As part of its commitment to water stewardship and to reducing water consumption overall, EFBW members implemented the study to evaluate industry trends in water use efficiency and to improve consistency and accuracy in performance reporting.
Data was compiled from 77 bottling locations throughout Europe and reflects water use at each facility type over a five year period (2006-2010).
The study confirms that the European bottled water industry has achieved regular and substantial improvements in water use efficiency since 2006. The average water use ratio evolved from 2.23 litres in 2006 to 1.82 litres in 2010, representing an 18% improvement. On average, water consumption decreased by 26% as result of continuous improvements in water resource management.
This is the first time a quantitative benchmark for water use has been established, encouraging members to engage in a reliable and robust monitoring system and helping to demonstrate continuous improvements.
Bernard Pruvost, chair of EFBW’s Environment Working Group, said: “The bottled water industry is responsible about water use within its plants, from source to bottling, including all consumption. The water use ratio is the basis for establishing efficiency analysis. With this evaluation we are able to gauge the industry’s performance during the last five years and then annually for the years to come.”
Water-saving measures are critical in the face of environmental challenges such as water scarcity and climate change. Water consumption is a one of the key indicators of environmental performance and improving water efficiency has been an important objective for the industry.
EFBW secretary general, Patricia Fosselard, commented: “Bottlers are implementing a number of measures and technologies to save water use across their plants, and so are continuously improving their performance. We are proud of this first milestone, which will provide a benchmark for future progress in terms of water savings”.
Source: EFBW
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