British food and drink sector makes Olympic-sized water saving effort

British food and drink manufacturers are making an Olympic-sized splash in water savings. Manufacturers signed up to the Federation House Commitment (FHC) have achieved a 14.4% reduction in water use between 2007 and 2011.

Signatories to the voluntary agreement have saved enough water to fill nearly 2400 Olympic-size swimming pools, according to the latest progress report on the water-efficiency program.

The FHC, which is managed by WRAP and the Food and Drink Federation, has recently seen an increase in the number of signatories: 18 additional organisations have signed up since April 2011, taking the total to 70 active signatories across 278 sites.

“These findings are evidence that signatories to the Federation House Commitment are taking actions that are having a positive impact on water use,” said Dr Liz Goodwin, CEO of WRAP. “These results are helping to make a considerable contribution towards meeting the whole industry target of 20% by 2020.”

Dr Goodwin said the 14.4% reduction is particularly pleasing considering that signatories’ production increased by 10.7% over the same period.

“These results are very good news, for food manufacturers, for our customers and for the environment,” said Andrew Kuyk, Director of Sustainability and Competitiveness, FDF.

“They show that green growth is a reality, as production has increased while water usage has fallen. They also prove the value of voluntary agreements where government and businesses work together to deliver wider benefits.”