Water sustainability
As a global manufacturer of food, home and personal care products, our use of water resources is both direct and indirect. Water is used by our suppliers of agricultural raw materials for the growing of crops, in our factories as part of the manufacturing process and finally by our consumers when they use and dispose of our products through activities such as washing, laundry and cooking.
Understanding these impacts is central to our approach. Water stress is already a significant factor in many of our markets. Although we recognise action and behaviour change at a consumer and governmental level are crucial, where we can make the most impact is through the design and innovation of products which need less water to use.
Our water footprint
For our food brands, the majority of water use takes place 'upstream' in the growing of crops. For our home and personal care brands, consumer use accounts for the bulk of usage. For all these products, Unilever's manufacturing use makes up a relatively small proportion of the total.
Our approach
There are four elements to our approach to water sustainability:
reducing water use in our manufacturing operations;
working with agricultural suppliers to reduce their usage;
designing products that require less water during consumer use; and
participating in initiatives that aim to address these challenges through partnerships.
Reducing water use in manufacturing
Since 1995 we have reduced by 61.7% the amount of water we use per tonne of production by minimising water usage and maximising water recycling at our sites. In 2007, we reduced the total consumption of water in our operations worldwide by 4.9 million m3 and the load per tonne of production by 7.5%, exceeding our target of 4.7%. These reductions have been achieved through site initiatives, such as:
our home and personal care factories in Pondicherry, India and Rungkut, Indonesia achieved a 'zero effluent discharge' by installing new systems that treat all process waste water, enabling it to be recycled and reused within the factories. As a result, Pondicherry is able to save around 22 500 m3 of water a year.
our Caivano foods factory in Italy reduced its use of water by 20% and treated waste water is now used in cooling towers instead of being discharged.
Water harvesting in India
Our Indian business has also been looking further than its own operations to improve water use through water conservation and harvesting projects that impact on areas around their sites and aid adjacent villages. Through a series of technology innovations and new processing methods Hindustan Unilever has reduced groundwater consumption by over 50%, and introduced technologies that recycle effluent water after treatment.
At Hindustan Unilever's Khamgaon soap factory in Maharastra, a water catchment system channels rainwater through ditches and low earthen banks, meaning all the rainwater falling on the Khamgaon factory now accumulates in ponds on site. This helps renew groundwater reserves, which are running at critically low levels in the region.
Adjacent villages have also been helped to implement appropriate models of watershed development, helping to prevent rainwater from washing away top soil, thereby helping in soil conservation.
Water savings in agriculture
Water is one of the 11 indicators we use in our Sustainable Agriculture Programme. We are working with growers, especially in water-scarce areas, to reduce their impacts, for example through schemes such as drip-irrigation.
In the US we are leading a multi-stakeholder working group to develop a common metric for measuring water use in tomato irrigation. During 2008 we will test this metric and also work with specialists to develop water efficiency advice for farm irrigation.
In Tanzania we have been conducting research with academic partners and the Tea Research Institute of Tanzania for many years to understand how yield and crop quality are influenced by the amount of water supplied to the crop and the irrigation methods used. This has enabled an irrigation system to be built and managed so that it achieves very high fuel- and water-use efficiency. The latest trials have concentrated on understanding the advantages and disadvantages of drip irrigation, a method that can achieve very high water use-efficiency but at high capital cost. Trials completed in 2007 showed a 10% water saving compared to current irrigation techniques, with no loss of yield. This is equivalent to saving 70 litres of water for every kilo of black tea produced. When fully implemented on a 3 000 hectare farm it is anticipated that 700 million litres of water will be saved. Apart from conserving water and saving on energy, the system provides opportunity for more effective application of fertilisers.
All the water used for irrigation on our tea estates in Tanzania is harvested from within the farms during the rainy season (when there is little if any inconvenience to downstream users) and then stored on the farms in reservoirs and lakes for use during the dry season. Conserving the high proportion of rainforest within the Tanzanian estates (over 50% of the land area) is also vital to ensure that the catchment characteristics and local weather patterns are maintained.
Water use by consumers
Our approach to water sustainability increasingly focuses on consumer use, as this is where the greatest water usage occurs. We have been working on ways to help consumers reduce their water consumption through the design and innovation of products that require less water to use.
Brand innovations include Surf Excel Quick Wash, which aims to save as much as two buckets of water per wash for Indian consumers. Based on assumptions about laundry habits, we estimate potential savings in the region of 14 billion litres of water a year.
Our new Easy Rinse Comfort and Vivere fabric softeners also require less water. Based on a technologically complex innovation, these conditioners can be used directly after applying detergent, without the need to rinse in between. The way in which consumers use our products varies from country to country. We estimate that in Brazil, for example, this Easy Rinse formulation leads to an average saving of around 100 litres per wash.
Our Sunlight concentrated hand dishwashing liquid contains half the water of the standard format and its smaller, lighter bottle means fewer packaging and transport impacts. Concentrated liquids had disappointed consumers and customers in the past, so there were concerns about relaunching this formulation. However in recent years the consumer and customer landscape has changed significantly and environmental issues are rising up the agenda. In addition to the environmental benefits we were able to offer new innovations to further differentiate our product. For example, Sunlight concentrated liquid turns into a gel on contact with water, staying on the sponge longer to deliver better degreasing.
Our commitment to water sustainability extends to the quality of water once products have been used and disposed of by consumers. This is reviewed by our Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre in line with our policies on ingredients and materials in products.
Water quality
As well as seeking to reduce our water footprint, we are concerned about the impact of our detergent products especially, when they enter the waste water stream after use, as concentrations of phosphates can be damaging. Considering all the different ways in which our products are used and how ingredients break down is an important part of a responsible approach to water use. We are working for the detergents industry, academic institutes and government agencies in Europe to improve tools to predict the impact of household products on rivers.
Understanding how consumers use water
We have been working with the Royal Society of Chemistry to understand the barriers and triggers towards sustainable water use in South Africa. Called Project Splash, the study has been investigating the use of water in and around a South African township. The aim is to provide insights into consumer lives and behaviour that can help us direct our research and development resources.
External opinion
Unilever was named industry leader from a group of 15 major food and beverage companies in a recent analysis of companies' approach to water consumption. The study was carried out by the Ecumenical Council for Corporate Responsibility, a membership organisation representing Christian faith groups, ethical investors and NGOs. The analysis was based on companies policies on reducing water consumption, mechanisms in place to implement their policies, actual performance and public reporting. Unilever achieved the highest score based on our performance in all these areas.
