C2C – water and wastewater services
provider of choice
'Water Footprint' Newletter January '09
Human impact on the environment is becoming a growing concern amongst the world’s population. Over recent years there has been a concerted effort to educate the public about how we can become more environmentally friendly due to decades of neglect. The years of neglect are now taking there toll on our precious environment and government pressure means businesses are now highlighting to customers that they operate in ‘environmentally friendly’ manner. There has been a lot discussion and media attention about the ‘Carbon Footprint’ that we are leaving in our wake. However there has been little interest or consideration given to the ‘Water Footprint’ that we are also impacting upon the planet. Human consumption, production and the structure of the global economy are closely linked to the water problems that the whole world suffers such as water shortages and pollution of the freshwater systems.
The water footprint is an indicator that looks at both direct and indirect water use of a consumer or producer. The water footprint of an individual, community or business is defined as the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual or community or produced by the business.
The impact of a water footprint depends on the volume of water used, and where and when the water is used. People use lots of water for drinking, cooking and washing, but even more for producing things such as food, paper, cotton clothes etc. The pressure on water resources around the world is increasing at a rate that is not sustainable unless action is taken to reduce the ‘Water Footprint’ that we currently produce.
C2C offers a range of services that can reduce the water footprint your business has and subsequently reduce the impact on the environment and your operational costs.
The water footprint of a business - that is, its 'corporate water footprint' - refers to the total volume of fresh water that is used directly and indirectly to run and support the business. It consists of two components:
• the operational water footprint, i.e. the direct water use by the business in its own operations,
• the supply-chain water footprint, i.e. the water use in the business’s supply chain.
Many businesses have a supply-chain water footprint that is much larger than the operational water footprint. This is particularly the case when a company does not have agricultural activity itself but is partly based on the intake of agricultural products (crop products, meat, milk, eggs, leather, cotton, wood/paper).
To produce one cup of coffee we need 140 litres of water
A water footprint study can be applied to various levels of a business, for instance a specific division of a company, an entire company or a whole business sector. Water footprint accounting can also be done for a project (e.g. construction of a piece of infrastructure) or activity (e.g. the organisation of a large sports event).
The production of one kilogram of beef requires 16 thousand litres of water
As part of Severn Trent Services, C2C Services can offer the experience and knowledge of a FTSE 100 company. To calculate and reduce your business’ water footprint, several aspects need to be considered. C2C has experience of managing £13m worth of water bills each year and also managing a £1billion, 25 year water & wastewater contract with the MoD. Some of the services and experience offered are:
• Detailed tariff & SU charging knowledge
• Optimisation of SU water and self supply/treatment
• Establish commercial viability – Value for Money (VfM) test
• Leakage reduction, water conservation, alternative supplies
• Solutions to manage, measure & reduce your water footprint
• Measure the flow
• Daily monitoring
• Reduce external leakage - locate & repair
• Reduce internal wastage - usage, devices
• Establishing your water footprint
To calculate the true water footprint of your business, leakage & wastage has to be minimised. C2C offers a proactive monitoring service which identifies site wastage & leakage, reduces cost and maintains minimal disruption that ensures business continuity. C2C’s robust measurement enables good water and data management ensuring savings are kept to a maximum at all times.
If you would like to know more about the services that C2C can offer your business then please call the Growth Team on 0121 722 6165 or email Enquiries@c2cgroup.co.uk.