Coors' Burton Brewery has reduced the firm's operational carbon emissions by 6.5% - amounting to cost savings of more than £750,000 - in its first year of operation.

California's four-year drought has seen water levels reach historic lows

Golden State: How California is surviving its worst drought in history

California remains in the claws of the longest drought in the state's history, placing unprecedented strain on the its water supplies. But could the scramble to save water actually help the state in the long run?

Millions of shade balls are released into an LA reservoir to combat water loss

Sustainability stats: This week in numbers

This week edie reported plenty of tech news from Silicon Valley, UK food waste figures and developments from our very own foreign correspondent in Indonesia.

Diageo said its water efficiency increased by 10.4%

Diageo saves almost 3 billion litres of water

Diageo has improved its water efficiency by more than 10% in the past year, according to the drinks giant's latest sustainability report.

Since 2010, Coca-Cola has improved its water efficiency by 10%

Coca-Cola ups water efficiency 10%, lags behind emissions targets

The world's largest beverage company has released its 2014/15 sustainability report, revealing a 10% improvement in water efficiency, but a slowdown in emissions reductions.

Dairy firms reported a reduction of 13% in water intensity since 2007

Food and dairy industries report water intensity improvements

The UK dairy industry and food and drink manufacturers have made significant steps towards improving water efficiency, according to a new report published today (6 July).

The Aquamark launch was supported by more than 100 blue chip and public sector organisations

New water benchmarking scheme targets 'forgotten utility'

Britain's first national water benchmarking scheme has been launched, allowing businesses to reduce water usage by an average of 30% and regain up to £500m in lost annual revenue.

The Whitbread-owned coffee shop chain was praised for its sustainable, ethical, and local sourcing of ingredients

Costa served with 'excellent' sustainable café rating

Coffee shop chain Costa has become the first café business in the UK to join the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA), after being named a 'Two Star Sustainability Champion' by the organisation.

£100,000 loans on offer to boost Scottish firms' efficiency

Zero Waste Scotland is offering interest-free loans up to £100,000 to help Scottish businesses improve their resource efficiency.

Resource Efficienct Scotland has so far helped 134 Scottish organisations identify ways to save money by using water more efficiently

Q&A: The importance of water efficiency for businesses

Resource Efficient Scotland recently held a Q&A session with Dr Stuart Ballinger, project director for the Water Technology List, to discuss why and how businesses should reduce their water use.

The International alcohol firm will develop a broader supply chain and adopt new ways of working with new partners

Diageo to slash water use in half

Drinks giant Diageo has vowed to improve its water efficiency by 50%, replenish water in water-stressed areas and return all waste water back to the environment as part of an ambitious new water stewardship strategy.

Halting Deforestation and Achieving Sustainability

Now is a critical moment to pause and consider how the current attention to “deforestation-free” sourcing can support the broader goal of protecting Earth’s natural ecosystems while sustaining a growing population and supporting equitable development.

Lloyds' biggest environmental gain in 2014 was a 13% reduction in energy use

Lloyds Bank bets big on renewables

Britain's fourth-largest bank, Lloyds, has released its 2014 Responsible Business Review, revealing a revamped commitment to renewable energy and energy efficiency but increases in water consumption.

Coca-Cola HBC saved 1.1m cubic metres of water last year

Coca-Cola bottler slashes 1.1m cubic metres from water usage

The second largest Coca-Cola bottler in the world has released its sustainability report revealing notable gains in water-efficiency, energy use and recycling.

Nestle's commitment to sustainability has already been acknowledged by it being named best in its sector in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index Series 2013

Nestle achieves key sustainability targets ahead of time

Nestlé has today released its Creating Shared Value Report 2014, revealing it to have hit several key sustainability targets two years early.

Electrolux reduced its carbon emissions by 22% by the end of 2014 on 2005 base levels

Electrolux makes progress against target to be 'sustainability leader' in home appliances

Home-appliance manufacturer Electrolux has released its sustainability report for 2014, outlining good progress against its objective "to be the sustainability leader in our industry".

The new 10-step guide advises how public bodies can save water and help to save £2bn for the Scottish economy

10-step water efficiency guide launched for Scotland's public sector

A new 10-step guide advising how public bodies can save water and help to save £2bn for the Scottish economy has been released by the Government-funded Resource Efficient Scotland programme.

A water control gate on an agricultural irrigation ditch in California, which will require $74.8bn of water infrastructure investment

White House puts $674.7bn price tag on improving US water infrastructure

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched the Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Centre to enable communities and businesses across the country to finance the $674.7bn of improvements needed to improve water infrastructure.

Diageo has announced 20 new sustainability and responsibility targets for 2020

Diageo raises a glass to water efficiency with revamped CSR targets

International alcohol firm Diageo has committed to dramatically reduce its water use through a 50% improvement in water use efficiency by 2020.

Coca-Cola improved its water efficiency by 8% compared with a 2010 baseline

Coca-Cola on track to be water neutral, but carbon emissions climb

Coca-Cola is on track to balance 100% of its water use across global operations by 2020, as the company's 2013/14 Sustainability Report revealed that Coca-Cola replenished 108.5 billion litres of water last year - about 68% of its total usage.

Jacob Tompkins from Waterwise gave edie his top 10 water-saving tips for businesses

World Water Week: Top 10 tips to reduce your consumption

With World Water Week taking place this week, there has never been a better time for businesses to help raise the profile of today's most pressing water challenges and take extra steps to tackle the issues of water security and quality.

Over 100 million farmers in the developing world are responsible for 90% of the world's cotton production

Cotton supply chain urged to help reduce water footprint

More support is needed for smallholder cotton farmers in the developing world as they grapple with the effects of water scarcity which could put the global cotton industry at serious risk.