15 Jun How efficient is SA’s bottled water industry?
The European Federation of Bottled Waters recently reported that facilities bottling water in Europe have increased their water usage efficiency by 18% over a five year period. What’s the situation in SA?
According to figures released by the European Federation of Bottled Waters (EFBW – March 19, 2012), the average water use ratio was 2.23 litres in 2006. This decreased to 1.82 litres in 2010, representing an 18% improvement in efficiency.
Furthermore, water consumption decreased by an average 26% as a result of continuous improvements in water resource management.
‘Water usage’ refers to how much water is used to make one finished product; in bottled water’s case, one litre of bottled water. This measure includes both direct and indirect water usage (ie water for rinsing and sanitising bottles, plant and general cleaning and sanitation, vehicle washing, floor washing, toilets etc.) and includes water from boreholes and municipal source. The 18% decrease represents an impressive improvement.
‘Water consumption’ refers to the actual amount of water used. The 26% reduction is attributed to both an improvement in water usage as well as reduced demand in some countries.
The study, widely regarded as a major step forward for the industry, formed part of the EFBW’s commitment to water stewardship and to reducing water consumption overall.
Data was compiled from 77 bottling locations throughout Europe and reflects water use at each facility type over the five year period.
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. View the EFBW’s executive summary here.
Patricia Fosselard Secretary General of EFBW added: “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.”
The South African perspective
According to South African National Bottled Water Association (SANBWA) no similar all-inclusive industry research has been done locally but it is known that the South African industry water usage benchmark is 1.8:1. There are plants that achieve ratios of as low as 1.2:1 according to SANBWA committee member, Casper Durandt.
SANBWA’s figures show that, when it comes to total annual consumption, this benchmark ratio equates to 22.7 litres/second.
By comparison, a golf course uses 1 litre/second per hole or 18 litres/second for an 18 hole golf course – so the bottled water industry’s use is just slightly more than the equivalent used by one and a half golf courses – while the fruit export industry uses 0.5 litres/second/hectare making the bottled water industry’s use equivalent to that of just one 45 hectare farm.
All SANBWA members who bottle natural water and waters defined by origin (as defined by www.sanbwa.org.za) are required to only bottle water extracted from a sustainable source, and this source is groundwater, South African legislation covering the use of groundwater is well developed, and is directed towards ensuring the sustainability of our water resources, rather than depleting them.
Recently published figures for total groundwater usage in South Africa is 2000 million m3 per annum, with a further amount of 3500 million m3 estimated to be in easy use for future application (Water Wheel Volume 10 number 6 November 2011).
“When assessing the sustainability of South Africa’s groundwater, consideration has to be given to the groundwater recharge rate, and then ensuring that this rate is not exceeded,” added SANBWA chairman, John Weaver.
“Groundwater is a highly desirable resource for the bottled water industry in South Africa because it is largely unpolluted and renewable.
“The total water consumption by the bottled water industry (production volumes plus incidental use) in 2011 was 0.72 million m3. This equates to only 0.013% of the country’s total groundwater usage.
“According to research done by Alan Woodford & Peter Rosewarne, SRK Consulting, and Jan Girman, Department of Water Affairs & Forestry, the Potable Groundwater Exploitation Potential (PGEP) of aquifers in South Africa is estimated at 14 802 million m3, which declines to 12 626 million m3 during a drought
“That means that there is at least 12 700 million m3 of groundwater available for use each year, given the current recharge rates (calculated as a percentage of rainfall) of 20% or more in the Cape mountain ranges, 2% to 3% in the Karoo and 3% to 8% in Gauteng.”
SANBWA represents 80% of this country’s bottled water producers. Membership of SANBWA is voluntary but strictly controlled, and comprises bottlers of all classes of bottled water (i.e. natural, defined by origin and prepared waters) whose primary concern is the health and safety of their consumers.
The SANBWA Bottled Water Standard benchmarks favourably against international standards. The presence of the SANBWA logo on a bottle is a seal of quality and ensures that the water in that bottle is what it claims to be.
SANBWA also is urging South Africans to do more than just switch off their lights; it wants every household and every office to take responsibility for looking after their habitat, the earth by committing recycling its paper, glass, tin – and most importantly – plastic waste.
Durandt said organisations such as Petco as well as SANBWA members – together with many South Africans – have made considerable strides in recycling plastic products, but the time has come for others to take up the mantle for good environmental governance.
According to latest Plastics SA figures, there were 194 recyclers operating in 2010. Between them, they recycled 241 853 tons of plastics. This is 6% more than in 2009, whereas the growth in virgin consumption increased 4,7% in the same period, from 1 280 thousand tons to 1 340 thousand tons.
Even more impressive is the recycling rate for packaging: of the 241 853 tonnages recycled, 182 032 tons was packaging. This is an increase of 9,8 % which is mainly due to the increase in PE-LD/LLD and PET packaging.
The recycling rate for PET, the plastic used to make beverage bottles like those used by the bottled water industry, is also on the rise. Petco’s latest figures highlight that 43% of all post-consumer PET bottles consumed in South Africa are recycled. The target for 2015 is 49%.
Approximately 12% of household waste is packaging waste. Estimates are that some 3% of this, by weight, is plastic bottles. Fortunately, they are easy for the public to identify and remove from the residual waste stream for recycling.
Source: SANBWA