Water Sustainability: Meeting the Challenge - a comparative analysis of water consumption in the food processing and beverage industries

ECCR's most recent report analyses and compares the water consumption policies and performance of 15 leading British and Irish food and drinks companies.

Key findings and issues:

• Water shortages resulting from rising demand, pollution and climate change are a key environmental challenge, a global justice issue and in some parts of the world a cause of conflict.
• Water-thirsty industries have a responsibility to manage their water use accountably and sustainably.
• The food and drinks sector is among the heaviest water users, especially when agricultural supply chains, often involving irrigation, are taken into account.
• Major food and drinks processing companies have much to do before they can claim to be operating sustainably in terms of water consumption.
• Only three companies - Diageo, SAB Miller and Unilever – show signs of adequately addressing the need to monitor, report on and reduce their water footprint.
• Recommended sector-wide improvements include identifying water stress and local impacts of water use; taking more responsibility for water consumption in the supply chain; consulting with local communities; enhancing accountability through reporting and disclosure; and making environmental performance a factor in senior executive pay.

Companies in the survey: Associated British Foods, Britvic, C&C Group, Cadbury Schweppes, Dairy Crest, Diageo, Glanbia, IAWS, Kerry Group, Northern Foods, Premier Foods, SAB Miller, Scottish & Newcastle, Tate & Lyle, Unilever. All were FTSE 350 or ISEQ (Dublin) listed when research began in mid-2007.

Published May 2008. Hard copy: ECCR members - £5 / €6 / $10. Non-members - £12 / €15 /  $23. Order form.

Executive summary (pdf).

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