Water Use in the Supply Chain factsheet

This factsheet considers water use in a more literal sense through the food chain. For information on the amount of water used in the production of a particular weight of final product, see the ‘Embedded Water in Food Production’ factsheet.

The need for water in food production

The food industry is a large consumer of water. Water is a vital resource during the production and processing of foodstuffs. It is used across the sector, to wash, clean, blanch, peel and cut food. It is used in mixing, steaming, freezing, heating and boiling food, and in canning and bottling plants. It is used in general food preparation and is considered essential to assure the hygiene of food both in industry and households.

Annual water use for a selection of industries

Sector	Annual water use Millions m³ (tonnes)
Agriculture	742
Food and drink processing	307
Chemicals	273
Electronics	241
Paper and board	155
Hotels and restaurants	138
Plastic and rubber	83
Textiles and leather	63

Source: Defra 2007

The table below gives an overview of several sectors of the industry which are particularly heavy users of water. Unsurprisingly these sectors mainly produce liquids.

Water use by specific sectors of the food and drink industry

Sector	Water use Millions m³ (tonnes) per year
Dairies	39.0
Breweries	35.2
Soft Drinks	27.5
Distilleries	25.9
Meat	7.2

Source: Defra 2007

Analysing water use by product (closer to the principle of ‘embedded water’), it can be seen that significant multiples of water are used per tonne of product – at least in the vegetable processing sector.

Water usage in fruit and vegetable processing sector

Products	Water use m³ (tonnes) of water used per tonne of product
Fruit Juices	6.5
Baby Food	6 – 9
Jams	6
Frozen Vegetables	5 - 8.5
Canned Vegetables	3.5 - 6

Source: Biffa 2004

The necessity for water saving

Perhaps surprisingly the UK has less water available than any other EU country, apart from Belgium and Cyprus, which is a major factor in the UK’s water supply being relatively expensive.

The cost of water to UK businesses has grown by nearly 8% in 2006/7, with water charges having increased by 25% in the last three years. Given that these increases appear set to continue (Ofwat announced in December 2004 that all water costs are to increase by over 20% not including inflation, over the next 5 years), businesses are keen to address their levels of water use and sources. Whilst the UK food manufacturing sector has an annual turnover of around £70billion, and water consumption costs the sector about 0.5% of this turnover, a 20% reduction in water use would nonetheless save the sector in excess of £60 million a year (Source: FISS, 2006)

Changes in water sourcing

Over the past decade there has been a decrease in mains water use within the food and drink industry, with an increase in private abstraction (from boreholes and river water). This is due to rising water costs and the need to assure water supplies and quality.

Sourcing of water in the food and grocery industry

Sourcing of water in the food and grocery industry (Source: Defra, 2007)

Source: Defra 2007

There has also been an increase in on-site treatment of wastewater effluent within the industry. Again this can be attributed to rising costs levied by water utilities, and the Environment Agency’s enforcement of tougher discharge consents to surface water.

There are currently two main Parliamentary Acts of wastewater legislation, the Waste Resource Act and the Water Industry Act. The first covers water management provisions, including pollution and offences and the latter discharge consent and charges. Since 2001, the Environment Agency has taken control of discharges that affect some areas of the food and drinks sector.

Barriers to water saving

Due to the large variations in water use across the food and grocery sector, setting targets for water reduction is extremely complicated and difficult to monitor. Targets for individual sub-sectors could be more realistic, even so there are many barriers that make it difficult for industry to implement change. The FISS Champions Group on Water report, published in May 2007 identifies the following:

Lack of data to enable conclusive economic decisions
Lack of resources, time and budget
Uncertainty about financial benefits
Product quality issues
Safety and hygiene issues

Even with these barriers FISS believes that water reduction can be met if affordability, availability of tools and technology and attractiveness through publicity and reputation are achieved. Government therefore ‘encourages the food industry to reduce its current levels of demand for water at all stages of the supply chain by improving efficiency through the adoption of best practice without compromising food hygiene’ (Source: FISS, p3).

The FISS challenges the food industry to reduce its water use by 20% by 2020 against a 2007 baseline, excluding water that is intrinsic to the product, in response to growing pressures on water supplies.

Assistance

Envirowise has taken on the responsibility to help industry through the provision of free consultancy advice and advises that it is possible to reduce water usage by 30% through low to no-cost initiatives in businesses that have not taken any previous action. For those that make further capital investment this can increase to 50%.

During the July 2007 United Nations Global Compact Leaders Summit in Geneva, Switzerland, a group of chief executive officers (CEO) representing some of the world’s largest corporations, such as The Coca-Cola Company and Nestle S.A urged business everywhere to take immediate action to address the emerging global water crisis. The six corporation CEOs launched ‘The CEO Water Mandate’, designed to help companies manage water use better in their direct operations and throughout their supply chain.